Mrs. Jean Ramsay, Nursing Sister
Jean Elisabeth Kidd was born on April 22, 1889 in Beckwith Township to James G. Kidd and Catherine Stewart and lived at RR#3 Ashton, ON. She was a nurse by trade, single, and had served for four months at Dr. Depage Unit in La Panne, Belgium before enlisting on Oct. 1, 1915. She was 26 years old, 5’4”, 116lbs, fair complexion, blue eyes, and light brown hair. She was Anglican and attended Christ Church, Ashton. She also had a small scar on her left upper arm due to her vaccination shot.
On June 9th, she contracted enteritis and jaundice and was treated in Salonika. She was then treated in Malta from Aug. 6 to 22nd for the same condition. She then contracted malaria and on Sept. 1, 1916, she spent 6 weeks recovering in QAIMNS Hospital Vincent. It was noted her anemia was quite marked. On Jan. 13, 1917, she was sick with jaundice and measles and spent 3 weeks recovering.
Jean was first stationed at the 1st Station hospital on Nov. 10, 1915 until she contracted jaundice on June 9, 1916. It was Oct. 13 before she was able to serve again at the Canadian Red Cross Hospital in Buxton. She was on medical leave in Jan, 1917 as stated before. She did receive her first leave on May 20, 1917 to June 6, 1917. On July 18, 1917 she was posted to the Can. Military Hospital in Basingstoke. Finally, on Jan. 5, 1918, she resigned her commission. It appears she moved to Ducks, BC when she returned likely for health reasons. She married Kenneth Alan Ramsay before 1920 in Grimsby, ON. They then lived in Cariboo, BC on June 1, 1921. Kenneth was born in Hamilton, ON, but was a Lieutenant in WWI. He died in 1949.
On March 22, 1949, someone requested information about her service. She was deceased at this time. It was stated she received the 1914-1915 Star and British War and Victory Medals.
Jean died in 1988 at the age of 99 years old.
Jean served as a nursing sister. While today we may think nurses have it easier than soldiers, it is clear they did not. The Dr. Depage unit in Belgium was the first exclusively military hospital established during the Balkan Wars in 1912-1914 and served as the harbinger of WWI. It was part of the Red Cross and when the nuns threatened to go on strike, Dr. Depage got his wife, Marie to recruit and fundraise in the U.S. Jean would have been part of this group. Jean got two weeks off in over two years. She would have lived with the effects of her illnesses for the rest of her life and appears to have died early. Jean initially served at Salonika in Serbia where WWI started. She would have been one of the very first Canadians to serve in World War 1 and part of the first 107 Canadian nursing sisters to serve. While the Central powers were considered to win this battle, the Serbians weren’t wiped out and were able to re-establish themselves later in Macedonia thanks in part to the care they received. Hospitals were not immune from bombing attacks and would have lived with that fear. They also dealt with horrific injuries never seen before and which they had no training. The earliest nursing sisters came from religious orders but by World War I, they tended to be professional nurses. They were called angels of mercy or bluebirds for their distinctive blue dresses, white aprons and white veils. There were over 3,000 single women who served as nursing sisters in WWI. Their primary task was to provide comfort to the wounded and try to ensure a safe journey home. In WWI, hospital ships were originally created and so nursing sisters would serve on them as well. As a result of their work, they were the first Canadian women to vote and considered to be just as important to the suffrage movement as Nellie McClung and the Famous Five. For more information, please refer to GWL Nicholson’s book Canada’s Nursing Sisters.Beckwith Township has reason to be proud of its nursing sister, Jean Elisabeth Kidd. She was a Canadian pioneer in nursing being part of the first military hospital and among the first to serve in WWI.
Jean Elisabeth Kidd was born on April 22, 1889 in Beckwith Township to James G. Kidd and Catherine Stewart and lived at RR#3 Ashton, ON. She was a nurse by trade, single, and had served for four months at Dr. Depage Unit in La Panne, Belgium before enlisting on Oct. 1, 1915. She was 26 years old, 5’4”, 116lbs, fair complexion, blue eyes, and light brown hair. She was Anglican and attended Christ Church, Ashton. She also had a small scar on her left upper arm due to her vaccination shot.
On June 9th, she contracted enteritis and jaundice and was treated in Salonika. She was then treated in Malta from Aug. 6 to 22nd for the same condition. She then contracted malaria and on Sept. 1, 1916, she spent 6 weeks recovering in QAIMNS Hospital Vincent. It was noted her anemia was quite marked. On Jan. 13, 1917, she was sick with jaundice and measles and spent 3 weeks recovering.
Jean was first stationed at the 1st Station hospital on Nov. 10, 1915 until she contracted jaundice on June 9, 1916. It was Oct. 13 before she was able to serve again at the Canadian Red Cross Hospital in Buxton. She was on medical leave in Jan, 1917 as stated before. She did receive her first leave on May 20, 1917 to June 6, 1917. On July 18, 1917 she was posted to the Can. Military Hospital in Basingstoke. Finally, on Jan. 5, 1918, she resigned her commission. It appears she moved to Ducks, BC when she returned likely for health reasons. She married Kenneth Alan Ramsay before 1920 in Grimsby, ON. They then lived in Cariboo, BC on June 1, 1921. Kenneth was born in Hamilton, ON, but was a Lieutenant in WWI. He died in 1949.
On March 22, 1949, someone requested information about her service. She was deceased at this time. It was stated she received the 1914-1915 Star and British War and Victory Medals.
Jean died in 1988 at the age of 99 years old.
Jean served as a nursing sister. While today we may think nurses have it easier than soldiers, it is clear they did not. The Dr. Depage unit in Belgium was the first exclusively military hospital established during the Balkan Wars in 1912-1914 and served as the harbinger of WWI. It was part of the Red Cross and when the nuns threatened to go on strike, Dr. Depage got his wife, Marie to recruit and fundraise in the U.S. Jean would have been part of this group. Jean got two weeks off in over two years. She would have lived with the effects of her illnesses for the rest of her life and appears to have died early. Jean initially served at Salonika in Serbia where WWI started. She would have been one of the very first Canadians to serve in World War 1 and part of the first 107 Canadian nursing sisters to serve. While the Central powers were considered to win this battle, the Serbians weren’t wiped out and were able to re-establish themselves later in Macedonia thanks in part to the care they received. Hospitals were not immune from bombing attacks and would have lived with that fear. They also dealt with horrific injuries never seen before and which they had no training. The earliest nursing sisters came from religious orders but by World War I, they tended to be professional nurses. They were called angels of mercy or bluebirds for their distinctive blue dresses, white aprons and white veils. There were over 3,000 single women who served as nursing sisters in WWI. Their primary task was to provide comfort to the wounded and try to ensure a safe journey home. In WWI, hospital ships were originally created and so nursing sisters would serve on them as well. As a result of their work, they were the first Canadian women to vote and considered to be just as important to the suffrage movement as Nellie McClung and the Famous Five. For more information, please refer to GWL Nicholson’s book Canada’s Nursing Sisters.Beckwith Township has reason to be proud of its nursing sister, Jean Elisabeth Kidd. She was a Canadian pioneer in nursing being part of the first military hospital and among the first to serve in WWI.