Ms. Jessie McDiarmid, Nursing Sister
Jessie Mabel McDiarmid was born Aug. 14, 1880 to John McDiarmid in Ashton. She was a professional nurse by trade, single, and served in an active militia. She was 5’5”, dark complexion, dark eyes, brown hair, and Presbyterian. She enlisted Sept 16, 1915 and was witnessed by Mary Milligan. However, she had been working at the 5th General Hospital since July 30, 1915. She served as a nursing sister with the Canadian Army Medical Corps from Sept. 16, 1915 to June 27, 1918 when she died in the theatre of war. She served on the Llandovery Castle, Hospital Ship that contained the 5th General Hospital and was a merchant ship. Her grave is located in Halifax Memorial Cemetery, Panel 2. This cemetery was erected for those 274 who served and died in WWI and 2847 in WWII. These individuals died at sea or in Canada and have no known grave.
Jessie was stationed with the Medical Corps on Sept. 7, 1915 where she worked as the Matron in Chief. She enlisted on Sept. 16, 1915 in London and was assigned to the Red Cross Hospital in Taplow on Sept 27. She was then sent to Salonica on Dec. 2, 1915 until Sept. 7, 1917 where she would have worked with other relatives. She was then posted to the No. 4 General Hospital on Sept. 29 in Basingstoke, England and then the No. 5 General Hospital in Liverpool on Oct. 11. It was noted she was mentioned in Dispatches on Nov. 28, 1917 likely due to when she left Salonika. She was then posted to the Llandovery Castle on June 5, 1918 and drowned on her initial tour. She was not declared officially dead until March 7, 1919 at the age of 37.
According to the Book of Remembrance, Jessie is listed on page 455 and served with the 5th General Hospital. Her family also received a dispatch on Oct. 17, 1917 from Lt.-Gen. GF Milne on behalf of the King thanking her for her service. Her 1914-15 Star, Victory Medal and British War Medal were sent to John McDiarmid but had it returned due to being unable to locate any next of kin. Her pay was sent to the Royal Bank in Victoria, BC where she received $111 per month. However, a couple years later, she changed to the Bank of Montreal.
Jessie served as a nursing sister. While today we may think nurses have it easier than soldiers, it is clear they did not. 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.
The Llandovery Castle sinking was a huge rallying point for Canadians. A German U-boat sunk this unarmed merchant ship. Witnesses said after they got into the lifeboats, the U-boat rose and German soldiers opened fire with machine guns on the survivors. Among those killed were 14 nursing sisters and Jessie McDiarmid. A national outcry poured out from Canadians and created an increase in enlistment.
One of the more controversial events during the Great War was the sinking of the Canadian Hospital Ship Llandovery Castle by a German submarine, U-86, on 27 June 1918. The ship was returning to England after having brought Canadian casualties back to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Being a Hospital Ship, it was clearly identified as such with a brightly illuminated Red Cross, was unarmed and running with full lights. On board, the crew consisted of one hundred and sixty-four men, eighty officers and men of the Canadian Medical Corps, and fourteen nurses, a total of two hundred and fifty-eight persons.
According to the Hague Convention, an enemy vessel had the right to stop and search a Hospital Ship, but not to sink it. U-86 made no attempt to search the ship, but rather torpedoed it. Even though the Llandovery Castle sank within ten minutes, a number of boats were lowered successfully and the ship was abandoned in a calm and efficient manner. Three boats ultimately survived the sinking of the vessel undamaged and proceeded to rescue survivors from the water. They were interrupted by German Commander Patzig, who intercepted the boats and started interrogating crew members to obtain proof of the misuse of the hospital ship as an ammunition carrier. When no proof could be obtained, Patzig gave the command to make clear for diving and ordered the crew below deck. Patzig, two officers (Ludwig Dithmar and John Boldt) and the boatswain’s mate Meissner stayed on deck. The U-boat did not dive, but started firing at and sinking the lifeboats to kill all witnesses and cover up what had happened. To conceal this event, Patzig extracted promises of secrecy from the crew, and faked the course of U-86 in the logbook so that nothing would connect U-86 with the sinking of the Llandovery Castle. Only one lifeboat survived the attack. It was picked up by the destroyer Lysander on the morning of 29 June, 36 hours after the attack Twenty four people survived the attack on the lifeboats, including six members of the Canadian Army Medical Corps. All 14 Nursing Sisters on board lost their lives.
After the war, the British initiated a War Crimes trial against the officers of U-86. The commander, Helmut Patzig could not be found and was never brought to trial. The two other officers, Ludwig Dithmar and John Boldt were tried and convicted. The men were sentenced to 4 years of hard labour, but escaped while underway to the prison. It is unclear if they were ever recaptured, but it is certain that they never served more than 4 months.
Jessie Mabel McDiarmid was born Aug. 14, 1880 to John McDiarmid in Ashton. She was a professional nurse by trade, single, and served in an active militia. She was 5’5”, dark complexion, dark eyes, brown hair, and Presbyterian. She enlisted Sept 16, 1915 and was witnessed by Mary Milligan. However, she had been working at the 5th General Hospital since July 30, 1915. She served as a nursing sister with the Canadian Army Medical Corps from Sept. 16, 1915 to June 27, 1918 when she died in the theatre of war. She served on the Llandovery Castle, Hospital Ship that contained the 5th General Hospital and was a merchant ship. Her grave is located in Halifax Memorial Cemetery, Panel 2. This cemetery was erected for those 274 who served and died in WWI and 2847 in WWII. These individuals died at sea or in Canada and have no known grave.
Jessie was stationed with the Medical Corps on Sept. 7, 1915 where she worked as the Matron in Chief. She enlisted on Sept. 16, 1915 in London and was assigned to the Red Cross Hospital in Taplow on Sept 27. She was then sent to Salonica on Dec. 2, 1915 until Sept. 7, 1917 where she would have worked with other relatives. She was then posted to the No. 4 General Hospital on Sept. 29 in Basingstoke, England and then the No. 5 General Hospital in Liverpool on Oct. 11. It was noted she was mentioned in Dispatches on Nov. 28, 1917 likely due to when she left Salonika. She was then posted to the Llandovery Castle on June 5, 1918 and drowned on her initial tour. She was not declared officially dead until March 7, 1919 at the age of 37.
According to the Book of Remembrance, Jessie is listed on page 455 and served with the 5th General Hospital. Her family also received a dispatch on Oct. 17, 1917 from Lt.-Gen. GF Milne on behalf of the King thanking her for her service. Her 1914-15 Star, Victory Medal and British War Medal were sent to John McDiarmid but had it returned due to being unable to locate any next of kin. Her pay was sent to the Royal Bank in Victoria, BC where she received $111 per month. However, a couple years later, she changed to the Bank of Montreal.
Jessie served as a nursing sister. While today we may think nurses have it easier than soldiers, it is clear they did not. 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.
The Llandovery Castle sinking was a huge rallying point for Canadians. A German U-boat sunk this unarmed merchant ship. Witnesses said after they got into the lifeboats, the U-boat rose and German soldiers opened fire with machine guns on the survivors. Among those killed were 14 nursing sisters and Jessie McDiarmid. A national outcry poured out from Canadians and created an increase in enlistment.
One of the more controversial events during the Great War was the sinking of the Canadian Hospital Ship Llandovery Castle by a German submarine, U-86, on 27 June 1918. The ship was returning to England after having brought Canadian casualties back to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Being a Hospital Ship, it was clearly identified as such with a brightly illuminated Red Cross, was unarmed and running with full lights. On board, the crew consisted of one hundred and sixty-four men, eighty officers and men of the Canadian Medical Corps, and fourteen nurses, a total of two hundred and fifty-eight persons.
According to the Hague Convention, an enemy vessel had the right to stop and search a Hospital Ship, but not to sink it. U-86 made no attempt to search the ship, but rather torpedoed it. Even though the Llandovery Castle sank within ten minutes, a number of boats were lowered successfully and the ship was abandoned in a calm and efficient manner. Three boats ultimately survived the sinking of the vessel undamaged and proceeded to rescue survivors from the water. They were interrupted by German Commander Patzig, who intercepted the boats and started interrogating crew members to obtain proof of the misuse of the hospital ship as an ammunition carrier. When no proof could be obtained, Patzig gave the command to make clear for diving and ordered the crew below deck. Patzig, two officers (Ludwig Dithmar and John Boldt) and the boatswain’s mate Meissner stayed on deck. The U-boat did not dive, but started firing at and sinking the lifeboats to kill all witnesses and cover up what had happened. To conceal this event, Patzig extracted promises of secrecy from the crew, and faked the course of U-86 in the logbook so that nothing would connect U-86 with the sinking of the Llandovery Castle. Only one lifeboat survived the attack. It was picked up by the destroyer Lysander on the morning of 29 June, 36 hours after the attack Twenty four people survived the attack on the lifeboats, including six members of the Canadian Army Medical Corps. All 14 Nursing Sisters on board lost their lives.
After the war, the British initiated a War Crimes trial against the officers of U-86. The commander, Helmut Patzig could not be found and was never brought to trial. The two other officers, Ludwig Dithmar and John Boldt were tried and convicted. The men were sentenced to 4 years of hard labour, but escaped while underway to the prison. It is unclear if they were ever recaptured, but it is certain that they never served more than 4 months.