![LydiaEvangelineEmsley1916TrainedNurse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/LydiaEvangelineEmsley1916TrainedNurse.jpg)
Evangeline Lydia Emsley
ARRC (March 1885 – February 21, 1967), sometimes written as Lydia Evangeline Emsley, was a Canadian nurse who was decorated for her service as a member of the
Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps
The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army.
The Militia Medical Service was established in 1898. It consisted of an Army Medical Service (officers) and an Army Medical Corps (other ranks). S ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Early life
Evangeline Emsley was born in
Lindsay, Ontario
Lindsay is a community of 22 367 people ( 2021 census) on the Scugog River in the Kawartha Lakes region of south-eastern Ontario, Canada. It is approximately west of Peterborough. It is the seat of the City of Kawartha Lakes (formerly Victori ...
, the daughter of Rev. William Henry Emsley and Susan A. Major Emsley. Her father was a Methodist pastor and military chaplain from
Barnsley, in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
. She trained as a nurse at
Columbia Hospital in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, graduating in 1909.
["From the War Zone: A Distinguished Nursing Sister"](_blank)
''Trained Nurse and Hospital Review'' (October 1916): 211-212.
Career
Emsley was appointed Superintendent of Nurses at Kingston General Hospital in Ontario in 1912. She joined the Canadian Army Medical Corps in 1915. In England, she worked as night supervisor at the
Duchess of Connaught's Canadian Red Cross Hospital in
Taplow
Taplow is a village and civil parish in the Unitary Authority of Buckinghamshire, England. It sits on the left bank of the River Thames, facing Maidenhead in the neighbouring county of Berkshire, with Cippenham and Burnham to the east. It is the ...
. She was sent to a base hospital in
Boulogne.
In King
George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...
's
1919 Birthday Honours, she was awarded a
Royal Red Cross
The Royal Red Cross (RRC) is a military decoration awarded in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for exceptional services in military nursing.
Foundation
The award was established on 27 April 1883 by Queen Victoria, with a single class of Mem ...
, second class, for her service during the war. After she returned to Canada in 1919, she resumed a civilian nursing career, working for the health department in
Oshawa in 1929.
Personal life
In 1931, Emsley married Frederick James Donevan (1880-1948), a widowed doctor who had also served in the Canadian Army Medical Corps in France and England. They lived in
Oshawa with his daughter Constance Marie Donevan, who also became a nurse.
"Fraser-Donevan"
''The Leader-Post'' (January 27, 1945): 5. via Newspapers.com
Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites.
In November 2018, ...
References
External links
Evangeline Emsley's Attestation Paper
signed upon joining the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force in October 1915; from Libraries and Archives Canada.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emsley, Evangeline Lydia
1885 births
1967 deaths
Canadian nurses
Women nurses
Canadian women in World War I
People from Kawartha Lakes
Associate Members of the Royal Red Cross
20th-century Canadian women