Margaret Brooke (April 10, 1915 – January 9, 2016), served as a nursing sister during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

rising to the rank of

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

in the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

(RCN). Following the war, she earned a bachelor's degree and then a PhD in

paleontology Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

, serving as an instructor and researcher at the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

's Department of Geological Sciences.

Biography

Early life and naval service

Margaret Brooke was born in

Ardath, Saskatchewan Ardath is an unincorporated community in the west-central region of Saskatchewan located on Highway 654, along the Canadian National Railway, Delisle- Tichfield Junction stub. The community is located approximately north of Conquest and i ...

, and at the age of 18 enrolled at the

where she earned a BHSC degree in household science in 1935. She enlisted in the RCN in March 1942 as a nursing sister dietician and given the rank of

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

. Nursing sisters were trained civilian nurses who fulfilled the Canadian military's need for nurses. They were given enlisted ranks, with the RCN creating their own nursing force in 1941. Brooke was enrolled at in

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as t ...

, and served in several naval hospitals across the country. Brooke was stationed in St. John's,

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, and was taking the

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

"that regularly crossed

Cabot Strait Cabot Strait (; french: détroit de Cabot, ) is a strait in eastern Canada approximately 110 kilometres wide between Cape Ray, Newfoundland and Cape North, Cape Breton Island. It is the widest of the three outlets for the Gulf of Saint L ...

from

Sydney, Nova Scotia Sydney is a former city and urban community on the east coast of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Sydney was founded in 1785 by the British, was incorporated as a city in 1904, and dissolv ...

, to

Port aux Basques, Newfoundland Channel-Port aux Basques is a town at the extreme southwestern tip of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland fronting on the western end of the Cabot Strait. A Marine Atlantic ferry terminal is located in the town which is the primary entry point ont ...

" on October 14, 1942. While off the coast of

, the ship was

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

ed by the and sank in minutes. While fighting for her own survival, she attempted to save the life of her friend, Nursing Sister Sub-Lieutenant Agnes Wilkie, both of them clinging to ropes attached to a capsized

lifeboat Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen A ...

. Despite Brooke's efforts, Wilkie succumbed to the elements. Brooke and the other survivors of the ''Caribou'' were in the water for two hours before an RCN ship returned to pick them up. Wilkie was the only nursing sister to die from enemy action during the war. For her actions during the sinking of ''Caribou'' she was named as a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

on January 1, 1943. Following the war, she continued to serve in the RCN rising to the rank of

prior to her retirement in 1962.

Post naval career

After her service in the RCN, she earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

and

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

biostratigraphy Biostratigraphy is the branch of stratigraphy which focuses on correlating and assigning relative ages of rock Stratum, strata by using the fossil assemblages contained within them.Hine, Robert. “Biostratigraphy.” ''Oxford Reference: Dictiona ...

and micro-

. She served as an instructor and research associate in the University of Saskatchewan's Department of Geological Sciences until retiring in 1986. Brooke moved to

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

, following her retirement. During her time at the university, she co-authored several influential geological papers. In April 2015, the Minister of National Defence

Jason Kenney Jason Thomas Kenney (born May 30, 1968) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 18th premier of Alberta from 2019 until 2022 and the leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) from 2017 until 2022. He also served as the member of ...

announced that one of the RCN's new

Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship ''Harry DeWolf''-class offshore patrol vessels are warships of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) built within the Government of Canada Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) procurement project, part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy ...

s would be named for Dr. Brooke. She responded that she was "amazed that my actions as a survivor of the sinking of the SS ''Caribou'' led the Royal Canadian Navy to my door." Brooke died on January 9, 2016, in Victoria, British Columbia at the age of 100.

Legacy

Brooke was named an "Alumna of Influence" by the College of Arts and Science of the University of Saskatchewan in 2018. The second Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship of the RCN, , which was launched in 2019 and began

sea trial A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...

s in 2021, is named in her honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooke, Margaret Royal Canadian Navy officers 1915 births 2016 deaths Royal Canadian Navy Members of the Order of the British Empire Canadian centenarians Women centenarians Canadian military personnel from Saskatchewan