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The First World War saw a major mobilization of soldiers, equipment, supplies and medical staff. Between 1914 and 1918, 2,003 women enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) and went overseas. The war was perceived as exclusively male, but the presence of nursing sisters near the front and close to the line of fire has shattered this misperception and highlighted the importance of female caregivers during the war. These women looked after almost 540,000 soldiers and worked near the battlefields under difficult conditions.

Check out the letters, diaries and photographs of Canadian nursing sisters who served during the Great War. Follow these nurses as they witness the destruction of war, participate in social events, and help patients, as you transcribe, translate, tag and/or describe their writings and photographs.

Anne E. Ross

Born in Kingston, Ontario, in 1890, Anne E. Ross graduated from the Lady Stanley Institute (later known as the Ottawa Civic Hospital Nursing School) in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1913. She trained at the Quebec Military Hospital before going overseas in the First World War. She served in Greece after the Dardanelles Campaign, and later in England.

For this challenge, travel to Greece with Anne and discover her work, conditions and patients there. While you transcribe, translate, tag and/or describe Anne’s narrative and photographs, glimpse the poor conditions in which nurses and soldiers alike served during the war.

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