Heritage in the Hat: Under a bluebird’s wing
By Sally Sehn on November 7, 2023.
During this month of remembrance of our military veterans, the significance of women in international warfare can be overshadowed by a war theatre of predominantly men. But women played an important role. In the Second World War, 2845 Canadian nurses served with the Canadian Army Medical Corps receiving equal pay and relative rank to male officers. The CAMC nurses were nicknamed “bluebirds”, because of the colour of their uniforms. One such “bluebird” was Ada Taylor. A local woman, Ada trained as a nurse at the Vancouver General Hospital graduating in 1910. In the same year, Ada’s younger brothers Samuel and Abram Taylor established the Taylor Bros. Grocery, a family run business which operated in the city for decades. Ada enlisted with the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force on June 3, 1915. As part of the CAMC, she spent the winter of 1916-1917 with a Canadian General Hospital in Salonika, Greece, on the Balkan front. In August 1917, Ada was transferred to another hospital in Boulogne, France, where she spent the duration of the war. For her service, she was awarded the 1914-1915 Star medal, established in 1918. She also received the 1919 British War Medal and Victory Medal, common medals which were awarded to the vast majority of CEF veterans. Another bestowed decoration, the Associate Royal Red Cross Class 2 really sets Ada apart from the rest. The Royal Red Cross Class 1 medal was instituted by Queen Victoria in 1883. The first recipient was Florence Nightingale. The Class 2 medal was introduced in 1915. At the beginning of the Second World War, there were only 276 recipients of the AARC. The award is given to nurses who have shown exceptional service in military nursing. On the back of the medal, the words “faith, hope and charity” are engraved as well as the original 1883 date. Only 476 Canadian nurses have ever received this medal. Returning to Medicine Hat after the war, Ada married Captain Charles Anderson, a former machine gun commander. The couple had two children, Joan (1921) and Frank (1923). Keeping with family tradition, both siblings joined the armed forces in the Second World War. Ada’s greatest honour was still yet to come. In 1939, King George VI stopped briefly in Medicine Hat as part of a Canadian tour undertaken to build up support for Britain on the verge of World War II. For the welcoming ceremony, Ada Taylor Anderson was chosen by the City to present a bouquet of roses to the King’s consort, Queen Elizabeth (the Queen mum). During the Second World War, her son, Sgt. Pilot Frank Anderson required medical treatment. While recovering in a Canadian General Hospital north of London, he met his future wife Dorothy, a nursing sister with the re-named Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps. Dorothy fit right in with this family of veterans. One can only imagine the conversations between the two military nurses from different wars and different generations. From 1921 to 1999, three generations of Andersons resided at 335 First Street SE. Their historic home survives. Sally Sehn is a past Member of the Heritage Resources Committee, City of Medicine Hat. 11-10
