When it came to war in early times, WWI and WWII, men were generally the focus. However, many women also served, primarily as nurses. Thanks to the research of G. William (Bill) Streeter, local historian in Southampton (Saugeen Shores), their stories are now being told.
Following is a brief news story that was included in a Southampton Beacon article in June of 1918.
Bessie Taylor
Bessie Taylor was the only local Southampton lady who was at the war’s front in mainland Europe during WWI. Here is her story.
Bessie Taylor was born in Buckhaven, Wemyss, Scotland on May 20, 1885. About 1890 little Bessie came to Southampton with her father Thomas, her mother Elizabeth, and her three siblings. Thomas worked as a fisherman. Three additional children were added to the family in the years that followed.
After graduating from the local school, Bessie chose a life as a professional Nurse and by 1917, she was living and working in Winnipeg. It was there, she completed her Officers Declaration Papers and enlisted in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force. Her Attestation Document, for Next of Kin shows “Thomas Taylor, Grosvenor Street, Southampton.” She was given the rank of Lieutenant – Nursing Sister and left for England on June 21, 1917.
Bessie served in convalescent hospitals in England until arriving in France on March 26, 1918. She was assigned to the 1st Canadian General Hospital near Étables France. This hospital had a history going back to August 1914 at Val Cartier Quebec, and had travelled with the Canadian First Contingent to England on September 30, 1914. They set up base in Salisbury Plain and served the arriving and wounded Canadians there until moving to Étables-sur-Mer France on May 14, 1915.
The hospital at Étables in France became the largest Canadian General Hospital in France in WWI. The large complex could accommodate up to 2,000 patients at a time, with a combination of permanent tented structures and additional individual large tents were added when required. Of note is that following major battles like Vimy and Passchendaele, patient counts would far exceed 2,000. From there, many soldiers required additional treatment and recovery back in England. Their location was very close to the English Channel.
Bessie became part of the medical team and lived the life of caring for the wounded and sick in this massive hospital complex.
Nothing that the hospital had endured in the first three years at Étables would match what happened on the night of May 19/20, 1918. The following words were written by Nursing Sister, Edith Alberta Gallagher (1891-1972).
“Shortly after 10:30 p.m. on the brightly moonlit night of May 19, 1918, a German air raid dropped more than 100 bombs on a complex of 10 Canadian and British field hospitals clustered along the rail lines near Étables, France. At No. 1 Canadian General Hospital, there were 139 casualties among staff and patients, 66 of whom were killed. Three nursing sisters died in the attack, and five more were wounded.”
The Germans bombed two Canadian Hospitals in WWI; this one and the hospital ship Llandovery Castle.
Just over a month later, Lieutenant Bessie Taylor was diagnosed with “debility” (lack of strength). This is described as “loss of muscle bulk and reduction in the efficiency of the heart and respiratory system”. The 5’ 3”, 115 lb. Bessie Taylor was totally exhausted.
The following words are from the CONFIDENTIAL MEDICAL BOARD REPORT that relieved her from duty for 2 months. ESSENTIAL FACTS, as they were written follow:
“This nursing sister is boarded on the above authority. She comes from Kitchener War Hospital in Brighton, where she was admitted on 12/6/18.
She was on duty at No. 1 Can. Hosp. on 19/5/18 when that hospital was bombed by enemy aircraft. She remained on duty for several days during which there were other raids. She was very nervous and slept very poorly and was evacuated on 8/6/18.”
On 21/8/18, Bessie stated that she had recovered and felt quite fit. She returned to work in treatment and convalescent hospitals in England until the Canadian wounded soldiers had been returned to Canada. She sailed to Canada on July 3, 1919. She was “Struck off Strength” on July 18th and returned to civilian life.
The September 4th, 1919, Southampton Beacon had this story about Bessie being honoured.
“Miss Bessie Taylor, recently home from overseas, was the guest of honour of the Girls Overseas Club, at a reception on the lawn of Mr. Wm. Hunt last Saturday afternoon. She was presented with an onyx and diamond ring in appreciation of her services to the soldier boys”.
Late in 1919, Bessie returned to Winnipeg. Her siblings had spread out across North America, leaving parents, Thomas and Elizabeth, in Southampton. A quite distinguished gravestone in our cemetery memorializes Thomas, who died here in 1920, and Elizabeth, who passed on in 1934. On the backside of the stone are the names of Bessie’s brother Robert, who died in Thunder Bay in 1905 at 22 years of age. Also, remembered on that stone is her 11-year-old sister, Tomisene, who had passed away in our town in 1897.
The other siblings of Bessie all left our area. Rubert died in Fort William in 1915 at 29 years of age. Brother James died in Ottawa, date unknown. Her sister Elizabeth married Leo Byrnes in Duluth in 1920, and by 1925, they were living in Baltimore. The last mention of Bessie in our community was that she had visited here in 1926.
Bessie joined her sister Elizabeth and lived out her life in Baltimore.
Sister Charlotte passed away in Maryland in 1964. Brother Ellison lived a long life, with his death in 1991 at over 90 years of age. He died in Florida.
Bessie had a brother, William John Taylor, who served in WWI as a dentist in England. He returned to Canada in June of 1919. He had enlisted originally in Toronto. A search for after-war info on his life has not been successful.
Bessie died in Baltimore on September 24, 1968, at age 86. She never married.
There are no known descendants of the Taylor family living in our town.
But Bessie surely made her mark with her service for our soldiers injured in France. Fortunately, she survived that horrible night of May 19/20, 1918, when the Canadian Hospital in France was bombed.
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