The Military Nurses Association of Canada (MNAC) is a national community where Canada’s military nurses—past and present— come together to honour service, preserve our history, and support one another.
What we do
Advocacy
Champion the interests of our members and raise the profile and awareness of the Association.
Comfort and Friendship
Bring comfort, care, and friendship to those experiencing hardship, health concerns, or isolation.
Connection
Foster connections by increasing our membership and participation at our luncheons, enabling Veterans and serving Nursing Officers to connect, reconnect, rekindle friendships, and support each other.
Communication
Inform members and the public of our activities and of Veteran-related events, policies, resources, and services.
Partnership
Join with like-minded Veteran organizations and agencies that benefit the MNAC and our members.
Remembrance
Champion our Military Nursing history and remember those who served, their sacrifices, and celebrate the extraordinary.
1944 – As the Allies drove farther North in Italy, our facility was set up in fields or commandeered buildings not too far behind Field Surgical Units where hundreds of casualties, medical and surgical, were admitted. We alternated with No. 5 CCS, not far from us, 100 patients at a time. In February, 1944, No. 4 CCS admitted over 1,000 casualties — over 700 of them surgical.
Where We Have Been
The Origins of the Military Nurses Association of Canada
The story of today’s Military Nurses Association of Canada (MNAC) began in the years immediately following the First World War. More than 3,100 Canadian Nursing Sisters had served during the conflict, caring for the wounded in hospitals, casualty clearing stations, hospital ships, and medical units across Europe, the Mediterranean, and at home. When the war ended and the Nursing Sisters returned to civilian life, many found themselves longing to reconnect with those who alone understood the unique experiences, hardships, and lifelong bonds forged through military service.
Across Canada, informal reunions soon evolved into local organizations where former Nursing Sisters could renew friendships, support one another, and continue serving their communities. These grassroots groups would eventually become the foundation of a national association representing Canada’s military nurses.
The First Unit – Edmonton, 1920
Edmonton holds the distinction of being home to Canada’s first organized association of former Military Nursing Sisters. On 22 April 1920, a group of veterans established the Overseas Nursing Sisters Club, making Edmonton the birthplace of what would become today’s Military Nurses Association of Canada.
Although similar organizations would soon appear elsewhere in Canada, Edmonton’s precedence was later officially recognized when the national association confirmed the founding dates of the various units. At the first biennial meeting of the national organization in 1932, the term “Unit” officially replaced “Club”, a designation that continues within MNAC today.
The driving force behind the Edmonton organization was the late Mrs. John Turner, whose vision was to strengthen—not weaken—the bonds created through wartime service. The Unit’s first president was Miss Acton, then serving at Edmonton Military Hospital (later the University Hospital), assisted by Marion Lovell as Vice-President and Jessie Chinneck as Secretary-Treasurer. The inaugural membership numbered forty-four Nursing Sisters.
The founders expressed their purpose in words that continue to reflect the spirit of the Association today:
“To continue a fellowship which was peculiar to those who served overseas during the Great War, and to help one another should the occasion arise.”
Edmonton Unit, 1920
When Miss Acton and Miss Lovell later moved to Calgary to join the Provincial Department of Health, Mrs. Turner assumed the leadership role that she had already been quietly fulfilling. Her guidance and commitment would shape the Edmonton Unit for many years.
A National Movement
The success of the Edmonton Unit inspired similar organizations across the country. Montréal established its association in 1921, followed by Calgary in 1922, Winnipeg in 1923, and soon afterward by Saint John, Halifax, Vancouver, Toronto, Victoria, London, Hamilton, and other communities. While each organization operated independently, they shared a common purpose: preserving the fellowship of military nursing service while continuing to support veterans and their communities.
As these organizations grew, so too did the desire for a national voice. In 1928, delegates proposed creating an all-Canada organization that could unite the local associations while representing the interests of Nursing Sisters across the country. The following year, during the General Congress of the International Council of Nurses in Montréal, representatives from across Canada established the Overseas Nursing Sisters’ Association of Canada. Its first General Meeting was held in Regina on 26 June 1930, where representatives from fifteen local associations adopted a national constitution and established common membership standards..
In 1932, the Association formally adopted the term “Unit” in place of “Club,” a tradition that remains part of the Association’s identity today. Membership continued to expand, and over the following decades the organization broadened its eligibility to include all Canadian military nursing personnel while remaining true to its founding principles.
Fellowship and Service
The Edmonton Unit’s records reveal an organization that valued friendship as much as service. Monthly meetings frequently concluded with shared meals, and members occasionally gathered wearing their wartime uniforms. One preserved dinner menu from the late 1920s featured Shrimp Salad, Filet Mignon, and Baked Alaska—all for the princely sum of $1.25. Although a tongue-in-cheek rule attempted to discourage overly elaborate refreshments by fining enthusiastic hostesses, there is little evidence that it was ever enforced.
Yet the Nursing Sisters never saw themselves as merely a social organization. They remained deeply committed to serving veterans and their communities. Edmonton members successfully campaigned for the construction of a local Cenotaph, contributing $100 toward the project despite early reluctance from civic officials. Throughout the years between the wars, they actively supported charitable and veterans’ causes whenever the need arose.
Answering the Call Again
When the Second World War began, the Nursing Sisters once again responded to Canada’s call. Members of the Edmonton Unit devoted countless volunteer hours to wartime service at home, raising approximately $1,300 to assist bombed-out nurses in Britain. They sorted clothing and medical supplies for overseas relief organizations, volunteered in hospitals, organized entertainment for troops, staffed ration-book centres, met troop trains, and welcomed war brides arriving in Canada. Whenever assistance was requested, the Unit answered.
Following the war, many members continued serving their communities. Mrs. John Turner became an early leader in the Canadian Red Cross Blood Donor Service and received every honour the organization could bestow. Another founding member, Mrs. Byron Morrison, became the first woman to receive France’s Croix de Guerre and the first female member of the Amputation Association after being wounded under fire in Belgium.
A Legacy that Endures
The end of the Second World War brought a new generation of military nurses into the Association, ensuring that its traditions continued while adapting to the changing role of military nursing in Canada. Over the decades, the organization evolved alongside the Canadian Armed Forces, eventually becoming today’s Military Nurses Association of Canada, with Units across the country dedicated to preserving the history, fellowship, and proud traditions of Canadian military nursing.
More than a century after the Edmonton Unit first gathered, the purpose established by its founders continues to guide the Association:
“To strengthen — not weaken — the bonds that have mades us one mind and spirit.”
Edmonton Unit, 1920
Every time there was a SCUD launch, no matter what time day or night, we would be in bed trying to zip ourselves into our gas suits and put on our gas masks – to be safe.