Margaret Isobel Bartlett was born on May 5, 1918, in Dunnville, Ontario, to parents May and Herbert Bartlett. She was raised along with her older brother Harry on a large dairy farm where by age five she was responsible for feeding the chickens and collecting the eggs. At age 18 she started nursing school at the Toronto Western Hospital and after graduation took a position on the maternity ward at The Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. While living in New York, she met a dashing young British pilot who was on holiday in New York after training with the Canadian Air Force. When Margaret tried to join the Canadian Army to work overseas during WWII, she was turned down because of her young age so she promptly volunteered with the Red Cross and soon found herself on a convoy sailing to the UK. After docking in Britain, however, she was met by her boyfriend’s family with the devastating news that he had been killed during a bombing mission. The next day she accompanied his family walking his remains in a wheelbarrow through a small English town to the church for burial.
While on the ship, Margaret had been put in charge of two girls who were returning to London after being sent to Canada by their parents at the beginning of the war. A few weeks later, she was invited to spend a weekend with the girls and their family. It turns out that their father was Sir Edward Peacock, Director of the Bank of England, who after hearing about Margaret’s wish to join the Canadian army, quickly made it so. Margaret soon found herself in uniform and part of a field hospital unit that kept close to the front line caring for the wounded. By the end of WWII, she was in Germany with the horrific task of emptying war camps of survivors.
Margaret met her husband, David Guildford, during the war on a blind date in the UK. David spent most of the war in Italy but they would meet up in England where he was usually found playing piano at a “Tea Dance” and Margaret would be dancing – she could apparently cut quite a rug. She was known to catch a ride on an empty bomber to meet David and he would drive his motorcycle a long way to meet her. One day, he tracked her down at a German estate the army had taken over as a field hospital. He took her out on a lake in a small rowboat and proposed… she claims she said yes as she didn’t know how to swim.
After their eventual return to Canada, they settled in David’s home city of Halifax and had four children – Margo, Bart, Stephanie and Elizabeth. Margo and Bart developed what is now known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Margaret cared for them herself for 30 years before eventually moving them into care at a nursing home. Margaret and David never made their family feel different from any other, taking long summer trips to Ontario in the Buick with two adults, four kids, a dog and two wheelchairs… often camping along the way. After Bart died in 1980, Margaret went back to nursing, eventually becoming a hospice nurse. She spent many years helping patients and their families deal with death and became a vital part of many homes.
David and Margaret built their dream home “Endomor”, in St Margaret’s Bay in 1983. When David died just a year later at age 63, Margaret opened her home up as a B&B for ten years paying off the mortgage and making new friends from all over the world. She spent 35 years enjoying the beauty of the seasons in St Margaret’s Bay, keeping daily journals of the weather, hosting the St Margaret’s Bay Coffee Club and of course…bridge games! Over the years, grandchildren and great-grandchildren came along, and Margaret became affectionately known to many as Gran. Her beloved home was the center of family birthdays, events, and celebrations, and many summer days spent swimming in the ocean. Gran always believed that a swim in salt water could cure anything.
At 98 years of age, Margaret decided to move to Camp Hill Veterans Hospital where she had volunteered for many years. She enjoyed the comradery of her fellow veterans and never tired of instructing nursing students how to fold hospital corners when making up the bed! The Veteran’s Memorial Garden was a favourite place where she spent many hours. She has been the recipient of many medals and awards for her dedicated service to her country and fellow veterans, including the Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee Medal (2002) and Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). Over the years, Margaret made pilgrimages to Vimy and other significant battle sites in memory and celebration of those who fought for our freedom. She was a dedicated member of the Nursing Sisters Association of Nova Scotia, including serving as President. At 100 years old, she was knighted and made a Dame of the Order of Saint George, Grand Priory of Canada. Margaret died in 2023 aged 105.
