Nurse honoured at VE Day anniversary
An image of Major Dorothy Macham is flying at Barrie Legion. The local war hero is one of 20 Second World War veterans chosen to be included on banners installed at the Barrie branch this month in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day.
The New Lowell native was a member of the Nursing Sisters Association of Canada and was in active service from 1939-1945.
Macham was present at the 2001 dedication of a The Dorothy Macham Home, a centre for the care of veterans with dementia at Sunnybrook Hospital, funded by Veterans Affairs Canada and named in her honour.
She is a source of great pride for the Macham family. As a young woman, Macham left the family farm in pursuit of a nursing career in 1929, enrolling at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto. After graduating in 1932, she completed postgraduate courses in psychiatric nursing and administration at Ontario Hospital in Whitby, where she remained on staff for a year and a half. In 1936, she returned to Women’s College Hospital, where she was appointed operating room supervisor.
Macham enlisted in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps as soon as Canada entered the war.
According to hospital archives, Macham was first assigned to the No. 15 Canadian General Hospital unit housed in the Toronto Military Hospital. In 1943, she was promoted to Captain (Matron) and transferred to the No. 5 Casualty Clearing Station and served with this unit in Italy. She returned to England in 1944, where she was posted to the No. 8 Canadian General Hospital with which she travelled to France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
By coincidence, unrelated to the banner project, Innisdale Secondary School student Sophie Dass submitted an essay about Macham for the Barrie Legion’s Simcoe County Youth Competition.
“While Macham achieved many things throughout her career and fight for Canada, she’s so much more than the years she put into her career. She is a Major, a patriot, and an inspiration to everyone who is lucky enough to know her story. A story which I believe is one of true Canadian patriotism and is most definitely worth remembering,” writes Dass.
Dass told The Echo that she went looking for a war story that was not commonly told and was intrigued by what little information she found online about Macham. She decided to dig deeper. Through newspaper clippings and archives, Dass learned that Macham crossed the Atlantic in 1940 with 130 other nurses and soldiers. She was posted to Bramshott Chase Hospital as an operating room nurse before being transferred to the Basingstoke Hospital plastic surgery unit because of her specialized skills.
“As a nursing sister working overseas, Macham worked tirelessly alongside other nurses to save lives each day,” writes Dass. “For example, the Dieppe Raid took place on August 19th in 1942, leading to over 600 injured soldiers being sent to Basingstoke Hospital within a 19.5-hour period. They performed 98 surgeries in response, with barely any time for a break in between.”
Dass recounts how despite having highly specialized medical training and working in harsh wartime conditions, Macham’s war efforts were mostly under- reported compared to the activities of male soldiers.
Near the end of 1944 she received the rank of Major, rarely given to women. In 1945, she was awarded the Associate Royal Red Cross by King George VI.
Shortly after the war ended, Macham became the administrative superintendent at Women’s College Hospital, retiring in October 1975. Her retirement lasted four months until she accepted the position of executive director at West Park Hospital, where she worked until she again retired in 1980, the same year she received the Order of Canada.
In conclusion Dass writes, “Dorothy Macham lived a life of service. From her roots in Simcoe County to her dedication on the front lines, she left a legacy of selflessness, duty, and patriotism. She went wherever her skills were needed most, regardless of the hardships she would face. She saved a countless number of lives over her years as a nurse, making sure her patients were comfortable and felt safe whenever they were in her care.”
Six jurists selected Dass’ essay More Than Medals: The True Measure of a Nursing Hero’s Legacy as one of the top-three submissions. She will be making a presentation on May 6, competing for significant prize money.
The Macham family will be in attendance to hear the presentation and take part in other VE Day events. “My aunt’s visits to our Cornhill farm back in the day were always very special. She would drive up on a Sunday morning and usually brought my sister and I gifts from her last trip abroad,” said nephew Tom Macham. “We knew very little about her military career prior to her being at Women’s College Hospital but have learned a lot since her passing. We are very grateful to the Barrie and New Lowell Legions forrecognizing her for her efforts in World War II with a banner at the Barrie Legion… My sister Peggy and I and both our families are very proud of our Aunt Dorothy.”
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 147 (Barrie) is hosting events commemorating VE Day from April 29 to May 8. Details are posted at barrielegion147.ca.
