Women started as nurses and munitions makers and now work in all facets of the military.
by Jody Dallaire
This summer I went to Dieppe, France, to help commemorate the August 19 1942 Dieppe Raid, where thousands of (mostly Canadian) soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prisoner by the Germans.
As I participated in the commemoration, I noted the ceremonies highlighted the role of one particular woman throughout – a nurse. At the Hotel Dieu, Sister Agnes-Marie Valois cared for the wounded who were taken as prisoners of war and held in Rouen, France. She worked tirelessly, despite the ongoing risk of reprisal from the German authorities, who posed a threat to her and her nursing colleagues.
For Canadians taken prisoner, Sister Valois was seen as a true angel of mercy. Young, hurt, and frightened, they were touched by the tender caring that she gave with grace, humanity and compassion. On several occasions, she courageously confronted the Germans to ensure that the wounded received the medical attention that they needed.
Canada's Dieppe veterans still remember Sister Agnès-Marie Valois fondly. And she’s still alive! Currently 98 years old, she attended all of the commemorative ceremonies and took to the podium to share her experiences.
Today, women are about 15 percent of the Canadian Forces; ~10,000 women are trained as operators, skilled technicians or leaders.
Sister Valois’s is merely one story among hundreds, of women who have contributed to our military efforts. More than 2,800 women served with the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps during World War I – when the role of Canadian women in the military first started to extend beyond nursing.
Women in Canada also took paramilitary training in small arms, drill, first aid and vehicle maintenance in case they were needed as home guards. During World War II, in 1941, the Canadian government started recruiting more than 45,000 women for full-time military service. Women worked as mechanics, parachute riggers and heavy mobile equipment drivers.
During both World Wars, women also contributed to the war effort by working in munitions factories here in Canada. In 1917 there were about 35 000 women in munitions factories in Ontario and Québec. By 1943, about 261 000 women were involved in the production of war goods, accounting for more than 30 percent of the aircraft industry, close to 50 percent of the employees in many gun plants, and a distinct majority in munitions inspection.
Last year, Global Television aired mini-series called Bomb Girls, depicting what working in such a munitions factory might be like for women. Due to the show’s success, it was renewed, and filming has started on Season Two.
In the past, women held mostly support roles such as nursing and clerical staff. Today, their role has expanded to non-traditional roles such as vehicle drivers and mechanics, maintaining submarines and aircrafts, air-traffic controllers, military police, firefighters, operating communications lines on the battlefield, and piloting fighter jets.
Today, women make up about 15 percent of the Canadian Forces, with about 10,000 women trained as operators, skilled technicians or leaders. Between 2001-2011, the armed forces deployed 310 Canadian women to Afghanistan in combat positions such as infantry, more than triple the number that had frontline fighting roles in the 1990s.
All of this to say that over the years Canadian women have made a significant contribution to the Canadian military, a contribution that is under-recognized in our classrooms, history books and conversations, but that deserves to be recognized and celebrated.
We should also take the time to acknowledge that, as in all non-tradition fields of work, that discrimination in the military persists and must be addressed. But that is the subject of a future column.
About Jody Dallaire
Jody Dallaire lives and works in Dieppe New Brunswick where she writes a weekly column on women's equality issues and matters of social justice.
Email: jody.dallaire@rogers.com.
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