Margaret MacDonald (nurse)

Margaret MacDonald was born on 26 February 1873, in Bailey's Brook, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, the third child of Mary Elizabeth Chisholm and Donald St. Daniel MacDonald. MacDonald was born the day before her mother's 24th birthday. Between 1868 and 1879, Mary Elizabeth gave birth to eleven children, nine of which survived into adulthood; six girls and three boys. MacDonald was born into a relatively wealthy Catholic family. Both of her parents descended from the Scottish highlands and her great-grandparents made their way from Scotland to Nova Scotia in the late 1700s. MacDonald's mother was a housewife and her father owned a general store in town. This store was the area's only source of farm products and imported goods from Montreal, the United States, and Great Britain. This store, paired with Donald's aptitude with finances, was a great source of income for the MacDonald family and accounted for the family's wealth. Her family's wealth provided MacDonald with many opportunities that were uncommon for women of her time. MacDonald received a good education for a girl of the time period, including reading, writing, arithmetic, geography and grammar. MacDonald's mother placed great importance on education during her upbringing and played a big role in MacDonald and her siblings' learning. This upbringing caused MacDonald to greatly value education. After her primary education at Stella Maris Convent School in Pictou, MacDonald followed her older sisters to Mount St. Vincent Academy in 1890, a convent school where she was taught by the Sisters of Charity. Here, she gained an interest in nursing. In order to pursue this interest, MacDonald continued her educational journey at Charity Hospital Training School in New York, where she was trained as a nurse. She graduated from Charity Hospital Training School in 1895. ==Career==

MacDonald's first nursing job was in Panama, where she served for 18 months during the construction of the Panama Canal. During construction, she cared for those involved in the effort and the surrounding area. In 1896, MacDonald contracted malaria, which was prevalent in Panama at the time. She was promptly treated and recovered, but she decided to move on from Panama. During the war, MacDonald was the first woman promoted to the rank of major in the British Empire for her leadership during the First World War. MacDonald was responsible for planning every move of her cadre of nurses. She had to ensure their safe and secure transportation, living conditions, and health. MacDonald returned to Canada in 1919, and was soon named the head of the Nursing Service of the Canadian Army Medical Corps. In her role, she aided in reorganizing the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps. MacDonald retired in 1920, returning to her home town of Bailey's Brook, Nova Scotia. MacDonald died on 7 September 1948, at the age of 75. ==Awards==

• Royal Red Cross (1916) • Florence Nightingale Medal (1918) • Honorary DDL from Saint Francis Xavier University (1983) ==References==