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Flynn was born Pau- fend against low level aircraft she and 30 other nurses were line Lamont to a Canadian attacks. crammed intoasmall former Railway station master and The nurses arrived at a retirement home that had school teacher in January hospital that had been set up been condemned by the Brit- 1920. Because of her father's in Sussex near the English ish and was overrun with position with the railway, Channel. The hospital was a rats. Flynn recalled that the family moved around a series of huts joined together nurses had to be escorted great deal. They settled in with rows of beds along each back and forth to the hospital Port Elgin in 1930, an area side. There was a pharmacy by armed guards. they were familiar with. The at one end and operating It was in Belgium that Lamonts spent every summer rooms at the other, which Flynn experienced the devas- at cottages in Blair's Grove. were taking in wounded sol- tating toll that war can take. Flynn's great-grandfather, diers around the clock. After the country was liber- George Blair, came over to "It's beyond your imagi- ated by the Allied forces in Canada from Scotland with nation," Flynn said. "A lot September 1944, the Germans his wife and children in 1848 of the boys were so young. made an attempt to take back trys a Queen's Bush grant. Therewas no time tobe sen- thePort at Antwerp,which Thefamily settled inthe area timental; we were getting was used by the Allies to near Pine River that became them when they were freshly bring in guns and ammuni- Blair's Grove. Remnants of wounded." tion. The attack killed 500 the first log cabin built by That summer, 1943,was the Allied soldiers and wounded George Blair still exist, hid- summer of buzz bombs and another 1,500 in one week- den beneath sand dunes. penicillin. In July, penicillin end. At 92 years old, Flynn knows she is one of the last of a group of women that is thighly regarded in military circles, but little known by the general public. A nursing sister in the Second World War, Flynn has been hon- oured numerous times, less for her sacrifices than for the tremendous contribution she made to Allied efforts overseas and the hundreds of lives she helped save. While living in Port Elgin became ave Flynn became friends with a troops fight nurse who trained at Toron- first, it was to Western Hospital. Flynn and it was ty, decided to pursue her own to the most career in nursing and gradu- Before long, ated from the same nurs- widely avai ing program in 1941. With soon earnet the Second World War well 'Lady of the underway in Europe many charges, ass young nurses were eager to the make-shi do their part, and Flynn was jecting the n no different. As soon as she aiming for t] turned 23, the required age amarathon. Sitting in her cozy cedar cottage in Blair's Grove, Pau- line Flynn is an interesting Wkly _ , , T, A casua} meeting would reveal Jittle more than a typical great-grandmother; charming and gracious. But she is much more. Her eyes are quick to light up, divulg- ing her good-natured wit, but fail to hide a weariness that comes from tremendous heartache. _ Unsung hero: The story of a Canadian nursiiiiiiliiiir, By Barb McKay As the convoy travelled through London the images were startling. Barrage bal- loons filled the city air to de- fend against low level aircraft attacks. The nurses arrived at a hospital that had been set up in Sussex near the English Channel. The hospital was a series of huts joined together with rows of beds along each side. There was a pharmacy at one end and operating rooms at the other, which were taking in wounded sol- diers around the clock. for nurses to join the war effort, Flynn signed up and was trained at the Hamilton military hospital. That summer, 1943, was the Allied soldiers and wounded summer of buzz bombs and another 1,500 in one week penicillin. In July, penicillin end. became available to Allied The hospital that Flynn troops fighting in Europe. At was stationed at became so first, it was in short supply full that the shell of a cathe. and it was only administered dral that had been bombed to the most desperate cases. had to be used to take the Before long, it became more overflow of wounded. widely available and Flynn Flynn was also stationed soon earned the nickname at a hospital in Holland near 'Lady of the Lance' from her the German border. Along charges, as she flew through with Allied soldiers, Flynn the make-shift infirmaries in- was also responsible for car- jecting the men like she was ing for award of prisoners of aiming for the gold medal in war. Her duties were limited a marathon. ' mainly to changing bandages and administering penicil- lin because the prisoners . harboured a great deal of animosity. The nurses arrived in Eng- land and the romanticized ideas of being a part of the war effort quickly faded away as the reality of the devasta- tion everywhere around them set in. "You think you're going to be prepared, but you never are," Flynn said. It was pitch black when Flynn and fellow nursing sisters sailed in a small ship through the St. Lawrence River to the Halifax harbour. Flynn could remember think- ing that at that point they would board a larger ship to sail across the Atlantic, but the next morning when she awoke the ship was well out into the ocean. in: KlNCARDlNE IN0EPENilNryAesitiay, Sept. ti, 2012 Rumour had it that if _ nurses agreed to escort for.. . brides to Canada QS, Jd'tfa leave Europe early. ' Flynn and some of herfriends I Jumped at the opportunity to return home. It was winter [ at this point, said Flynn, and On May 8, 1945 peace was declared. Flynn said there was absolute elation and ev- eryone pulled the blackout curtains from the windows and drank in the light. The soldiers in the hospitals cel- ebrated but soon the real- ity set in that they would be returning home as different men, many missing limbs or disfigured. The war with Japan still raged and Flynn and a num- ber of other nursing sisters came close to being deployed to Asia, but that conflict too ended. From England, Flynn was transferred to Belgium where she and 30 other nurses were crammed into a small former retirement home that had been condemned by the Brit- ish and was overrun with rats. Flynn recalled that nurses had to be escorted back and forth to the hospital by armed guards. "Those boys were so won- derful," Flynn said. "They looked on us like their moth- ers, or sisters or an aunt. I really felt they respected us and remembered us fondly." "That was the miracle of war," she said. "As soon as those boys could move they were trying to help someone else. " In the worst of circum- stances, Flynn witnessed the best side of the boys in her care. Of all the memories of war, the fear that clutched her as aircraft flew low over- head and the knowledge that more men were dying as the ground shook with detonat- ing bombs; the images that stick so wellin' her mind are of the young'r'nen who al- ways had a smile for her and somehow remained cheerful, though they might have been missing an arm or a leg. The hospital that Flynn was stationed at became so full that the shell of a cathe- dral that had been bombed had to be used to take the overflow of wounded. _ Flynn has received many medals for her service in Europe, including the Second World '%tr Star medal, the King George VI medal alum Sadly, the nursing sisters that Flynn considered her closest friends have passed away. In 2007, Veterans Af- fairs Canada interviewed Flynn and other nurses to capture the experiences of, Association of Canada. Gilday had passed away "I wouldn't have changed in 2001, but Flynn and Mann any part of my life," Fly- spentanafternoonlastmonth nn said. "I made lifelong recounting memories of the friends." war and the time they each Sadly, the nursing sisters spent in Europe. these brave W omen . Back home in Ontario Flynn returned to nursing. It was a different world. The independence she had gained as a nurse during the war had made her more of 'a feminist, but working in the hospi- tal back home she was once again in a man's world. Then she met and married Hen- ry "Hank" Flynn, who had served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as one of the origi- nal radar men. Hank worked with the Canadian govern- ment and the couple moved around in Canada and the United States, finally settling in Ottawa. Through the years, Flynn kept in contact with her nursing sister friends and became an active spokesper- son for the Nursing Sisters Association of Canada. Pauline Flynn displays the medals she was awarded for her service as a Canadian nursing sister during the Second World War. She was awarded the Qineen's Diamond Jubiliee medal in June. (Barb McKay photo) The voyage took two weeks. Flynn said the only thing that saved her was the tote of rum the Irish captain wquld sneak to her. arid dedicated Flynn said, "It's good to talk to some- one who has been there," Whrnn rm-'J "This year I happened to see Charlie on his 90th birth- day and I said, 'I have to go meet him and say hi from Tom Gilday,'" Flynn said. G Page 7