Grey Bruce Boomers Fall 2021

HISTORY
by Stephanie McMullen
Laura Adams
Laura (April 17, 1884-May 2, 1941) was stationed at No.
7 Canadian General Hospital near Étaples, France, when
it was bombed by German aircraft in May 1918. Three
nursing sisters in her hospital were killed in the attack, as
were patients and other medical personnel. The hospital
was seriously damaged. Laura
remained on duty for several days
after the initial attack to care for
patients, even as the area continued
to be subjected to air raids.
The trauma of the attack, combined
with over a year’s field service in
frontline medical care, resulted in
what we now call Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder. She was given
two months of convalescence in
England to recover then returned
to active duty. She returned to
Canada in April 1919, remaining
active for another six months in the
Canadian Army Medical Corps at
Brant House, a military hospital in
Burlington.
Laura’s health declined in the years
after the war, and in 1941, Laura
passed away at Christie Street Veterans’ Hospital, which
treated veterans with significant, life-altering wounds. She
is buried in the veterans’ section of Prospect Cemetery in
Toronto.
Laura Adams
Laura never married but stayed close with her siblings.
Her bunkmate in France, May Devitt, of Markdale,
remained a close friend throughout her life.
Edward Miller Kennedy
Edward (Sept. 12, 1892-April 10, 1916) enlisted within
the first four months of the outbreak
of war. A member of a prominent
Owen Sound industrial family,
Edward’s brother Paul followed him
into service in 1915. After training
in Canada and England, Edward
joined his unit in the field in France
in December 1915. His unit was part
of the 2nd Canadian Division, and in
early-April 1916, they faced their first
major engagement at the Battle of St.
Eloi, just outside Yprés. Attempting to
undermine the German defenses, the
British had dug a network of tunnels
for explosives. The result instead left
the Canadians with a field of muddy,
water-filled craters, and few trenches
in which to take cover. During two
weeks of battle, the mud interfered
with communication and made
fighting difficult. This, combined with
an aggressive German counterattack,
left the Canadians with little accurate information as to the
progress of the battle.
By April 16, the Germans held most of the key points in
the sector and the Canadians retreated. Over the course
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