Georgina Fane Pope Plaque

This plaque, located on the exterior west wall of the 1911 Summerside Armoury, was placed in honour of Nursing Sister Georgina Fane Pope.  Although born in Charlottetown (1862), Georgina spent her formative years in St. Eleanors and Summerside. Her parents, Helen DesBrisay and William H. Pope, were members of prominent and influential PEI families. Her military career as a nursing sister and Canada’s first nursing matron, included overseas service in South Africa, England and France, and the award of the Royal Red Cross 1^st Class. She received a military pension after 1919 and lived in Charlottetown until her death in 1938, at which time she was honored with a full military funeral.  

Georgina Pope is one of the 14 bronze busts on the Valiants Memorial in Confederation Square, Ottawa, that are viewed by thousands of people every day.

GEORGINA FANE POPE
1862 - 1938

Born in Charlottetown, Georgina Pope chose nursing as a
career. After training and working in the United States,
she was selected in 1899 to superintend Canada’s mili-
tary nurses in the South African War. She was the first
Canadian to receive the Royal Red Cross. Appointed to
the permanent Army Medical Corps in 1906 two years
later she became Canada’s first Nursing Matron, having
charge of all Canadian military nurses. Stationed princi-
pally at Halifax Matron Pope served overseas briefly
during World War I, but was invalided home in 1918 and
retired the following year. She died in Charlottetown.

Née à Charlottetown, Georgina Pope devint infirmière
en 1886. Après avoir étudié et travaillé aux États-Unis,
elle fut choisie en 1899 pour diriger les infirmières cana-
diennes lors de la guerre des Boers. Elle reçut la “Royal
Red Cross,” étant la premiè Canadienne à se mériter
cet honneur. Affectée au caurps medical permanent de
l’armée canadienne en 1906, ell devint la première in-
firmitière-en-chef du Canada en 1908, avec autorité sur
totes les infirmitières militaries. Après avoir servi pen-
dant la guerre de 1914 – 1918, elle prit sa retraite et
mourut á Charlottetown.

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada
Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada

Government of Canada – Government du Canada.