CKND - Saturday, May 25, 2024 - 11:00 p.m. (ET) - Segment #4

Well, as you know, I had signed up for the military, right out of high school there-- very angsty young teenager... [voice wavers] ...um, and that didn't go as planned. I went through with the whole process-- aptitude tests, a lot of medicals. Your final step is you swear an oath. So, as I got to that step, COVID hit, and I didn't get my call to come in... ...and then, uh, I had a lot of time to think. And now, I'm not sure about the military. So I'm sort of at that crossroad. I just want to weigh my options. I thought that maybe your mum's life path might help me to have a little bit more direction. Well... um, where shall we start with that? I have a picture of your great-great-aunty Anne with your great-great-grandmother. Wow. Great-Aunty Anne is only about 13 in that photograph. She looks a lot like you. [laughs] Do you know, I feel... so touched that you would say that. During the war, I think she really felt she wanted to serve-- -Mm. -...Serve her country and help. And I know that she was working in Intelligence, but... I don't know what she did there. [Narrator] Anyone who worked in Intelligence during the Second World War would have been strictly forbidden to talk about it until the mid-1970s. [May] She died in 1966. You know, I was only ten when she died. Right. It would have been an act of treason to have talked about it before it was declassified, so... I-I suspect you will learn things that I don't know. Mm. [Jakob] I feel really intrigued. Sounds like she was working on some very highly-classified secret intelligence. If it's true, this could be a lot more exciting than I had anticipated. My biggest questions about Anne's life story are why she would have joined the military-- what led her there, and what she did. That is something that I would really like to know because it might help with whether or not I join the military myself. [ ] [Peter] What a beautiful day in Souris here. Yeah. Coming in across the beach... Souris looks pretty good from this angle. [Narrator] Jillian's fascination with her great-grandaunt Rena McLean's World War I service began with an elementary-school project. [Jillian] When I was researching Rena's story, I focused a lot on the actual sinking of the ship. I'd like to know more about who she was before her service. So there's the... the store. [car doors open] [Narrator]Originally owned by Rena's father, the Matthew & McLean Store has since been turned into a museum. -Oh... -Oh, wow. [Narrator] Established in 1869, the store was the first of many businesses that Rena's father would own, setting her up for a life of privilege. -Hi. -Hi! I'm Jill. Hi, Jill. Nice to meet you. My name is Dr. Sarah Glassford, and I'm a historianof 20th-century Canada-- women, nursing, and wartime. John and his partner, Uriah Matthew, started with this general store, and then they were so successful, they were able to branch out into a fleet of 30 fishing boats. -They had three canneries. -[both] Wow! They kind of dominated the economy of this part of the island, and probably everybody in the surrounding area would have known "John and Matilda's girl". -Yeah! -She wouldn't have been an anonymous member of the community, by any means. Right. ...And here's one of her when she was about 22, so 1902, in a lovely frilly dress. -Oh, she's a babe! -Yes. Looking very dressed to the nines. And then, right when she's 25, suddenly, we find her in nursing school. [Jillian] Wow! I was always curious, 'cause she came from such a middle- to upper-class, affluent family. To go into something as intense... It's interesting that she wanted a job at all. That, to me, is surprising. You do kind of get the sense that she was looking for something to do with her life. [Jillian] I'm impressed with Rena's determination. Her dad had money and influence. She could've lived very comfortably as somebody's wife... but she chose to be a nurse. It's a very different look, isn't it? -[laughing] -From 1902 Rena... ...To... the hair veil. [Glassford] Yeah. She graduated from nursing school in 1908.

In 1914, she was the Head Nurse in an operating room, so she was a surgical nurse. She was Head Nurse in six years? Mm-hmm. She was a bad-ass! [hearty laughter] So 1914, Rena hears word the war has broken out and, within days, she had applied to go overseas. [ ] [Narrator] In the summer of 1914, World War I was declared in Europe. Rena was part of the prestigious first Canadian fleet that sailed to the Allies' defense. Incredibly, she was just one of only a hundred Nursing Sisters who selflessly volunteered to face the front lines at the start of the war. Wow! So she was really determined to go? I would say so. This is just a copy of a newspaper article talking about her having been accepted. Really? Oh, cool! "Miss Rena McLean will be war nurse for the Allies." She saw the service that she could provide, the help that she could give. As a nurse, I create care plans for veterans seeking mental health service, but I've never nursed in wartime. I'd like to know more about her time in Europe, in the fields, and who she was during her service. I think it will benefit me in my role serving veterans. ANNOUNCER: What is StackTV? WOMAN: You're not gonna believe this. Three, two, one, go. StackTV is a streaming service for your whole family. Let's get into it. StackTV is drama, and comedy... What's happening? I'm in. StackTV is action... Please do them now. And a dose of reality. Every single turn. StackTV is everything you want and so much more. This is fun. (Exclaiming) That is StackTV. We're back, baby! What! Are you ready for it? Watch now with your free trial. You've been waiting to get outand drive a New Nissan,great offersare ready So, check out all the latesttech, features and thrills - it's all happening right now. Now, at Nissan, lease select models from as low as 2.99% for 24 months. ( ) Looking for a natural health product to reduce your joint pain. Try Genacol® Pain Relief. This clinically proven joint care formula contains AminoLock® Collagen and Eggshell Membrane These two ingredients help reduce joint pain associated with osteoarthritis. Thanks to Genacol® Pain Relief, you can start to feel results in just 5 days! Add Canada's #1 Selling Joint Care Supplement to your daily routine and feel the difference! Genacol® Makes me feel so good! It's Leon's Storewide Super Sale! Save up to 50% on furniture. Save up to 50% on mattresses. Plus, get an L2 washer and dryer set for only $998 including a 2 year warranty! Ends Wednesday! Remember the YOU before dentures Having confidence in your smile and being able to eat what you enjoy? Dentures can give that back to you! Denturists are highly trained professionals who make customized dentures specifically for YOU. They involve YOU throughout the entire process, like choosing the perfect shade and selecting the size of teeth getting your stamp of approval before taking them home. For a tailor-made smile that looks as good as it feels and functions, visit your local Manitoba Denturist. As we get older, the first step to getting in shape is the right pair of shoes. Maybe you were a runner and now you walk. Maybe you are a walker and now you walk a little slower. Back pain. Knee pain. One gets better and then something else flares up. At Canadian Footwear, we'll help you find the right shoes and the right fit. Visit our stores in Calgary and Winnipeg or shop online. Take the first step to getting in shape and staying in shape. At Canadian Footwear, we fit you. Canada has one of the best backyards in the world. Don't let allergies prevent you from breathing it all in. (Sneeze, birds squawking) Get relief fast. Reactine acts fast to relieve allergy symptoms and lasts 24 hours. ( ) ( ) Stop dreaming. Start shopping. Red Tag Days are on at Toyota, with great offers on select models. Find yours at ShopToyota.ca [ ] [Narrator]As he considers whether to join the military, Jakob wants to uncover the mystery of his great-grandaunt Anne Hereford's service in World War II. His first stop is the community of Galt in Cambridge, Ontario. [Jakob] I think Anne would have trained at the beginning of the war in Galt. I would really like to know what she might have done in training, and how she ended up

working in Intelligence. I'm wondering, what do you know so farabout your great-great-aunt? Very little. [Narrator] Tabitha de Bruin is a historian and expert in Canadian naval history. I believe that she did highly-classified things during World War II, but I am very limited as to, like, how she ended up in the military. There was a lot of resistance to women serving in the military at all. Mm. But we've had a-a look through the archives, and I think we have a few things that we can show you. Oh! Uh, the first thing... she was a member of the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service. [Narrator]In 1939, Canada joined World War II and their Navy was immediately thrust into the battle of the Atlantic-- the struggle between the Allied and German forces to control the Atlantic Ocean. [explosion echoes] Because the force was under such great pressure, they sought women to enlist for the first time. In 1942, the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service, known as the "Wrens", was established, and a young Anne Hereford may have been a part of that first class. It was a small class-- only 67 women. She would have been about 18. I don't know if you've ever seen this... wonderful picture of Anne. Wow! [laughs] So that would've been her outfit? Yeah. Holy! Here's a poster from the Second World War. So, you'll see it's from the Women's Royal Naval Service. The whole idea is for the women to takethe shore-based jobs, in order to free up men for combat. Right. We're at the beginning, here, of women's participation in the Armed Forces, and they served in a variety of trades-- anything from what would be stereotypically considered women's work-- administration, clerical-- but... the trades started to open up, and then the women started to work in Communications-- so, wireless communications-- signalling-- and in Intelligence. -Nice! -It's pretty neat-- -Yeah. -Because it starts off in the war, where it's just sort of, "well, we'll let women into the services..." They end up doing some really, really interesting top-secret jobs as well. [Jakob] Anne would've had to have quite the brain on her to have ended up in Intelligence, let alone, you know, her being a woman and being selected, so... want to know where she went after Galt, and how she ended up doing something so classified and important. Bit of a mystery. [ ] [Narrator] Jillian has learned that her great-grandaunt, Rena McLean, left a life of privilege to become one of the first Canadian Nursing Sisters on the front lines in World War I. [ ] [Jillian] Now that I'm a nurse, too, I want to know more about Rena's time in service and her time overseas. [Curator Greg Gallant]Lots of artifacts, all to do with P.E.I.'smilitary history. I've neverbeen in here before. Wow. [Narrator] Jillian and her father, Peter, are at the P.E.I. Regimental Museum. If you come in here, we have our nursing display. Oh, wow! [ ] The blue one, which is behind you, is actually a First-War nurse's uniform that would have been similar to what Rena would've wore. [Jillian] Wow! [Greg] The nurses, they were nicknamed the "Bluebirds" because of the distinctive blue uniform. Holy. Okay. Can I admit something? Sure. Every picture I've seen of her so far has been black-and-white, and I never stopped to think "what colour was her uniform?" [men, overlapping] Yeah. Yup. Right. So this is bit of, like, an "ah-hah!" Like, "holy crap, it was all blue." I've seen black-and-white photos, but I never really appreciated the impact of that bright-blue uniform. I can picture her a little bit better now. Some white gloves here, so that we can... Okay. ...Put on and take a closer look at the artifacts. This is a group photo that she's in. You'll have to pick her out there... [Jillian] It's definitely Rena there. [Narrator] Rena's first test in France was to help establish the No. 2 Canadian Stationary Hospital on the site of a luxury hotel and golf course. These were the two flags that were flown over No. 2 Canadian Stationary Hospital when it opened in 1914. So that was actually at her hospital? Yup, No. 2. Oh, wow. [Narrator] Rena and 35 other nurses worked arduously to transform the resort into a fully-functioning military hospital. This is a letter that she wrote. [Narrator]But Rena still found time to have fun. She wrote that to her Matron-- Head Nurse. [Jillian] "I'm very sorry to have to tell you

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