Angels of Mercy in our Midst

Florence Sennett was born on February 11 1872 in Lindsay, Ontario.  The second-oldest of about nine children raised by Irish immigrants, Florence grew up in what was then a still-developing community centred on the milling industry; her father, Peter Sennett, owning and operating a small flour mill on Wellington Street.  Like many young women of her age, Florence sought opportunities elsewhere, and would eventually find her way to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Victoria, British Columbia, to train as a nurse.  Florence graduated from St. Joseph’s School of Nursing in 1905, some three years after the training school opened.  Ten years later, on September 14 1915, forty-three year-old Florence enlisted in the Canadian Army Medical Corps and was attached to the Duchess of Connaught Red Cross Hospital in Taplow, Buckinghamshire.  A little over two years later, on October 23 1917, Florence reported for duty at No. 16 Canadian General Hospital at Orpington, Kent.  During her time here, Florence would have witnessed – if not participated in – the Canadian federal election of 1917, when women serving in the military were granted the right to vote.  The following spring, Florence was assigned to transport duty on HMHS Llandovery Castle, and was struck off strength in May, 1918.  Florence eventually retired to California, but frequently returned to Canada.  Here, she enjoyed the company of her extended family prior to her death, which occurred at some point during the 1940s.