Rank: Nursing Sister
Branch: Canadian Army Medical Corps
Helena was born in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia on April 23, 1892. She was a graduate of Denver State Hospital. In April of 1916, Helena enlisted in the army and served as a nurse at various hospitals:
-No. 12 Canadian General Hospital Sept 1916 to May 1917 (Bramshott, England)
-No. 6 Canadian General Hospital from May to November 1917 (Troyes, France)
-No. 2 Canadian General Hospital from Nov. 1917 – April 1918 (Le Treport, France)
-No. 7 Canadian General Hospital for two weeks (Etaples, France);
-No. 2 Canadian General Hospital until Sept. 1918 (Le Treport, France)
-No. 4 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station for remainder of war (Beaulencourt, France)
In 1921, she and three other nurses (Amy McNish, Rachel McLean, and Elizabeth McLean) came to the Peace country and filed on homesteads at 24-77-5-W6 and 12-79-26-W5. Helena abandoned the homestead in 1928 (according to her service file, her current address in 1925 was in New York). Helena died in Halifax on March 15, 1959.
Sources: Smoky Peace Triangle p. 318; Wheatfields & Wildflowers p. 563