During WWI Canadian nurses were vital in providing medical support to the army, navy and air force on both land and at sea. Their role as medical personnel was both dangerous and rewarding. The enormous risk became all the more apparent when twelve nurses drowned at sea off the coast of Ireland on Llandovery Castle, a hospital ship returning from Canada en route to Europe. What happened to Llandovery Castle? Who were those women?
In this activity students will learn about the tragedy of Llandovery Castle. Students will use article analysis to understand the chaos of the attack and to understand the war crimes of the Germans. The case of Llandovery Castle later set a precedent in war crimes trials.
This activity was designed to accompany our exhibition They Cared: Origins of Military Nursing. The exhibition is also available free of charge for your school by completing our reservation form.
Activity content
The teacher will show students the section of the virtual exhibition They Cared: Origins of Military Nursing that deals with the Llandovery Castle tragedy1; teachers can also invite the students to explore it independently on their own computers. Using the student guide, students will then answer five questions regarding the purpose of the vessel, its crew and the events of June 27, 1918 (refer to the teacher’s guide for the answers).
The teacher will then distribute the New York Times article “Sea Tragedy at Night”, published in the daily newspaper on July 2, 1918. This article succinctly presents different versions of what happened on the night of the attack, June 27, 1918. After reading it, students will answer three questions relating to the analysis of this primary document and its first person accounts.
Finally, in the third part, a reflective question is also proposed to further students’ anaysis.
1 Please note that this part is not available in the physical version of our exhibition and is completely exclusive to the virtual version!
Supplementary activity
Looking for a little something extra to enhance this activity? Our partners at Valour Canada offer an in-depth activity on the subject! In this version, students investigate the tragedy of the Llandovery Castle through the justice and legal conventions of the era. It is also available for teachers who wish to pursue these themes.
Activity objectives
The aim of this educational activity is to give Cycle 2 students a better understanding of the role of Canadian and Quebec nurses during the First World War (1914-1918). In line with the Quebec Education Program, this activity develops knowledge of the First World War and the war effort of men and women.
In keeping with the Quebec Education Program, this activity also develops students’ knowledge of Quebec and Canadian history through the competencies promoted by the Quebec Education Program:
- Characterizes a period in the history of Québec and Canada
- Interprets a social phenomenon
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