Dear readers,

This month we celebrate the release of a vital addition to our New Brunswick Military Heritage Series. Asleep in the Deep: Nursing Sister Anna Stamers and the First World War tells the story of a nursing sister from Saint John, NB, whose life was cut short in one of the worst atrocities of the war: the sinking of the HMHS Llandovery Castle.

Women have taken on many roles during wartime, from filling the gap in the workforce when men left to fight in the Second World War, to serving as nurses, and eventually becoming part of the infantry — Private Heather Erxleben became Canada's first female infantry soldier in 1989. This November, as we turn our thoughts to those who were loved and lost at war, let us remember our soldiers and also our nurses. Nurses like Anna Stamers and Agnes Warner, who fought to save lives inside hospital tents. They all deserve to be remembered.

For those in Fredericton, we invite you to the launch of Asleep in the Deep, where author Dianne Kelly will share stories and pictures of Anna Stamers, an adventurous nurse who saw the war up-close. For those unable to attend, we are offering a 15% discount on our Military History collection with code H15TORY to make the collection more accessible.

This year we face the possibility of another Remembrance Day impacted by COVID-19 regulations. Whether ceremonies take pace virtually, in-person, or in smaller numbers, let us take the time to remember.

Now Available

Asleep in the Deep: Nursing Sister Anna Stamers and the First World War On 27 June 1918, the Llandovery Castle, a Canadian hospital ship returning to England, was sunk by a German U-boat in contravention of international law. Two hundred and thirty-four crew members died, including fourteen nursing sisters. It was the most significant Canadian naval disaster of the First World War. Anna Stamers, a thirty-year-old nursing sister from Saint John, was on the ship. Now, her story will finally be told.