Name: Vera Catherine MacDonald Rank: Lieutenant (Nursing Sister) Service: 4th General Hospital, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) Date of Birth: August 24, 1919 Place of Birth: Glace Bay, Cape Breton Co., Nova Scotia Date of Enlistment: January 11, 1944 Place of Enlistment: Sydney, Cape Breton Co., Nova Scotia Address at Enlistment: 141 Main St, Glace Bay, Cape Breton Co., Nova Scotia Age at Enlistment: 24 Height: 5 feet, 2 ½ inches Eye Colour: Hazel Hair Colour: Brown Occupation: Registered Nurse (RN) Marital Status: Single Religion: Roman Catholic Next of Kin: Isabelle MacDonald (Mother), 141 Main St, Glace Bay, NS Date of Death: June 22, 1945 Age: 25 Cemetery: Brookwood Military Cemetery, England Grave: Plot 59, Row C, Grave 1 Vera Catherine MacDonald was the daughter of Neil Archibald ‘Archie’ MacDonald (b. 1891) and Florence Isabelle ‘Bella’ (MacAdam) MacDonald (b. 1893), and the sister of Jean (MacDonald) MacPherson (1717- 2020), John Allister MacDonald (b. 1924), and Doris Marguerite (MacDonald) Higginbotham Worsowicz (1926- 2016), all of Glace Bay. Vera graduated from St. Anne's School in Glace Bay in 1937. Before pursuing a career in nursing, she worked as a cashier for T. Eaton Co. Ltd. in Glace Bay. A member of the Registered Nurses Association of Nova Scotia, she trained at the Halifax Infirmary Hospital, graduating in 1942. At the time of her enlistment, she was employed at the same hospital. She was initially stationed at the Sydney Military Hospital with the RCAMC in January 1944. On January 16th, she transferred to Debert, Nova Scotia, where she successfully completed a qualifying course. She returned to Sydney Military Hospital before transferring to No. 6 District Depot in Halifax on May 31, 1944. On June 11, she was deployed overseas, arriving in England on June 20, where she was assigned to Nos. 1, 2, and 4 Canadian General Hospitals. Lt. Vera Catherine MacDonald died as the result of a jeep accident on June 22, 1945, in in Tilford, near Farnham in Surrey, England. A Court of Inquiry was struck to investigate. The driver, H/Capt A. J. Barker, Roman Catholic Chaplain of the No. 7 Cdn Repatriation Depot, was tried by General Court Martial on August 1, 1945, charged with negligently driving a military vehicle as to cause an accident resulting in the death of Lt. (NS) V.C. MacDonald. In his statement, he said, "I had with me in the vehicle Lt (NS) Vera McDonald (sic), Lt. (N/S) Dorothy Taylor, Lt. J. Fitzgerald of the US Army and Pte Beauchamp, the driver of the vehicle. At about 1 1/2 miles passed Farnham, I relieved the driver of the vehicle as I was very familiar with the road. After proceeding about a mile, at about 30 mph, the vehicle suddenly swerved to the right. I tried to right it, but in doing so, swung too far to the left. I applied the brakes, but the vehicle struck the embankment and turned over. All the occupants were thrown clear. I lost consciousness for a few minutes. After regaining consciousness, I helped place the 2 nursing sisters in a station wagon, which happened to be passing and they were taken to Bramshott Military Hospital. As the overturned vehicle was not fit to drive, I waited for the ambulance and was taken, together with Lt. Fitzgerald and Pte Beauchamp to Bramshott Military Hospital." It was determined that H/Major Barker was not qualified as a driver but had considerable experience driving civilian and military vehicles in Canada, Italy, and England. He was convicted and sentenced to a severe reprimand and put under stoppage of pay in the sum of 11 Pounds, 15 shillings, the amount of damage to the vehicle involved in the accident. He had been on a duty journey to visit Major Lesage, an outpatient at the No. 22 Canadian General Hospital at Bramshott, to make arrangements with him concerning the holding of services on the following Sunday. It was ascertained that Major Barker had two or three drinks prior to the accident, the Court of Inquiry felt there was ample evidence that he was sober. They felt he was responsible for losing control of the jeep resulting in the accidental death of Lt. Vera MacDonald. Lt. Vera Catherine MacDonald is interred at the Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey, England.

Sources: Library and Archives Canada findagrave.com Canadian Virtual War Memorial Sussex History Forum wwiicdnwomensproject.org