Women and Remembrance

 

One of the most vital parts of the negotiation process is deciding who and what to remember; more often than not the sacrifices of women are not what we remember, and if we do, our acknowledgment often ends at the loss of their sons or husband. Women's contributions in war are far more complex than this classification, so their remembrance must be renegotiated.

 

"In terms of remembering, its often almost presented as this anomaly when we see for example a woman remembered for her service or her sacrifice," said Tarah Brookfield, a history professor and author of several books on women in war. "It's often just made to feel unusual, which I think takes away from the reality of that woman's life as a soldier—her gender overshadows other things going on in her service."

 

If you look at WWI, women responded to the patriotic call to duty in the same way that men did, although they were not allowed to be soldiers at that time. In the beginning, it was a woman's duty to encourage men to go to war; if you look at propaganda from the time, it is clear why women were feeling both intense pressure and guilt.

 

The most obvious contributions of women in WWI were as nurses, but women also knit socks, gathered supplies for soldiers and planted "Victory Gardens" to farm food for the war. Many women started calling themselves "soldiers of the soil." Women were also used to fill various essential, sometimes dangerous jobs traditionally held by men.

 

As writer William Alexander Fraser famously wrote in the Toronto Star in 1916, "The mothers are the heroines of the bitter home trenches. They suffer in silence with no reward but the sense that they have answered the call with their heart's blood—their sons."

 

After WWI, the Silver Cross Medal was established by the Canadian Forces to recognize mothers who lost their sons or husbands in war, an honour that is still given out today. Often, women who are given the Silver Cross also lay wreaths at Remembrance Day ceremonies on behalf of all mothers who have lost their children to war.

 

By WWII, women were being actively recruited for overseas duty as drivers of transport vehicles, cooks, clerks, telephone operators and of course, nurses. The Army, the Navy and the Air Force all established women's divisions throughout WWII and thousands of women served. On the home front, women took up jobs in munitions, ship and bomb factories, farms or even as scientists.

 

Today, according to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Canada is a world leader in terms of the number of women in the military and in equal opportunity for promotion. Women have been fully integrated in all CAF positions for over 20 years, with the current percentage of women serving sitting at 14.8%.

 

Even from the CAF article, you can tell that women are still condescendingly applauded for their efforts in war. Women in the military have faced stigmas, inequality and lower pay for years, yet still chose to bravely serve their country. Their service is a vital part of Canadian military history and they should be remembered as such—not just as mothers, wives and nurses.

 

"Our society hasn't made peace with women serving in combat roles," Brookfield said. "Although I think there has been much progress in imagining a world where women can fight."