Beharriel, Gertrude

Gertrude (Bibby) Beharriel was born on April 20, 1920 in the small town of Campbellford, Ontario. She was one of 7 children and was the middle child, with 3 older siblings and 3 younger siblings. During the Great Depression she and her family were hit just like everyone else but, because they had a farm, they were able to have food on the table (hard to do with a family of 9). She played regular kid things such as tag and going to the movies but, when the war came, she and her 16 year old younger sibling joined with hope in their hearts. Gertrude was trained as a nurse for 3 years.  Later, after graduating she was transferred to England where she would serve in the number 4 General Canadian Hospital. She saw and performed many tasks during the war, and it didn’t help that she was sent just before D-Day. She cared for the wounded men and comforted them during her free time. She cared about them and had a big heart during a terrible war. After the war she took a job in Bermuda as a nurse, but a few months later came back home to Toronto, taking a postwar operating room management course. Like the many Canadians of her generation, she returned and went to work, transforming Canada along the way.   She now lives happily in Sunnybrook Veterans’ Wing. Gertrude was interviewed for this Oral History Project by a group of Crestwood students visiting Sunnybrook Hospital in November 2019.