On Remembrance Day, Canada honours those who fought for our country. However, there are some who never saw the front lines, but still experienced the horrors of war firsthand.  

The first Indigenous nurse in the country was among the remarkable medics who helped care for those wounded in battle. 

Charlotte Edith Anderson Monture, a Mohawk woman of Six Nations of the Grand River, was designated a National Historic Person in 2025 for her notable service in World War I and her work once she returned home to Canada. 

She was assigned to Buffalo Base Hospital 23; it was in Alsace-Lorraine, right on the front lines, shared her granddaughter, Terri Monture. 

Monture served as a nurse and surgical assistant in the American Expeditionary Force. After Ontario nursing schools refused to admit Monture, she moved to New Rochelle, New York to obtain nursing training. 

She enlisted to join the war effort in 1917. 

“They would bring in waves and waves of injured men. The wards … would be rows and rows and various nurses were assigned single patients,” explained Terri. 

Monture, who was commonly known as Edith, kept a diary while overseas, describing every experience from the voyage to France to her day-to-day life on the front lines. 

“She said a lot of her job was basically sitting with young men as they died. So overnight, she would hold their hand. She would sing to them. She would talk to them about their families and their homes. She said it was really intense work and she didn’t sleep a lot,” said Terri. 

Upon her return home, Monture used her extensive nursing skills to provide medical care to her community, guiding care during the Spanish Flu.  

She later worked at the Lady Willingdon Hospital in Ohsweken, becoming the first Indigenous nurse in Canada. 

“She went away, had this amazing adventure and came home and brought all of her talent and skill here so that our people could benefit,” shared Terri. 

Monture also supported the World War II effort from home, making bandages to send to troops. She ended up working into her 70s. 

“Her example has really given, not only me and all my cousins, but also our grandkids and our great grandkids the idea that I can do anything I want to do,” said Terri. 

Monture’s legacy lives on, not only through her family and community, but nationally. Her birthday, April 10, is now recognized as National Indigenous Nurses Day.