Background
Ms Edward was born in Petrolia, Ontario, Canada, the daughter of Alexander Clark Edward and Jennie Gertrude Dawson.
Ms Edward was born in Petrolia, Ontario, Canada, the daughter of Alexander Clark Edward and Jennie Gertrude Dawson.
She was the first female medical graduate of the University of Toronto in 1908. On her return she was appointed chief resident surgeon at the Infirmary. In 1917 she volunteered for overseas service and joined the Women"s Overseas Hospitals, an institution which she helped organize, supported by the National Suffrage Associations.
Arriving in France on February 18, 1918, and as part of the Tenth Army, she was sent to the Chateau Ognon at Senlis on the front.
There, during the great German offensive in the spring and summer, she operated on over 100 casualties in a 24-hour period, and as long as 60 hours at a stretch under enemy fire. A true medical pioneer, Doctor Edward continued her practice in New York City after the war until her 85th birthday.
A plaque is erected in her honour at the Assiginack Museum in Manitowaning, Ontario, near the Edwards family cottage. Much of the information above is excerpted or adapted from that plaque.