When Canada entered into the Great War in Europe, many new innovations in the medical treatment of wounded soldiers were instituted. Casualty clearing stations were established close to front lines in order to provide fast medical attention. Hospitals and hospital ships would evacuate wounded away from the theater of war. Running these medical facilities, were members of the Canadian Army Medical Corps. Tens of thousands of Canadians including doctors, nurses and orderly's tended the wounded including, thousands of Canadian women. During the Great War, over 3,100 woman enlisted in the Canadian Forces, serving mostly as nurses. Of these 3,100 nurses, 46 made the supreme sacrifice. The one act of war that resulted in the largest number of nurses losing their lives occurred on June 27th 1918, with the sinking of the hospital ship, Llandovery Castle. Also aboard the hospital ship that fateful evening was Brother Victor Sanders.
Victor Sanders was born on May 24th 1889 in Exeter, Ontario, son of William and Ella Sanders. As a young man Victor found employment as a drugstore clerk in Penataguashen Ontario. On March 18th 1916 Victor enlisted with the 157th overseas Battalion from Barrie. Victor was assigned to the Medical Corps, because of his experience as a druggist.
Within weeks of enlisting, Victor was initiated into Freemasonry as a member of Georgenia Lodge No. 384 at Pennitanguishien. On June 16th he was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason.
As a private in the Medical Corps, Brother Sanders was assigned to the Llandovery Castle hospital ship. The converted passenger ship was used to transport wounded soldiers across the Atlantic.
On the evening of June 27th 1918, the Llandovery Castle was 116 miles off the coast of Ireland when it was torpedoed by the German Navy. Within ten minutes the ship sank, taking with it 234 souls, including 14 woman nurses. Also lost that evening was Brother Victor Sanders.
The Windsor Record reported on July 6th 1918 that:
" 5 WESTERN ONTARIO MEN ON LLANDOVERY CASTLE
Latest list gives name of V. Sanders of Windsor. "
The 234 souls taken that evening are remembered on the Halifax Memorial in Nova Scotia, along with 3,000 other Canadian men and women who were lost at sea. The epitaph reads:
THEIR GRAVES ARE UNKOWN BUT THEIR
MEMORY SHALL ENDURE
