Myra Bennett

Who was Myra Bennett?

Myra M. Bennett, CM, MBE born London, England, died Daniel's Harbour, Newfoundland, Canada. Dubbed The Florence Nightingale of Newfoundland by the Evening Telegram, is a tribute to her tremendous contribution to the people of the Great Northern Peninsula and known simply as The Nurse.

Bennett worked as a tailor in London before training as a nurse at Woolwich and a course in midwifery at Clapham School of Midwifery. She came to Newfoundland as a district nurse under the outport nursing scheme. Her plan was to travel to Saskatchewan but was approached by Lady Harris and was made aware of the dire need for nurses in Newfoundland. She agreed and changed her plans to go to Daniel's Harbour in May 1921. So began her long career of caring for the sick on the west coast of Newfoundland. The house that she lived in at Daniel's Harbour is now a heritage site.

For her tremendous efforts she was awarded the following awards and honours:

⁕1935 - King George V Silver Jubilee Medal,

⁕1936 - Member of the Order of the British Empire,

⁕1937 - King George VI Coronation Medal,

⁕195? - Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal,

⁕1967 - honorary membership in the Association for Registered Nurses of Newfoundland,