Georgina Pope is one of the 14 Valiants whose bronze bust at Confederation Square, Ottawa, is viewed by thousands of people every day. The Canadian Mint issued a $5 coin bearing her image. How does a young woman, born in 1862 into privileged circumstances in Prince Edward Island, rise to the top echelons of Canadian military nursing leadership and become a national hero?

Called to Serve details Pope's path to power through the second half of the 19th century and into the 20th. It addresses the significance of her privileged and powerful lineage, the influence of her parents on her world view, and the inspiration of Florence Nightingale who invoked in Pope a "burning desire" to become an "army nurse" in a faraway land.

The story takes us from Georgie's sheltered life in Victorian Prince Edward Island to the "Boston States"; to the dangerous and primitive conditions she experienced as Superintendent of nurses in two South African Wars; to her work in the formation of the nursing component of the Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC); and to the battlefields of Europe during the First World War where she developed shell shock from the bombing and was invalided home, her career over.

Featuring photos from Georgina Pope's personal photo album with handwritten notes illustrating her wartime experiences PLUS biographies of the Pope family.

Born in Summerside, P.E.I., Katherine Dewar taught nursing for 22 years at the P.E.I. School of Nursing. Upon her retirement, Katherine researched and published articles on Prince Edward Island history.She authored Those Splendid Girls: The Heroic Service of PEI Nurses in the Great War, which won PEI Publication of the Year in 2014, and was shortlisted by the Atlantic Book Awards for scholarly writing. As well, she co-authored the book This Caring Place.

Katherine Dewar's profile page