Nursing Sister Addie Allen Tupper served in the Canadian Army Medical Corps during WW1. She is one of a few women who died while serving in the Canadian Army for her country at war. She is entitled to the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
According to her enlistment form, she was born on October 13th, 1870 in Yartmouth Nova Scotia. But it seems she lied about her age when she enlisted, she was born in 1859 (source of this information to be confirmed)
She enlisted on September 24th, 1914 in Quebec, Quebec with the 2nd, Canadian General Hospital.
Height : 5′ 4″ Weight : 120 lbs. Religion : Baptist
On enlistment she was a widow.
Hospitalized for six weeks on May 28th, 1915 she had pain in both legs
She was still sick on August 10th, 1915 she received another one month for convalescence
She was awarded the Royal Red Cross 2nd class on June 3rd, 1916 (London Gazette 29608)
Posted at the Canadian Convalescent in Hillingdon on November 8th.
Admitted at the Canadian Convalescent Hillingdon on December 9th, 1916. Reported dangerously hill on admission. She died of a pneumonia on December 9th 1916 at the Canadian Convalescent Hillingdon at the age of 46.
Her medals along with the Memorial Plaque and Scroll and Memorial Cross were sent to her mother Mary E. Trefry in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia
She is buried in Uxbridge Cemetery (Hillingdon), Middlesex, United Kingdom.
If you know more information on this lady, please leave me message so I can add it to her small biography
Pictures of Nursing Sister Tupper gravestone
Picture source – Veterans Affairs Canada website
A tribute to some women and men who served in armed conflicts 
Comments
You’ll have to forgive my ignorance, because I’m not very bright when it comes to the military, but I have a question I hope you can answer. In WWI would a man have had the choice of joining the medical corps or would he have been assigned to it whether he wanted to or not? Thanks!
I can speak only for Canadians, I think they were all volunteers but I know one case Private Clifford Hugh Hoskins (https://camc.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/32/) he enlisted in an infantry battalion but he did not like it, he had an attitude problem, they figured out it was probably better to transfer to the Medical Corps, which they did.
Also at the end of the war Canada imposed conscription and men were forced to enlist, to my knowledge those men were sent to infantry battalion not Medical Corps.
Medical Corps was far less dangerous than an infantry battalion, so I do not think that they had to twist their arm to get them there, in fact it was probably the opposite, they probably had more men than what they needed in the Medical Corps. I do not remember reading somewhere that they had a recruiting problem for the Medical Corps. Conscription was imposed because they did not have enough men power in the infantry battalions
Thanks very much for all of this information. It is exactly what I was looking for! Can you recommend any good books on the Canadian Medical Corps? Specifically I’m looking for a good amount of info on wagoners. I found a 1914 (revised 1917) wagoner’s manual published by the US War Department, but nothing for Canada.
I am working right now on a list of all the books I know on Canadian Medical Corps, it should be finished by end of next week
If Addie Tupper’s date of birth 13th October 1870 is correct her 46th birthday woud have been 13th October 1916 so her age at date of death 9th December 1916 should be 46 not 45
Can I simply say what a comfort to find somebody who really understands what they’re talking about online. You certainly know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. A lot more people really need to read this and understand this side of your story. It’s surprising you’re not more popular because you certainly have the gift.|
I’ve been doing a bit of research on Addie Tupper and she lied about her age when she enlisted. She was actually born in 1859.
Sorry, just saw another error in your article on Addie Tupper. She was not born in Dartmouth. She came from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
Brian, are you sure about her birth year 1859 this means she would have been 55 when she enlisted. Can you tell me where you were able to find this information
I am currently living in Yarmouth and just recently learned of Abbie Tupper. There seems to be some errors in the information on her which I will attempt to rectify in time.