Not Just Numbers
Case 6 Conclusion:
Ellanore Parker and Murney May Pugh
Fifteen Minutes
Did you find anything surprising about these people’s lives?
Did you make any assumptions that were later challenged?
Is there anything specific about these people that you would like to know?
Details
Ellanore was born on October 21st, 1878 in Dublin, Ireland.
She emigrated to Canada as a young woman and trained as a nurse at the Winnipeg General Hospital in 1910.
Murney May Pugh was born on March 18th, 1887 in Kingston, Ontario to a prominent military family.
She trained as a nurse in Halifax.
Both women signed Attestation Papers to join the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force as Nursing Sisters on September 25th, 1915.
They treated the first mustard and chlorine gas casualties and victims at Vimy Ridge and the Somme.
Murney continued to suffer from a burned throat due to exposure to gas-saturated clothing and patients’ skin.
Ellanore designed a water cannon that was used during the London Blitz, and created a magnetic detector, a forerunner to radar, used by the British Government.
Ellanore sustained injuries during the war, and was hospitalized for chronic bronchitis over the rest of her life.
After WWI, Murney and Ellanore moved to West Hollywood, California, known for its acceptance of the 2SLGBTQ community, to live together as a couple.
In California, Ellanore became a popular contributor to the Los Angeles Times, while Murney continued to work as a nurse, and care for Ellanore’s health.
In 1948, the couple returned to Canada, settling in Victoria, British Columbia, and built a house on Eastdowne Road.
The pair died 9 years apart, Ellanore in 1965 at aged 86, and Murney in 1974 at aged 91.
They are buried together at St. Luke’s Churchyard in Victoria, British Columbia.
For more information:
Canada’s Early Women Writers, Canadian Writing Research Collaboratory. “Ellanore Parker.” Ellanore Parker | CWRC/CSEC, May 18, 2018. https://legacy.cwrc.ca/islandora/object/ceww:9ac85eba-2c52-481d-a9c9-8b8de33d582a.
Canada, Veterans Affairs. “Ellanore Parker and Murney Pugh.” Ellanore Parker and Murney Pugh | Veterans Affairs Canada, August 21, 2025. https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/people-and-stories/ellanore-parker-and-murney-pugh.
C.G.W.P – Canadian Great War Project. “Lieutenant Ellanore Jane Parker.” C.G.W.P – Canadian Great War Project, September 4, 2009. https://canadiangreatwarproject.com/person.php?pid=93858.
C.G.W.P – Canadian Great War Project. “Lieutenant Murney May Pugh.” C.G.W.P – Canadian Great War Project, April 13, 2009. https://canadiangreatwarproject.com/person.php?pid=85126.
“Documents and Diaries – the First World War through Primary Sources.” Learning Portal, July 21, 2025. https://learning.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/pathways/documents-and-diaries/.