Soldiers of Peace: Canadians in UNRRA’s German Nursing Brigade, 1945–1947

“Soldiers of Peace” examines Canadian nursing experiences with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) in Occupied Germany from 1945 to 1947. Whether their practice setting was in UNRRA hospitals, camps, or as members of the flying squads that dealt with epidemicsor accompanied the repatriation trains, Canadian UNRRA nurses forged new professional frontiers and encountered unprecedented nursing challenges, calling for even greater diplomatic acumen than demanded by their previous experience. Giving voice to Canadian UNRRA nurses’ stories provides an instructive lens into the history of the first postwar internal organization and into the contemporary challenges presented by the seemingly insatiable demands for nursing services in the wake of war, natural disasters, and epidemics within the global health community.