Irene Reincliffe Lawson (1894-1989)
South Shields born woman served as a nursing sister in the Canadian Army
Irene was the first of the two children born to jobbing engine repairer James Lawson and his wife, Isabella Work. Her parents were both from South Shields and had married in 1887. Irene was baptised on 29 March 1894, almost a week after her birth, in St Stephen’s Church, South Shields. Her parents’ second child, a son named Stanley Gordon, was born three years later. At the time of the 1901 census when Irene was seven years old the family were living in Gateshead, where her father was working. Ten years later, she was a pupil at the Royal Masonic School for Girls, Wandsworth Common, London. In September 1913, aged 19, Irene arrived in Quebec having sailed on the SS Scotian from Liverpool, Lancashire via France. She was intending to make for Vancouver, British Columbia.
Irene trained as a nurse and was working for the Canadian Army Medical Corps in Canada when she enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force as a Nursing Sister in April 1918. She arrived in England five months later to work at No 4 Canadian General Hospital (CGH), Basingstoke, Hampshire. After nine months, Sister Lawson was transferred to No 5 CGH at Kirkdale, Liverpool which was the clearing hospital for wounded soldiers returning to Canada. Just before her return to Canada she spent three weeks at No 16 CGH Basingstoke.
Demobilized from the CEF in October 1919 Irene, returned to nursing in Vancouver. She met Irish born pilot Lieutenant William Templeton from Jericho Beach Air Station. She married him a year later on 9 October 1920 in a service at St Mark’s Church, Vancouver. A report in the Daily Colonist of the following day stated that having left Vancouver on a steamship for Victoria, when the boat was opposite Jericho Beach a large seaplane piloted by his commanding officer Major Maclaurin circled overhead and then followed the steamer for some miles before returning to base.
The Templeton’s lived in Long Beach, California, USA from 1922-1924, but returned to Canada where Irene died on 7 February 1989. She is buried in Queen’s Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.
Civil Parish: South Shields
Birth date: 24-Mar-1894
Death date: 07-Feb-1989
Armed force/civilian: Army
Residence: South Shields (1894 birthplace)
4 Bronte Street, Gateshead (1901 census)
Royal Masonic School for Girls, Wandsworth, London (1911 census)
1110 Denman Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (service record)
2398 W Broadway, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (service record)
1448 11th Avenue West, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (1920 marriage certificate)
Long Beach, California, USA (City directory, 1923)
Education: Royal Masonic School for Girls, Wandsworth, London
Religion: Church of England
Employment: Nurse (1918 enlistment papers)
Family: Parents: James Lawson, Isabella Lawson nee Work
Siblings: Stanley Gordon Lawson
Spouse: William Templeton
Military service:
Nursing Sister
Canadian Army Medical Corps
Gender: Female
Contributed by Jean Longstaff, Durham