The Maple Leaf and the White Cross

A History of St. John Ambulance and the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in Canada

Christopher McCreery

• Publisher: Dundurn Press
• Year: 2008
• Print ISBN:
  9781550027402
• eBook ISBN:
  9781459712263
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: North American History

As a foundation of the Order of St. John, St. John Ambulance has been providing first aid training programs in Canada for the past 125 years. From the sweatshops of the Victorian era and military hospitals of the First World War to a modern-day volunteer organization devoted to the service of humanity, this history recounts the remarkable story of the Order's contribution to our country and those who made it possible.

With connections to the hospitaller work of the Order of St. John in the tenth and eleventh centuries, the Order of St. John finds its modern roots in the English revival of this charitable work in 1831. The 1883 establishment of the Order of St. John in Canada signalled the beginning of a long and distinguished history of service to Canadians and people around the globe. As a nationwide volunteer organization involving more than 25,000 Canadians, St. John Ambulance continues to be the principal provider of first aid training in Canada.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Author’s Note
• Contents
• Colour Plates
• About the Author
• Prefatory Message
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Sources
• Introduction
• 1 Ancient and Historical Origins of the Order: Establishment of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem
• 2 The Long Absence: The White Cross Revived in England
• 3 Returned to Canadian Shores
• 4 Renewed Progress: Before the First World War
• 5 Call to Service: The First World War
• 6 Difficult Growth: The Interwar Years
• 7 Return to Service: The Second World War
• 8 Growth and Expansion: The Establishment of a Modern Organization
• 9 The First Century Complete: From National Centennial to the Order’s Canadian Centennial
• 10 The Order of St. John in Canada Today, 1984–2007
• 11 The Order of St. John: An Order of Chivalry
• 12 Logistical Aspects of the Order of St. John
• 13 Symbols, Awards, Medals, and Heraldry of the Order of St. John
• Conclusion
• Appendix A Canadian Honours Post-nominals, 1867–2008
• Appendix B Canadian Grand Crosses
• Appendix C Officials of the Order of St. John in Canada
• Appendix D The Royal Charters 1955 and 1974
• Appendix E Statutes of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem
• Appendix F Types of Insignia of the Order
• Appendix G Agreement between the Orders of Saint John in Canada, 1992
• Appendix H Priory of Canada Competition Trophies, Plaques, and Cups
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Friends of the Maple Leaf and the White Cross
• Photo Credits