Doreen Patterson Reitsma
Encyclopedia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to enter Canada's newly created Postwar Women's Division of the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
. She began her basic training on October 2, 1951 at HMCS Cornwallis in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. She was trained as an elite radio intelligence operator for the wireless communications base at HMC NRS Coverdale. Coverdale was located near the city of Moncton, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
and was part of the Canada-USA Atlantic High Frequency Direction Finding Network responsible for the collection of military intelligence. Ms. Patterson was chosen to serve a term at the Naval Radio Station at Churchill, Manitoba
Churchill, Manitoba
Churchill is a town on the shore of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada. It is most famous for the many polar bears that move toward the shore from inland in the autumn, leading to the nickname "Polar Bear Capital of the World" that has helped its growing tourism industry.-History:A variety of nomadic...
in 1953-54. Here, she was part of a special force of eleven Wrens trained to live and work in extreme weather conditions. These Wrens are recognized as the only women in the Royal Canadian Navy's history to have ever served at the base in Churchill.
On January 26, 1955, Doreen Patterson helped inspire Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent
Louis St. Laurent
Louis Stephen St. Laurent, PC, CC, QC , was the 12th Prime Minister of Canada from 15 November 1948, to 21 June 1957....
and his cabinet to create a permanent and fully integrated regular force for women in the Royal Canadian Navy. This date not only marked an important milestone for women, but was considered to be an historic "first" in the British Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
. It also helped open the door for thousands of Canadian women to follow in her footsteps. Ms. Patterson, in part, credited Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
with giving her the inspiration to achieve her accomplishment after a meeting with the former First Lady at the Hotel Vancouver, where Doreen had worked in the 1940s.
Doreen Patterson was born and raised in Vancouver. She attended Lord Kitchener Elementary School
Lord Kitchener Elementary School
Lord Kitchener Elementary School in Vancouver, British Columbia, is an elementary school. The school opened in 1914, with a small frame building and a much larger main school. It has recently been a candidate in the Vancouver Seismec Upgrade program. Kitchener maintains a steady population of...
, Point Grey Secondary School
Point Grey Secondary School
Point Grey Secondary School is an 8-12 secondary school located in the Kerrisdale and Shaugnessy neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The main building was built in 1929 in a Collegiate Gothic style. Construction of the school was commissioned by the Municipality of Point Grey...
, and Lord Byng Secondary School
Lord Byng Secondary School
Lord Byng Secondary School is a grade 8-12 school located in the West Point Grey neighbourhood on the west side of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
. She was a member of the Elgar Choir of British Columbia throughout her youth. She was married twice, adopted two children, was a daughter of Charles Bruce Patterson and Elva Eleanore (Elliott) Patterson of Vancouver, British Columbia, and was a granddaughter of Dugald Campbell Patterson
Dugald Campbell Patterson
Dugald Campbell Patterson Sr., is recognized in Vancouver, Burnaby, and New Westminster, British Columbia as a significant pioneer. He arrived in Canada on July 1st, 1884 and engaged in the building trade while living in Victoria...
and Frances Mabel (Webb) Patterson, of Burnaby, British Columbia
Burnaby, British Columbia
Burnaby is a city in British Columbia, Canada, located immediately to the east of Vancouver. It is the third-largest city in British Columbia by population, surpassed only by nearby Surrey and Vancouver....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. At retirement, Patterson Reitsma moved to Ladner, British Columbia
Ladner, British Columbia
Ladner was created as a fishing village on the banks of the Fraser River. It is a part of the Municipality of Delta, British Columbia, Canada, and a suburb of Vancouver....
, a suburb of Vancouver.
External links
- "Doreen Patterson, First B.C. Girl to Enlist in New Wren Organization", The Vancouver Sun Newspaper, May 16, 1952, Page 8.
- Doreen Patterson Reitsma, Biography, The History of Metropolitan Vancouver, Hall of Fame Section, Book and Website, By Chuck Davis.
- The Cornwallis Military Museum
- The First Wrens of HMC NRS Churchill
- Doreen Patterson Reitsma, Memorial Tribute, The Vancouver Courier Newspaper, April 30th, 2010, page EW 41.