Historic Sites of Manitoba: Brandon General Hospital / Brandon Health Centre (McTavish Avenue, Brandon)

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Presidents | Superintendents | Administrators | Photos & Maps | Sources

The Brandon General Hospital was established in 1883, the year following the founding of the City of Brandon. Its Provisional Board of Governors included: Rev. J. Boydell, Thomas Mayne Daly, Rev. John Ferries, Alexander Fleming, Loftus Morton Fortier, James A. Johnson, Rev. Thomas Lawson, Dr. John McDiarmid, D. M. McMillan, Dr. L. M. More, Dr. F. W. Shaw, John Wright Sifton, Dr. Richard Spencer, William James White, William Winter, and Joseph Edward Woodworth. The hospital opened for operations in 1891.

The original hospital building, designed by Brandon architect William Richard Marshall, was constructed in 1892 by contractor John Hanbury at the intersection of McTavish Avenue and Russell Street. Two years later, a residence building for nurses was erected nearby. An isolation hospital, built in 1901, was renovated into a Childrens’ Hospital in 1950. A hospital building constructed in 1922 was demolished, along with the 1892 hospital, in 1962.

Presidents of the Board of Directors

Period	President
1891-1893	John Wright Sifton (1833-1912)
1894-1895	C. A. Moor
1896	Robert Hall (1849-1911)
1897-1898	Spencer Argyle Bedford (1851-1933)
1899-1900	Thomas Dickey Cumberland (1853-1939)
1901-1902	John Dickson
1903	Henry Meredith (1844-1917)
1904-1918	Charles Whitehead (1836-1919)
1919-1932	Robert Darrach (1855-1943)
1933-1935	Oscar Lavelle Harwood (1881-1945)
1936-1937	Col. W. J. Whillier
1938-1940	N. W. Kerr
1941-1942	Stephen Emmett Clement (1867-1947)
1943-1946	Edmund Fotheringham (1879-1960)
1947-1949	Joseph Cameron Donaldson (1891-1973)
1950	J. E. Elviss
1951-1952	Myheer Crystal
1953-1954	W. W. Fotheringham
1955-1956	D. R. Doig
1957-1958	G. R. Rowe
1959-1960	G. M. Cumming
1961-1962	D. W. Clement
1963-1964	Rt. Rev. I. A. Norris
1965	E. R. McGill
1966-1968	H. J. Knowlton
1968-1970	Johnn English
1970-1972	R. W. Hawley
1972-1974	G. W. Manson
1974-1976	R. G. Martin
1976-1978	J. E. Harrison
1978-1980	Kenneth Oswald Bicknell (1928-2015)
1980-1982	H. H. Nikkel
1982-1983	Zella Mills

Superintendents

Period	Superintendent
1892-1896	Miss Margaret McVicar
1896-1898	Elizabeth Monteith Shillinglaw (1865-1950)
1898-1902	Mary Ellen Birtles (1858-1943)
1902-1903	Miss Eudora M. Hunter
1903-1919	Mary Ellen Birtles (1858-1943)
1919-1923	Miss S. Persis Johnson
1923-1945	Miss Christina M. Macleod

Superintendents of Nurses

Period	Superintendent of Nurses
1946	Miss Eva G. McNally
1946-1949	Miss Olive A. Thomas
1949-1974	Miss Marjorie E. Jackson

Administrators

Period	Administrator
1949-1950	Dr. G. W. J. Fiddes
1950-1951	Mr. J. R. Morton
1951-1963	Mr. A. K. McTaggart
1963-1966	Charles Grierson
1966-?	Mr. G. E. Chapman

Resident Staff

Period	Names
1917-1918	E. H. Alexander, W. E. Anderson, J. S. Armison, K. J. Backman, W. G. Beaton, R. Black, J. H. Buchanan, A. P. Cameron, R. E. Dicks, R. H. Edminston, D. W. Ganton, W. A. Keyes, G. Leith, W. N. Maines, H. A. Matheson, E. N. McDonald, Sidney J. S. Peirce, L. M. Rogers

Photos & Coordinates

Postcard view of the Brandon General Hospital showing, from left to right, the nurses’ residence, hospital building, and surgical building (no date) Source: Rob McInnes, BR0037 Postcard view of the Brandon General Hospital (no date) Source: Rob McInnes, BR0134 Postcard view of the Brandon General Hospital (no date) Source: Rob McInnes, BR0070 Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.84046, W99.93562 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: William Richard Marshall (1854-1909)

Memorable Manitobans: John Hanbury (1855-1928)

Sources:

BGH-100: A History of the Brandon General Hospital, 1883-1983 by F. Madeline Perry, Brandon General Hospital, 1983.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 4 September 2023

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