The Maple Leaf and the White Cross

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

Published by Dundurn Press (2008) $50.00

Hard cover, 332 pages, 32 pages of colour photos and illustrations

Purchase a copy from the publisher
ISBN 9781550027402

This book was completed on the occasion of the Order’s 125th anniversary in Canada. The work consists of thirteen chapters and examines the history and development of the Order and St. John Ambulance in Canada from 1883 to the present.

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 factories of the Edwardian 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 its connection to the hospitaller work of the Knights Hospitaller in the 10th and 11th 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 in Canada signaled 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.

Prefatory Message by His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, KG, GCVO, GCStJ
Foreword by Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean, CC, CMM, COM, DStJ, CD

Christopher McCreery

Author and Historian