Josephine Heffernan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Josephine Heffernan
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| Born | 11 March 1876 Dublin, United Kingdom
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| Died | 1962 |
| Nationality | Irish, American |
| Occupation | Registered Nurse |
| Years active | 1913–1935 |
| Known for | Chief Nurse U.S. Army Nurse Corps |
Josephine E. Heffernan (born March 11, 1876 – died 1962) was a brave Irish-American nurse. She served during the First World War, helping many soldiers. Josephine was born in Dublin, Ireland. She moved to the United States in 1906. In 1913, she joined the United States Army as a nurse.
She worked in hospitals in California and Mississippi. Later, she was sent to a special American hospital in Rimaucourt, France. After the war, Josephine continued her nursing career. She served in places like China, the Philippines, and Pearl Harbor. In 2002, a schoolboy in France found a bracelet belonging to Josephine. This led to an amazing journey to return it to her family. Their search became a documentary film in 2018.
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Josephine's Early Life
Josephine Heffernan was born in Dublin, Ireland. Her father, John Heffernan, worked as a baker. Her mother was Christine Allen. After her father passed away, her family moved to Bray. There, Josephine worked as a book-keeper.
In 1906, Josephine decided to move to the United States. She was looking for new opportunities.
A Nurse in the Army
Josephine Heffernan joined the United States Army Nurse Corps in 1913. This was a special group of nurses who cared for soldiers. In 1917, she became the chief nurse at a hospital. This hospital was located at Fort McDowell in California.
She later moved to Camp Shelby in Mississippi. When she arrived, the hospital was very busy. There were many patients and not enough supplies or staff. Josephine remembered how everyone worked together. She said nurses stayed on duty until others could take over. She felt it was amazing what people could do in an emergency.
Serving During World War I
In 1918, Josephine became the Chief Nurse of U.S. Army Base Hospital No. 59. This hospital was part of a large army medical center in Rimaucourt, France. She played a very important role during the First World War. She helped care for many wounded soldiers.
After the War
After the First World War ended, Josephine continued her work. She stayed in the Army Nurse Corps. She served in different places around the world. These included the United States, China, the Philippines, and Hawai'i. In 1920, she was given the rank of second lieutenant. This was a basic rank for nurses in the army.
Josephine Heffernan retired from the army in 1935. In 1943, she moved back to Bray, Ireland. She never married or had children. Josephine Heffernan passed away in 1962.
The Mystery of the Bracelet
While Josephine was working at the American hospital in France, she lost something special. It was a bracelet with her name engraved on it.
Finding the Bracelet
Many years later, in 2002, an eight-year-old boy found the bracelet. He found it in a garden in Rimaucourt, France. The boy asked his teacher for help. He wanted to find out who the bracelet belonged to. This started a 15-year-long search. People wanted to learn more about Josephine Heffernan. They hoped to return the bracelet to her family.
The Search for Josephine's Family
The teacher eventually met Marjorie Desrosier in 2017. Marjorie was an American Nurse Historian. She was giving a talk about nurses in the First World War. They also got help from the Bray Cualann Historical Society in Ireland.
At first, they thought Josephine was American. They searched records in the U.S. but couldn't find anyone with her name born around that time. Then, they found out she was born in Ireland. This helped them widen their search. Finally, in 2017, the bracelet was returned to Josephine Heffernan's family.
A Documentary Story
The story of finding and returning the bracelet was filmed. A French documentary called Josephine H was made about the search. It first aired in January 2018. An exhibition about the bracelet was also shown. It was part of the Yarn storytelling festival in Bray, Ireland.
