bluebird
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Inspired by the nickname given to the Nursing Sisters of the Canadian Army Medical Corps during the First World War, Ainsley’s Bluebird is a slow waltz that embodies the admiration and warmth inspired by courageous nursing sisters like Gladys Wake. Repeated melodic notes convey a sense of stability, reassurance, and calm, while the ornaments represent bird song. Ainsley was also inspired by the connection Gladys had to the West Coast and how she is memorialized in nature with the naming of Mount Wake, British Columbia.
nursing sister gladys maude mary wake
Nursing Sister Gladys Maude Mary Wake was born in Esquimalt, British Columbia, on December 13, 1883. A graduate of the Royal Jubilee Hospital School of Nursing's Class of 1912, she enlisted in the Canadian Army Nursing Service in 1916 during the First World War. Like many Canadian military nurses known as the "Bluebirds" for their distinctive blue uniforms, she served with courage and compassion, caring for wounded soldiers in England, Salonika (Greece), and France.
In May 1918, shortly after being posted to No. 1 Canadian General Hospital at Étaples, France, Wake was seriously injured during a German air raid on the hospital. She died of her wounds on May 21, 1918, at the age of 34. Her funeral, conducted with full military honours, was filmed.
Gladys Wake is buried in Étaples Military Cemetery in France. She is commemorated with Mount Wake in British Columbia along with a memorial plaque at St. Paul’s Church in her hometown of Esquimalt.
Sources: Township of Esquimalt and CWGC ‘For Evermore’
A ‘Percy Wiseman’ Rhododendron has been selected to honour
Nursing Sister Gladys Maude Mary Wake
Ainsley
Ainsley is in Grade 8 and has contributed compositions to Music for Veterans Project since 2021 with her very first composition titled The Lancaster’s Flight, inspired by her Grandfather’s service with the RCAF. Since 2021, Ainsley has composed for Honouring Commonwealth Aircrew in 2023, Ready for the Fray: 80thAnniversary of D-Day 2024 at Bay Street Armoury, performed at the First Poppy Ceremony at Government House for the 30th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia 2024, at Canadian Parliament in Ottawa in 2023 to recognize the Honourable Roméo Dallaire, and has received prestigious awards for her commemorative compositions A Vision of Peace, and The Sacrifice for Freedom at the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival. In April 2026, Ainsley received the 5 Years of Commemorative Music Award at the Music for Veterans Project 5 Year Anniversary held at Government House, BC. In 2027, Ainsley will premiere a new work composed in honour of 15 year old Private Robert Batey - the youngest soldier named on the Vimy Memorial for the Vimy 110 anniversary. Ainsley is also an accomplished dancer, athlete, and member of the Composition Club led by her piano teacher Emily Armour. (June 2026)
