"A Romance Resulted": Irene Wilkinson and Bernard O'Connor

Cupid's arrow struck one more couple amidst the wards of Base Hospital 50: Nurse Irene Wilkinson and Private First Class Bernard "Barney" O'Connor. It all began when Irene visited the dispensary staffed by pharmacist Barney and love was the drug for them, you might say!¹

Irene Wilkinson was born in Stanley, New Brunswick, Canada, on July 18, 1895, the oldest child and only daughter of Thomas Lemuel Wilkinson, and his wife Frances Elizabeth Jonah, both natives of New Brunswick, and of Irish descent.² Irene had three younger brothers St. Elmo, Gregory, and Jack. By 1911 the Wilkinson family had made its way from Eastern Canada to the far west of Vancouver, British Columbia.³

Irene traveled to Bellingham, Washington, 55 miles south of Vancouver, crossing the border in pursuit of nursing education.⁴ Irene graduated from St. Luke Hospital's nursing school in April 1918 and had enlisted with Base Hospital 50 before she'd even completed her studies.^{5, 6} She received a month's training at Fort Riley, Kansas, before being ordered to meet up with her fellow nurses in New York.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 22, 1888, Bernard Leo O'Connor was the oldest of Peter O'Connor and Sarah McDonald's three children.⁷ Both natives of Ireland, Peter and Sarah had immigrated to the United States in the 1870s. Barney, as he was known to friends and family had a younger brother, Peter, and sister, Sarah. Barney graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, the first pharmacy college in the nation, founded in 1821.⁸ Barney later moved to Seattle where he studied business at the University of Washington between 1910-1912 and was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. 

Barney served as a pharmacist for Base Hospital 50, where he met Irene "when it became necessary for the surgical nurse to go to the dispensary for supplies" and "a romance resulted."¹ After the war ended both returned to the United States with their respective units; Barney on the S.S. Graf Waldersee with the men of Base Hospital 50 and Irene on the S.S. Mobile with the first group of nurses to receive debarkation orders. Barney arrived in Hoboken, New Jersey, on April 20, 1919.⁹ Irene arrived in Hoboken on April 23, 1919, and proceeded to the New York's Hotel Albert for demobilization.¹⁰ From there the young couple made their way to Boston, where both had extended family, and were married on May 7, 1919, residing at the Hotel Lenox during their stay.¹¹

After the war ended, Barney was a drug salesman and then partner in pharmacies in Los Angeles, Yakima, and Wenatchee.¹² Later he owned a successful chain of pharmacies and a medical supply company in Seattle. Irene and Barney remained active in the veterans community, including the American Legion, and were fixtures in helping to organize the annual Veteran's Day reunions for the personnel of Base Hospital 50.

Barney died at the age of 69, after a short period of poor health, in 1958.¹³ Irene died one month shy of her 99th birthday, in 1994, and was buried next to her husband at Holyrood Catholic Cemetery in Shoreline, Washington.¹⁴ The romance of a quick-witted Irishman and his Rose of No Man's Land, was just one of the stories told and retold at reunions of the adventures of Base Hospital 50.

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References

1. "They Recalled Overseas Service" Seattle Daily Times, August 2, 1942, p23. 
2. "New Brunswick, Provincial Returns of Births and Late Registrations, 1810-1906," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XT3N-FTP : 13 February 2019), Wilkinson, 18 Jul 1895; citing Stanley, York, New Brunswick, certificate 006412, Provincial Archives, Fredericton; FHL microfilm 2,024,645.
3. "Recensement du Canada de 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:27XB-CTZ : 13 February 2019), Irene Wilkinson in entry for Thos L Wilkinson, 1911; citing Census, Vancouver Sub-Districts 19-50, British Columbia, Canada, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 2,417,662.
4. "United States Border Crossings from Canada to United States, 1895-1956," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XP14-9TB : 27 November 2014), Irene Wilkinson, Jun 1917; from "Border Crossings: From Canada to U.S., 1895-1954," database and images, Ancestry(http://www.ancestry.com : 2010); citing Ship , arrival port Blaine, Washington,, line 3, NARA microfilm publication M1464, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, RG 85, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 338.
5. "Local Hospital Will Graduate Nurses" Bellingham Herald, Monday, April 1, 1918 p4.
6. "Base Hospital Unit to Mobilize at Palo Alto" Seattle Daily Times, March 28, 1918, p14. 
7. "Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Births, 1860-1906," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VBYV-M9X : 13 February 2019), Benard Connors, 22 Feb 1888; citing Birth, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, City of Philadelphia, Department of Records, Pennsylvania.
8. "Services Set for Bernard L. O'Connor" The Seattle Times, Thursday, January 30, 1958, p44.
9. U.S., Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939; Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, National Archives Record Group 92, roll 109; digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com (Accessed 13 February 2019). Bernard L. O'Connor, S.S. Graf Waldersee, sailed 7 April 1919, Brest, France to Hoboken, New Jersey.
10. U.S., Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939; Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, National Archives Record Group 92, roll 205; digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com (Accessed 13 February 2019). Irene M. Wilkinson, S.S. Mobile, sailed 13 April 1919, Brest, France to Hoboken, New Jersey.
11. "Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLGR-PXCD : 13 February 2019), Bernard L O'Connor and Irene M Wilkinson, May 7,1919.
12. "B.L. O'Connor Buys Store" Drug Trade Weekly, March 26, 1921, p14.
13. Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 13 February 2019), memorial page for Bernard L O'Connor (1888–1958), Find A Grave Memorial no. 26691610, citing Holyrood Catholic Cemetery, Shoreline, King County, Washington.
14. Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 13 February 2019), memorial page for Irene M Wilkinson O'Connor (18 Jul 1895–2 Jun 1994), Find A Grave Memorial no. 81492785, citing Holyrood Catholic Cemetery, Shoreline, King County, Washington.