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

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 sweatshops of the Victorian 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 connections to the hospitaller work of the Order of St. John in the tenth and eleventh 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 of St. John in Canada signalled 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.