Background

William Vernon Coffyn was born November 12, 1884 in Bristol, Prince Edward Island to Francis Joseph and Mary A. Coffyn. In addition to William, the youngest in the family, there were three brothers and two sisters named James Russell, Ernest, Wesley, Bessie, and Estella. According to records, it appears that his father was a farmer. William’s childhood was spent in Prince Edward Island, and when old enough he studied to become a school teacher. After teaching for some time, he moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia and enrolled at Dalhousie University to study medicine before graduating in 1910. Upon graduation William moved to Bathurst, New Brunswick to practice medicine with his brother Wesley who was a physician as well. During this time, he met a young woman from Pokiok named Sadie Saunders Burden whom he married September 6, 1911 in Canterbury, New Brunswick. Sadie’s father was a well-known member of parliament in the area, George Burden. Over the next few years, it appears that William and Sadie continued living in area of Canterbury while also spending time near Sadie’s family home in Dumfries. When war broke out in 1914, Dr. Coffyn enlisted with Royal Army Medical Corps under Major-General Maude in 1916 and agreed to go as a physician to England and then to the middle East. Because he chose to enlist with the British Army Expeditionary Force, there are limited government records of his military service. What information that was detailed of his time before and after the war is primarily found in provincial newspapers. At the time of his enlistment, Dr. Coffyn was approximately thirty-years of age.

Wartime Experience

In early 1916, William left Canada for England on a military supply ship. While in England he went to London for a post-medical graduate training course before being promoted to the rank of Captain under General Maude. Here he became trained in operations requiring spinal anesthetic. From England, William left with the Royal Medical Corps to support Imperial troops in the middle East. Shortly after arriving to campaigns in Malta, Iraq, and Egypt William contracted malaria and was sick for short period of time. Physicians such as Dr. Coffyn were essential in all areas of the four-year conflict because of the high number of casualties that were inflicted on both sides of the war. Individuals like William also put themselves at risk of infection through their repeated contact with those who were sick, ill, and suffering from wounds. From accounts in newspapers, Dr. Coffyn appears to have done exceptional work while overseas and was believed to be one of the few Canadian officers in Jerusalem when it fell to the Allies. By late 1917, the Daily Times reported that William was discharged to Canada after lengthy service with the BEF. On October 2, 1917, he arrived in Fredericton where he was greeted by his wife, Sadie, and his father-in-law, George. Immediately after arriving home, he was assigned to the Military Hospital in the city becoming the chief surgeon. Two years later, the Daily Gleaner reports that William had a thriving medical practice in the city and had been hired by the Board of Health to be the medical inspector of Fredericton schools. His background in teaching likely helped him in his work. In July of 1920, Dr. Coffyn performed the very first appendectomy with a patient fully awake under a spinal anesthetic. According to the Daily Telegraph report, “the operation was performed by Dr. W. Vernon Coffyn of this city, assisted by Dr. Allan Sterling, and was unique in one respect as the patient was not rendered unconscious. As a matter of fact, he smoked a cigarette whole the operation was being performed and coolly watched the surgeons at their work… he suffered no pain at all.” Records suggest that at this time, his wife had just given birth to their first child. In December, Dr. Coffyn fell ill with pneumonia and experienced difficulty recovering because of his service overseas during the war. Two weeks later, on the evening of January 11, 1921, at 9:35 p.m., William passed away. He was thirty-six years old leaving behind his wife and infant son, William Vernon Jr., just nine months at the time. On the afternoon of January 13, 1921, surrounded by family, friends, members of the public, and returned soldiers, a funeral was held in his home on Brunswick Street, conducted by Rev. Sutherland, Rev. Warren, and singers from the Devon Quartette. The procession followed with William being taken from his home to the Fredericton Rural cemetery on the Woodstock Road. The pallbearers for the funeral were Lieutenant Col. Mersereau, Lieutenant Col. Osborne, Major Pinscombe, Major Rowe, Major Clements, and Captain Scott. A decade after her husband’s death, Sadie married Alexander Gibson, a gentleman from Moncton which records show had also lost a spouse. Sadie and Vernon’s son eventually enlisted and served in the Second World War with the Royal Canadian Air Force. After being seriously injured overseas in April of 1944, William returned home to Canada. He married Jean Alberta MacTavish on July 14, 1944.                 

Lest We Forget

Captain Dr. William Vernon Coffyn is buried with honour at the Fredericton Rural Cemetery, located on the Woodstock Road in Fredericton, New Brunswick.