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The Halifax Explosion - The First World War - December 1917

Halifax, Nova Scotia, was the home of Canada's major wartime port. From here troops and supplies were loaded onto boats and sent on the perilous journey across the Atlantic to England. On December 6th, 1917, this overcrowded port witnessed the true horrors of war, despite being thousands of miles away from the frontlines.

A French ship, the Mont Blanc, loaded with 2500 tonnes of explosives collided with another ship, the Imo, close to the staging area (where troops and supplies are loaded). It is thought that this collision led to chemicals such as Benzol, which is highly explosive, leaking from it's containers. The crew certainly believed themselves to be in a position of great danger as they abandoned ship almost immediately after the Mont Blanc had collided with the Imo. Unmanned the Mont Blanc floated slowly towards the pier, where a group of bystanders gathered to watch the ship: not realising that it was unmanned and leaking explosives.

Upon hitting the pier the explosives on board the Mont Blanc ignited and there was a tremendous explosion as the ships cargo exploded. The blast killed over 1500 people instantly, with at least another 500 dying from wounds inflicted by the disaster. 2 square miles of land near the Halifax port were flattened and many civilians suffered from burns, blindness and other ailments as a result of the explosion.

The consequences of the disaster were massive. The civilian population of Halifax was devastated with in the region of two thousand fatalities and many more people injured. The war effort was also badly hit as one of the Allied forces major ports was rendered inoperable.

The Canadian people were quick to go to the assistance of the victims. The Halifax Relief Commission was established to help those made homeless, the injured and the bereaved. This organisation is still aiding the remaining survivors of the disaster, over eighty years after the explosion.

Links - National Archives of Canada, Halifax Region Website, Crichton Park School (Excellent site produced by students from the aforementioned school)

Read about other events on the Home Front and in the dominions.