First Aid - A Life Saver - Halifax Explosion

When you see a red cross what do you think of?

When it comes to the Halifax Explosion, I think of the civilian and

military personnel who had training in First Aid.  If it weren't for them, I believe that many more people, including some of my grandfather Joseph Landry's family, would have perished that day.

Among the groups that offered assistance were members of the St. John Ambulance Brigade.  According to a Report by the Halifax Centre Nursing Division of the St John Ambulance Brigade, “Within a few (hours) of the explosion, 62 had rendered first aid - arresting (hemorrhage), removing glass, plaster and splinters from wounds, applying dressing and splints where necessary. By the application of their knowledge of asepsis, they helped to prevent serious complications."  Not only had this group provided medical attention to people in the devastated area and in the hospitals after the explosion, but before the explosion, qualified nurses and doctors gave First Aid training to some members of the Army Medical Corps, police officers and firemen.

Many soldiers and sailors from other countries, who had similar medical training and access to supplies, would join the relief effort.  Rescue parties would come ashore with stretcher bearers. The stretcher bearers carried the wounded out of areas where access roads were blocked.

The first aid provided to the wounded before they were transported to the hospitals, saved many lives. I wasn't aware that there were so many people who had this kind of training until reading some of the Archibald MacMechan reports and doing further research related to these reports.  This shows that being prepared for a disaster can save lives.  If you have the time and/or feel led, why not seek out some first aid training.

Canadian Red Cross
American Red Cross

Resources:
Report: Halifax United Nursing Davison, No. 17, St. John Ambulance Brigade
Reference: Archibald MacMechan Nova Scotia Archives MG 1 volume 2124 number 33 - page 4 - Note: The parenthesis () in quote are possible word corrections like (hour) instead of "house".

The Military in Disaster Relief after the Explosion in Halifax, Nova Scotia, December 1917  -  by Lieutenant Charles E. Matykiewicz, U.S. Navy

Women Trolley Car Drivers Hired After The Halifax Explosion

Maude Foley - Nova Scotia Archives

"It seems strange to see girls running the elevators and acting as trolley car conductors.  I saw a girl walking on the outside of a car and fixing the pole just like a man. What are we coming to anyway?"- by Carl Moulton of Connecticut in a letter to his girlfriend on January 23, 1918 while in Halifax waiting to go overseas.*

102 years ago today. for the first time, women were employed as trolley car conductors for the Nova Scotia Tramways and Power Company. Maud Foley, the woman in the picture above, was among the first hired according to the Nova Scotia Archives.

It was nearing the end of WWI and just weeks before, sections of Halifax and Dartmouth were destroyed after a collision between a fully loaded munitions ship and a cargo ship - the Halifax Explosion.  Nine men working for Nova Scotia Tramways and Power Company died as a result of the blast.  For the conductors who survived, many didn’t come back to work due to family circumstances or because they were helping out with the reconstruction effort.  This meant there was a shortage of drivers for the electric trolley cars.  Management discussed the possibility of women filling these positions and then realized it could work.

Trolley - Expo Rail

“On December 31 (1917) eight women conductors were in charge of cars, and a number of others were in training. The experience, so far, is that the services of women conductors are practically as efficient as those of men, and it is the intention to utilize women’s services for this purpose to the fullest extent possible.”**

In the early 1900s woman were making considerably less money than men.  Some woman in my family were making only $5 a week. The new women conductors pay was 45 cents an hour.  If they worked a 40-hour week they’d make $18 a week. The joy of their sudden sense of value and their new found affluence would be short lived since, once the men returned from war many women would lose their jobs to them. 

----------------------
* Maud Foley, street car conductor in Halifax, ca. 191; Nova Scotia Archives 199900096
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nsarchives/39513377794

** Report: "The Nova Scotia Tramways and Power Company and the Halifax Explosion". — 2 pages : 26 x 35 cm. Archibald MacMechan;  (year added to quote); https://novascotia.ca/archives/macmechan/archives.asp?ID=11

Uncle Jimmy Landry – Played Hooky – Halifax, Nova Scotia

My great Aunt Anna Bella Landry Bradley has left me with many stories about her family’s life in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  What follows is one of them, a story about her bother and my great Uncle Jimmy and his sometimes mischievous nature. It starts with a quote from Aunt Anna Bella and then my account using additional information that she and others have given me.

Photo by Paul Brennan at Pixabay.com

 “I remember when we were in school and Jimmy use to like to get out of school once in a while; play hooky on school. Well we had truant officers in them days you know, came to the house…  And this truant officer came to my mother and he was giving it to my mother… We all lived in the same place, the same house, up and down.  Dan come out and said you don’t do nothing to my mother. You get the hell away from here… and don’t come back here, he said. Then the guy took off. See that’s how protective Dan was of my mother.   My brother Dan, your Uncle Dan, Yeah… But don’t you dare come back here, Dan said. He took off. “ – Anna Bella Landry Bradley*

The truant officer and youngest son Jimmy were walking up to the Landry’s home at 38 Union Street. This isn’t the first time he’d found Jimmy out of school and he was furious as they made their way to the front door. Jimmy is slightly behind him staring down at the ground as the officer repeatedly bangs hard, with his fist, on the front door. A few seconds later, mother Charlotte answers the door.  As the officer yells at her about her parenting skills, she backs up.  A door can be heard opening on the floor above her.  Charlotte’s second eldest son, Dan, having heard the man’s verbal assault on his mom, rushes down the stairs. The truant officer looks up in horror as he sees this enraged muscular build man making his way down the stairs. Dan’s yelling, “You get the hell away from here and don’t come back here.”  The officer takes off down the street.

Moments later, after their mom and brother got over the shock, Jimmy would have been punished. She was strict.  Even though he disliked school, Jimmy made it to tenth grade, which was the furthest of any of his siblings; not bad for the early 1900’s.

 Did you like school? How about play hooky?

For more stories about Aunt Anna Bella Landry Bradley and her family, check out the following links:  From Despair to Hope;  The Armouries, a Great Uncle, and the Halifax Explosion;   A Father's Love;   A Picture on the Wall;

*The quote has been edited slightly in grammar and tense to its help flow.

The Armouries, a Great Uncle, and the Halifax Explosion

The Armouries, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Notman Studio Collection - 1899

Architecture has always intrigued me and a two-foot thick walled structure resembling a medieval castle, called the Armouries, is no exception. Its imposing presence towers above the North Commons in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Magnificent turrets adorn its rough red exterior.  Inside is a large room in which troops assemble and spectators can watch from a walkway above.  Currently, the Armouries is undergoing repairs and renovations; some of which occurred during the Halifax Explosion.

On the morning of December 6, 1917, a collision between two ships in the harbor had leveled the sections of Halifax and Dartmouth closest to the blast. South of the main blast, the Armouries sustained minor damage to its roof and western wall, but its structure remained strong. This structure and the military men who slept in its barracks on its grounds were about to help in the relief effort.

As these military men and other rescue workers made their way through the city, extricating people from the ruins, smoke was rising from the munitions shed at Wellington Barracks, located on the edge of the devastated area. Shouts could be heard to head for higher ground.  Thousands fled to the North Commons: some on foot and others in various modes of transport from wheel barrows to horse drawn carts to automobiles.  The area on the North Commons between the Armouries and the long barracks, several feet away, were soon jammed with hundreds of bloodied people who were barely clothed. Among them was my great Uncle Abraham (Abe) Landry who was 18 years old.

Like many on the Commons that day, Uncle Abe had been injured by flying glass and debris when the ship exploded.  His left side caught the worst of it since it was facing the window when the blast occurred. After arriving at the Commons, a medical person removed the larger shards of glass but left the smaller ones. Then, without anesthetic, 15 stitches were used to close the big gouge in his arm.  Once this was completed, it was on to the next casualty.

Uncle Abe, along with others on the Commons, would be given shelter at the barracks of the Armouries where they received a blanket and some warm broth.  He and others could be found thanks to the record keeping of military personnel who placed the names of those being sheltered on the doors where they were located. Along with the barracks housing the homeless, the Armouries would become a food depot.

Note:  To see the Armouries' barracks click on the link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rdb466/8272877877/in/photolist-dTXBjn-dU4f4G-dB3Ent-99oDRQ-ng9BnK/ Thank you, Ross Dunn for putting this photo on flickr!

I would love to be able to see the front of the barracks, also known as hutments. If you've seen them online or have a picture of it, could you share it with me?

Other sources:

The Halifax Explosion December 6, 1917, Graham Metson - includes The Halifax Disaster by Archibald MacMechan

Archibald MacMechan - Halifax Disaster Record Office Materials

Positive Life Lessons from the Halifax Explosion

Positive life lessons are replacing the horrors of the Halifax Explosion that have run through my mind as I research and write my family’s memoir.

1.  Be thankful for what you have because it could be gone in an instant.

2.  Doing acts of kindness during someone else’s tragedy, is lifesaving.

3.  When everything appears to be lost, look around and be resourceful because what you need might be close by.

4.  We are braver and stronger than we ever imagined.

5.  Individuals can survive and thrive after experiencing unspeakable horrors.

Maybe you've read about this tragedy or have experienced your own, feel free to add your positive life lessons by commenting below.

Do you know James (Jim) Cody, survivor/rescuer of Halifax Explosion 1917?

View from Waterfront - Halifax Explosion - December 6, 1917
       Wikimedia,org

It was the morning of December 6, 1917 and the Mont Blanc, a munitions ship had blown up as a result of a collision in Halifax Harbour.  The north end of the city was obliterated. 

Under the ruins, flames were approaching as Jim Cody, an apprentice teacher, managed to get himself and my great uncle, 18-year-old Abe Landry, toward the light and out of the debris of Jim’s cobbler shop at 1209 Barrington Street. Moments later, the collapsed building they’d been in, was fully engulfed.

On behalf of Abe’s children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and those his life touched, I want to let Jim Cody’s family know how grateful and thankful we are that Jim saved his life. 

Uncle Abe lived to see his 98th birthday.  He owned and operated two business: Landry’s Shoe Repair Shop in the Hydrostone section of the North End of Halifax for 47 years and was co-owner of Landry’s Grocery Store on St. Margarets Bay Road with his son Percy.  Abe retired at age 95.

After the explosion, it appears that Jim Cody went to work as a watchman at New Terminals Railway.

If anyone reading this has more information they’d like to share about Jim and/or his family, listed below, I’d appreciate it if you’d share it with me.  I’m working on a memoir about my grandfather Joe’s family and their experiences. Because of the actions of Jim Cody, we’ve had many years of inspiration and joy with our soft spoken yet full of life family member.
______

The Cody Family ages 1917

Father:  James Cody – age 42,
Mother:  Florence – age 33,
Children:  James age 7, William age 5, and Cecilia 9 months. 

According to Halifax Relief Commission Claim, the James Cody family had lived in Halifax all their lives up to December 6, 1917.

 

Home Destroyed, Family Scattered - Halifax Explosion

Monarch by Cal Shook

The phrase “Home Destroyed, Family Scattered” was used by a Halifax Relief Commission worker to describe my great Grandpa Joe’s family.  This phrase resonates as I go through records in an effort to discover where family members, tenants, and others were located after the Halifax Explosion on December 6, 1917. 

Many residents of Halifax and Dartmouth frantically searched for loved ones, only to discover that their homes were leveled and, in many cases, consumed by fire.  It would take my Grandfather and his family a minimum of four temporary shelters and two and a half years before they would have a place to call home.

Thanks to the generosity of some newspapers, individuals could pick up a paper for free and look for  information about a relative or friend that they hadn’t been able to find. This material and that of the Nova Scotia Archives virtual collection, featured in last month’s blog, plus previous trips to the Archives with the aid of family members, have helped me to gain insight into their many losses and their efforts to build a new life.

Even with this extensive research, there are some missing pieces as I continue to write a memoir about my Grandpa Joe's family, "A Picture on the Wall."  I’m hoping that there is a Halifax Relief Commission record for the Simon and Hilda (Burke) Myatt family who were living in Dartmouth at the time of the explosion. I’d like to include them in the narrative.

It appears that there might be some information missing from the HRC Case# 451 about great Grandfather Michael Landry’s family. What leads me to believe this, is that in their file there is a Leo Landry, a carpenter, who was lodging with a Mr. D. Sampson after the explosion due to a severe cut to the head.  Leo is not my Grandpa Joe's brother, since he died in the Battle of  Y-Pres in June of 1916. I believe the Leo, mentioned in this claim file, might be related to a Samuel Landry who lost a son Michael Landry as a result of the explosion.    According to the 1917- 1918 McAlpine Directory, there was a Leo Landry,  a carpenter  who was boarding at 36a Stanley. There’s a Samuel Landry (h=head) and Michael Landry (b=boarder) living at the same address.  If Samuel Landry filed with the HRC (Halifax Relief Commission), there could be some records related to my Grandpa Joe's family. 

If you have any information about the Simon and Hilda (Burke) Myatt family of  Dartmouth or of Simon, Michael, or Leo Landry who were living at 36a Stanley Street in Halifax at the time of the explosion, I'd appreciate your sharing it with me.

Heroes Come in all Shapes and Sizes - Halifax Explosion

Archibald MacMechan

This week I made a wonderful find that documented the Halifax Explosion which led me to the realization that heroes come in all shapes and sizes. From a young boy pulling his mother to safety to newspapers helping families find each other, the work of the official Halifax Explosion historian, Archibald MacMechan, has these detailed stories and more. Finding this collection of works online, courtesy of the Nova Scotia Archives, is a reminder that there are a lot of caring and generous people in this world.  Though some of the notes and pieces are rough, many demonstrate the acts of kindness and generosity we’re all capable of.  Acts of kindness like:

Norman Roberts, an eight-year-old, rescued his mother and sister before their house burned down. 

Dr. Grace Rice, a woman doctor, helped many who were injured. 

The December 10, 1917 issue of The Morning Chronicle, helped family and friends by listing the wounded and where they were located, as well as, those who were identified as dead.  My grandfather Joseph Landry and his brother Dan’s tenants, Mrs. Gibson and 2 children, having lived at 38 Union Street, were listed at Camp Hill hospital on page 6 under “Partial Alphabetical List”.  Uncle Dan Landry’s 23-year-old wife, Annie Landry and 18-month-old son Clarence Landry were listed in article “List of Dead Recovered Among the Ruins.” This means he identified them some time between Thursday, December 6, 1917 and Saturday night, December 9, 1917. (Remembrance Book)

In the New Year, may we remember to do acts of kindness.

Note:  Link to his complete work: https://novascotia.ca/archives/macmechan/results.asp?Search=&Start=1

From Despair to Hope – Halifax Explosion

Writing about the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion, in a memoir about my grandfather Joe Landry’s family, has been wrought with tragedy as well as triumph.  One of the worst tragedies and greatest triumphs, involved my grandfather’s slightly younger brother Dan Landry.

Thursday, December 6, 1917
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Photo by Cal Shook

In the early hours of the morning, at 38 Union Street, a 26-year-old Dan Landry and his 23-year-old wife Annie (Adams) had finished breakfast.  Their 18-month-old son Clarence is playing with a toy on the floor nearby.  Daniel and Annie are excited, they are expecting their second child.
Before leaving for work, Daniel kissed his wife Annie and then picked up little Clarence who had toddled over to him.  Little Clarence snuggled in as he was surrounded by his father’s muscular arms.  Life was good, as Dan said goodbye. He’s got a precious toddler, a loving wife, and a little one on the way.

Within hours everything would change.

Around 8:45 a.m. in the harbor below their home, there was an accident.   The Imo, a Belgium relief ship, collided with the Mont Blanc, a French munitions ship.  As they separated, the Mont Blanc caught fire and drifted toward Pier 6.  Its crew evacuated as the Imo maneuvered away.

At 9:04 a.m. the Mont Blanc exploded, leaving the Richmond district of Halifax, where Dan and Annie’s home was located, leveled.

Dan was working for Rhodes Curry Ltd, a construction and supply company at the corner of Windsor and West Young street, about a half mile from home.  Dan, unhurt by the blast, made his way through the devastation surrounding him and headed toward home.  When he reached Fort Needham,  he saw that his neighborhood was on fire.  By the time he made it to the area of his home, there was nothing left.  His search for his wife and children would leave him in despair.

In describing her brother Dan’s son Clarence, Anna Bella (Landry) Bradley said that he was, “…the sweetest little boy… He had curly blond hair and a sweet little round face. He was adorable.  And he could talk… …he could talk like everything. And my God, he was killed, too.” In regard to everyone located at 38 Union Street when the explosion hit, “…Annie was the one that was killed, Dan’s wife, and the children, two children, I say because she was pregnant with another one.”

How does a father, having lost his wife and children, go on?

I’m grateful that Uncle Dan found a way.

Hilda and Marie Landry, Myrtle Nicholson Landry,  Dan Landry
Note: Hilda and Marie are children of Dan and Myrtle Landry,

Hope arrived a couple years later when Myrtle Nicholson and he were married.  They had a large family and many grandchildren.  Though Annie, their unborn child, and Clarence are not forgotten, nor the pain their absence has brought, life and laughter have returned through the passage of time.

Note:  Upon further identification from Dan's family, the name "Myrtle Nicholson Landry" has replaced "Anna Bella Bradley Landry" and words "Anna Bella is Dan's sister." have been removed from the photo to the right.

A Young Rescuer on Union Street - Halifax Explosion

Fort Needham Memorial Park, Halifax, NS - Cal Shook

While doing research this month, one story about a brave young rescuer stood out.

On December 6, 1917, the Myra family lived at 52 Union Street. My relatives, the Landry family, resided at 38 Union Street. With the exploding of the Mont Blanc, houses in the Richmond section of Halifax were leveled which included Union Street..  At the Myra residence, thirteen-year-old Doris and her mother, Mary were the only ones home.  Uninjured, Doris found herself in the midst of the debris from the house, a fire had started and was closing in on her and her critically wounded mother.  After a failed attempt to lift her mother and with fresh blood covering her clothes, Doris took a piece of rope and tied it around her mother’s feet and then dragged her outside to safety.  Sadly, her mother Mary died later that day.

“Doris was one of three people believed to have survived on Union Street near Fort Needham as of the paper’s printing. Edward A. Myra, Doris’s father also survived,” according to author Katie Ingram in her book, Breaking Disaster. *

Ninety-four people from Union Street are listed among the dead in the Halifax Explosion Remembrance Book.  On that day my great Uncle Dan Landry lost his pregnant wife Annie and their 18-month-old son Clarence.

I’m grateful that among those who lived, was my grandfather’s next to youngest sibling, Anna Bella. Fourteen at the time, she was pulled from the rubble in a semi-conscious state and lived to share family stories.  In August of 2003, Aunt Anna Bella shared:

“It must have been terrible for my father and Dan to come home and see that, everything mowed down… And everything was burning, burning next to me. The house next to me was burning. And the next thing I saw was Elizabeth. But someone had taken me out and brought me out in the street because I was half unconscious… coming out like that… and I saw Elizabeth and thought, my God she’s safe…”



Note:
*from  page 88 of Breaking Disaster by Katie Ingram.  The newspaper that Ms. Ingram referred to was “The Morning Chronicle” published on December 10, 1917. The quote contained a footnote: "Doris Myra would later work as a clerk before marrying Joseph Paul Dubois in 1925. Her father Edward never remarried and would pass away in 1966 at the age of 91.”

A Picture on the Wall
A Father's Love

Two-Thirds of the Way Through 1st Draft of "A Picture on the Wall" - Halifax Explosion Memoir

Photo Halifax Harbour - Cal Shook

This month marks the completion of about two-thirds of the first draft for “A Picture on the Wall,” a Landry family memoir about the Halifax Explosion.   My paternal grandfather Joseph's family.

Earlier this week, I emailed my editor, a section about three family members who witnessed the aftermath of the collision between the Imo and the Mont Blanc.  The three witnesses would bring this family narrative right up to the explosion.  For two of the witnesses, split second decisions would forever change each of their family's lives. 

When I entered my editor Sylvia Clark’s home, a couple days later,  she greeted me with, “This is your best piece yet.  It left me wanting more.” 

With the revisions that need to be made and the continual striving to write something worth reading, I realize that I have a way to go before I come close to the captivating words of a J.K. Rowling or a Stephen King.  My hope and prayer is to leave a lasting legacy. 

Landry, Burke, and Myatt Family Chart: Halifax Explosion

Inspired by conversations with my editor,  Sylvia Clark,   I’ve created a chart  to make it easier for  readers to visualize the families that I’m writing about in a memoir called "A Picture on the Wall.". 

Along with the above chart, I was wondering if information included in the Legend below might be helpful. 

What do you think?  Should I include it?  Vote "yes" or "no" and/or comment in the section below or on Facebook.

Do you know Mrs. Myatt, a Bouchard-Burke born in River Bourgeois, Cape Breton?

St. John the Baptist Church - Photo by Cal Shook

Do you know Mrs. Myatt, a Bouchard-Burke born in River Bourgeois, Cape Breton?

Mrs. Myatt was a survivor of the Halifax Explosion and is the person I believe my great Aunt Anna Bella Landry was talking about in the following quote.

“…my cousin living over on the Dartmouth side… just on the other side of Halifax Harbor.  Well she was injured.  She lost an eye and she was badly hurt.  I can’t remember her name…  I don’t know if she died since or not. I know her sister’s name was Marie. But that was a sister to her and I can’t think of her name. 

Of course, my Uncle Joe, they never found a bit of him. They never found one bit of him. That was my Aunt Pauline’s husband.  And they never found him at all, he was blown to bits because he was right on the wharf when the thing went off and they didn’t find him.” -  Anna Bella Landry Bradley, Halifax Explosion Survivor 

Mrs. Myatt is the daughter of Joseph and Pauline (Bouchard) Burke from River Bourgeois, Cape Breton.  She was born between 1889 and 1894. 

The Burke Family moved to Halifax around 1905.

Her father Joseph, a stevedore, was killed in the Halifax Explosion on December 6, 1917.

Mrs.  Myatt’s mother, Mrs. Pauline Burke was visited by G. Hoban of the Halifax Relief Commission on 16 of December 1918 who recorded the visit as follows: 

“Mrs. Burke seemed depressed…   Her married daughter Mrs. Myatt who had been injured in the explosion and lost an eye had contracted influenza and died leaving three small children, and this was a great blow to her.”   G. Hoban, HRC Case #393 

Can’t begin to imagine how it must have felt, losing a husband and then a daughter to influenza, leaving her three children without a mother – so devastating. 

On 10 of February 1919 an E. Williamson of the Halifax Relief Commission went to visit Mrs. Burke then wrote:

“ Called for Mrs. Burke… Child stated her mother was out.  Had gone to Dartmouth to nurse a cousin who was very sick with a cold.”  – E. Wlliamson, HRC Case #393

Two months after her daughter dies, Pauline goes over to Dartmouth to take care of one of her daughter’s children, a cousin to her other children.

I wonder if anyone in this family beside Mrs. Myatt was injured during the Halifax Explosion.   Her death in 1919 appears to have left Mr. Myatt (though he’s never mentioned) a single parent with three young children.  I’d appreciate any additional information you might have about Mr. and Mrs. Myatt and their children. I have some of their names and ages below thanks to HRC Case #393 from the National Archives of Nova Scotia.  Any additions information you can give would be appreciated as I continue to write a memoir about my grandfather and his family.

Note:   Below is a list of Burke family members, Mrs. Myatt’s parents and siblings, their ages and occupation or schooling on December 6, 1917 (Halifax Explosion) The Burke’s were living in five rooms at 19 Stairs Street in Halifax.  Mrs. Myatt might have been 26 at the time living in Dartmouth with her husband and three young children.

Parents
Joseph – age 54 – stevedore at Pier 8
Pauline – age 50 – housewife

Siblings
Malcolm – age 27 – (widower) – Merchant – was staying with family intermittently
Harry – age 20 – “mentally affected (non disaster) lives at city home” HRC case #393
Annie – age 18 – Moir’s Chocolate Ltd.
Marie – age 13 – b. 19 Dec 1904 – St Joseph’s School – 6th grade
Clarence – age 8 – b. 6 Feb 1909 – St Joseph’s School – 4th grade (boys went in afternoon)
Eddie – age 5 –  b. 6 July 1912 – not school yet