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

Watoto Children’s Choir

Watoto Children's Choir

My husband Jim and I are now unpacked and have guest rooms thanks to our excitement about housing a few members of the Watoto Children's Choir and their support team next week.  We moved to Gilford, NH a little over a year ago and the rooms looked more like storage lockers up till a couple days ago.

Watoto in Swahili means “Children”.

According to their website, “Watoto is a Church based organisation that cares for orphans and widows in Uganda. Our goal is to raise the next generation of Ugandan leaders.”

Their moto: Rescue, Raise, and Rebuild

Rescue – widows and orphans
Raise – in homes, with education and medical services
Rebuild – create an eco-friendly, self-sustaining economy

The Watoto Children’s Choir is coming to Gilford to share their stories and a message of hope and transformation through a lively performance of Ugandan music.

If you’re in the area and would like to join us, the concert is on:

Sunday, October 7 at 7:00pm.
First United Methodist Church Gilford/Laconia
18 Wesley Way, Gilford, NH

There might be a performance near you - they're in Massachusetts starting this week:  https://www.watoto.com/app/choir/calendar?start=2018-10-01#calendar

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. 

Uncle Joseph Burke at Ground Zero – Halifax Explosion

What follows is a Halifax Explosion story about my great Uncle Joseph Burke based on information given by my great Aunt Anna Bella, along with research.*

Uncle Joseph Burke was married to Pauline Bouchard.  They and five of their seven children, ranging in age from five to twenty-six, lived in a cottage on 19 Stairs Street in December of 1917.

On December 6, Joseph – a stevedore, was on Pier 8 helping load cargo onto a ship called Curaca.  Pier 8 ran parallel to the Halifax shore.  Pier 6 was just south of it and headed straight into the shore.

Not far away, two cargo ships – the Imo and the Mont Blanc, had collided in the harbor after heading straight at each other on the Dartmouth side of the harbor.*  At the last minute they both took evasive maneuvers that resulted in the Imo striking and piercing the Mont Blanc’s hull.  Under normal circumstances and with both ships still afloat, this wouldn’t have been a problem, but the Mont Blanc was loaded with 3000 tons of explosives.  When the Imo pulled back, the metal scraping metal created sparks that set off a fire in the first hold, located just below the Mont Blanc’s deck. Quickly flames lept onto the deck, blocking the crew from getting to the fire hose.  Fearing the ship would explode any second, the crew, captain, and harbor pilot got into life boats and rowed toward the Dartmouth shore.

Uncle Joseph was at ground zero as the Mont Blanc drifted into Pier 6 and ran aground.  He and others stopped what they were doing as the ship passed in front of them.  Smoke filled the air as flames traveled across its deck, ignited by fumes from barrels of Benzol (airplane fuel) stacked three and four high.  Then about nine barrels – one after the other, catapulted high into the air trailing smoke, exploding into flames with a loud roar.

Joseph and those around him watched as the blasts continued and the heat of the ship intensified - then one final seismic explosion.

“ 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

It saddens me to think of his passing and the loss of a husband, father, uncle, and friend.

Not only was Uncle Joe a stevedore, but he was a carpenter and overall handyman, according to Aunt Pauline in a statement to the Halifax Relief Commission - Case #393:

"She said she and her husband had both been born in Cape Breton. Had come to Halifax about 15 years ago. And ever since had lived in a cottage at 19 Stairs Street. They were only paying $5.00 a month rent there, as her husband was very good at carpentry and made all the repairs to the house himself. Kept it in good condition, so the landlord did not increase their rent." - info. recorded by M.A. Boss on May 8, 1918

Wow, what an attentive man my Uncle Joseph was and my Aunt Pauline seemed very proud of him.  Are there many landlords that would keep the rent low for a well maintained house today?

Note:  Along with conversations with my great Aunt Anna Bella, I've done research at Nova Scotia Archives and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic both online and on site. Reading Resources:  Ground Zero edited by Alan Ruffman and Colin D. Howell, Shattered City by Janet F. Kitz, The Great Halifax Explosion by John U. Bacon

*This wording has been changed following comments from a reader asking that I might reconsider that it wasn't a game of chicken.  I've removed the words "after a game of chicken" and replaced them with the words "on the Dartmouth side of the harbor".