Hope and Survival Quilt and Scroll of Remembrance – Halifax Explosion

It’s December 2017 and the week of the 100th Anniversary of the Halifax Explosion.  I’m at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Hope And Survival Quilt by Laurie Swim

The Hope and Survival Quilt surrounded by its Scroll of Remembrance fill the room that I’ve just entered.  A tear rolls down my check. Names of family members that I’ve been researching and writing about are on the wall being memorialized through the scroll and what they lived through is in front of me in the form of a quilt. Thanks to artist Laurie Swim for creating this and her host of volunteers.

The quilt is a creatively stitched painting on a canvas of turbulent indigo blue and black clouds.
Life flies through the air in the form of a girl with her arms outstretched.  Her hat and boot, having been blown off, are flying with her.  Her pose resembles that of superman as she flies to a safe place where she survives.

As though miles below her, in the upper left hand corner a tiny map of the devastated area appears with sparkly red threads spurting out.

The framed scenes around her add to the narrative as a ship explodes, help arrives, and survivors appear, some with eyes shut having lost their sight.  Within the clouds lie finer details, like a canoe and the silhouettes of people in various heights and sizes appear to rise from the ashes.

Surrounding this masterpiece is the Scroll of Remembrance.  The magnitude of the loss is felt with height and depth of the scroll that surrounds the quilt.  One thousand nine hundred and forty six lives are remembered and represented on the 172 panels that make up the scroll. 

Scroll of Remembrance - Laurie Swim

Hundreds of volunteers took panels and embroidered names in beaded Braille and English.

Gratitude overwhelms me as I search for and find:

Annie Landry (23) and Clarence Landry (18 months) 
(Annie and Clarence - my great Uncle Dan Landry’s pregnant wife and son.)




Joseph Burke (54)
(Joseph - Pauline Bouchard Landry’s husband and father of five.  Joseph was working as a stevedore*. Pauline is my great Uncle Dan and my paternal Grandfather Joe’s mother - Charlotte Bouchard Landry's sister.)

The scroll of Remembrance touched me.
Do you know someone who is listed on the scroll?  I'd love to here how you're connected?



Note:
*A stevedore is "one who works at or is responsible for loading and unloading ships in port" according to www.merriam-webster.com

For more about Laurie Swim's work go to www.laurieswim.com

Halifax Explosion Remembrance Book - Search for Names

Stowaway Soldier (Remembrance Day)

Brave, adventurous, and quite the risk taker are terms that describe my great Uncle Leo Landry.

I'm thrilled to be sharing this short war story which almost was missed because of his rank. His service record lists him as Private Leo Landry. He originally was given a title when he entered the service that in today's world means something quite different.

Uncle Leo was born on December 15, 1896 in River Bourgeois, Cape Breton to Seraphin (Michael) Landry and Charlotte Bouchard.  My paternal grandfather Joseph is Leo’s older brother.

In 1911, the Landry family moved from River Bourgeois to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Over the next three years Canadian’s witnessed a rapid military buildup with the approach of WWI.  Halifax and its harbor were no exception.

In 1915, almost a year after the start of WWI,  military personnel and equipment were moving in and out of Halifax. The harbor and train depots were buzzing with activity. Unable to resist its draw, eighteen year old Leo joined the Canadian Permanent Army Service Corps.  He became Dr Leo Landry.

My first impression was that “Dr” stands for doctor.  During this time in history the CPASC rank “Dr” stood for Driver.  There’s a good possibility that Leo drove a team of horses that pulled canons and/or wagons with other military supplies.

From Naval Warfare

On August 17, 1915 the SS Caledonia, a British passenger ship that had been converted for use in the war, was docked in Halifax Harbor. Aboard were members of the Royal Canadian Regiment who had returned from Bermuda. In about a week’s time, most would be back on board and heading for Europe. Since not all the men re-upped, there were some openings. Unfortunately there weren’t enough spots for all who wanted to go and fight.

Leo, two of his fellow CPASC service personnel, and four other service men were among those not allowed to board. On August 25, sometime before the SS Caledonia departed for England, all seven military men would sneak onto the ship and hide. 

Once far enough out to sea these stow-a-way soldiers surrendered. They all faced rations and disciplinary action and would become part of the Royal Canadian Regiment.   My uncle was given the rank Private (Pte) Leo Landry.

I’m saddened to say that my young Uncle Leo lost his life in the Battle of Ypres on June 4, 1916.

On this Remembrance Day (Canada) and Veteran’s Day (US) –
Thank you, to all military personnel for your sacrifice and service.
May we never forget.

Note: 

Thank you:
Cousin Linda Landry Horne for your research assistance which made this blog possible.
Laurie Gildart for proofreading and editing assistance.
Captain Michael M. O' Leary for writing, "Surrendered as Stowaways"

Do You Know What A Photo Negative Is?

Do you know what a photo negative is?
How about younger children in your family?

Note: Due to cable/internet outage this blog is incomplete. Will share the rest of the story when connection is restored. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Update:  After the storm, this blog has not come together the way I'd hoped.  When it does, I will post it.

My Writing Space

Cal Shook - Gilford, NH

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”  ― Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods

Our new home in Gilford, NH is set on a hill and surrounded by trees.  Though not completely isolated, it has the feeling of being off on its own. A perfect setting for writing.

For my writing space, I've chosen a room slightly smaller than Thoreau's cabin on Walden Pond. 

A small desk with a chair is located in one corner, an end table in the other, with a lamp on each. Next to the end table is a futon lounger.

Whether at the desk using my laptop or lounging back with pad and pen, it is quiet and the space feels comfortable. My mind is free of distractions as my brain stretches to put my passion, bringing the Landry/Bouchard family to life, onto the page. 

My new life, like my writing space, is less cluttered.  I'm writing daily, and with mentor Sylvia Clark providing editorial feedback I'm making revisions. 

Could Use Your Help

If you're related to or know the Landry/Bouchard family, I'd appreciate it if you'd share a story and/or a photo that could be added to this narrative.  To contribute check out last month's blog, The Landry/Bouchard Family of River Bourgeois, Cape Breton.

Feeling More at Home

Sometimes, not long after you've moved, it is helpful to go out exploring with a new friend and tour guide. (with Joyce Keyser)

We saw:

Beautiful landscape 

went down dirt roads

saw sheep in a field

and up close

A place to walk 

and have fun.

with a tree house,

and a place to cook

then relax.

This day out has ended...

feeling more at home.

Two places worth checking out:  

Shepherd's Hut Market

Prescott Farm Natural Playscape

Moving and Writing Update

Photo by Cal Shook

Our official moving day is in four days.  There are boxes everywhere and I long to have my daily writing routine back and have no idea how long it will take to get settled into our new location.

My husband Jim & I have been in York, Maine for ten years and it is hard to leave family and friends. We mourn the life we've had, yet see new possibilities that lie ahead. As we prepare to relocate to Gilford, New Hampshire I envision the chance of a "Walden" like experience.  To make this so, I plan on taking a sabbatical for a year to complete the memoir I'm writing about my grandfather's family.

Please forgive the shortness of this post as it's been a long week of packing and purging.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Garage Sale - June 2 & 3 - to help with publishing costs.

This Friday and Saturday, June 2 and 3 we're having a Garage Sale from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm on Sheru Lane at the corner of Scott Ave in York, Maine.

Items include: Games, Electronics, Books, Kitchen items and more.

It can take between $1500 and $5000 to self-publish a book.

Jim and I are downsizing. With friends and family joining us, there's a wide variety of items. Our portion of the sale will help us save for publishing costs.

If you're looking for a bargain, come and join us rain or shine.