The Halifax : Acts of Heroism Heritage Fair 2020 By Waseem Loukili Grade 5 Dr. John G. Egnatoff School

• Introduction • The Events of December 6th 1917 • Heritage Moments Video • Halifax Hero: Vince Coleman • Halifax Hero: Horatio Brannen • Halifax Survivor: Kaye McLeod Table of • Think Like a Historian: The Halifax Explosion video • Historical Significance: The Halifax Explosion • Historical Significance: The Halifax Explosion Contents Memorialized • The Halifax Explosion Memorialized The Halifax Explosion Memorialized • The Halifax Explosion: The Heroic Acts • Halifax Explosion: 100 Years Later • References : Halifax Explosion Video Introduction: The Halifax Explosion & Its Heroes

Many people have heard of “The Halifax Explosion”, and many more have not. My project will provide a brief introduction to the events of the Halifax Explosion and the hero’s that helped on that tragic day.

In the city of Halifax, located in the province of , there was an event that occurred that no man could ever forget. As the two boats The S.S. Mont-Blanc and the a Norwegian ship: S.S.IMO headed through the elusively deadly “narrows” of the Halifax harbor, they collided. The Mont-Blanc was a cargo ship en route to France, loaded with dangerous , including ammunition and supplies destined for Europe. The two ships were both running late on a strict schedule, and the timing made these ships move faster than their usual speed in the harbor. This resulted in their collision and the tragedy we now know as The Halifax Explosion. The explosion ripped through Halifax, shattering windows, destroying buildings, homes and life for the residents. Tragically this event resulted in 2000 deaths and over 5000 injuries. This tragedy was the largest synthetic explosion before the atomic bomb.

Note: Included throughout this PowerPoint is an encoded messages holding hidden messages/theories from this event. Hint:(The messages are encoded in wingdings font). Have fun by decoding them!

Vince Coleman

Retrieved from: https://www.1310news.com/2017/12/04/halifax-explosion-commemoration-to-recognize-growing-legend-of-vince-coleman/ Halifax Hero: Vince Coleman was a simple man. He was brave and courageous. He was renowned for stopping a runaway train and risking his life. His boss, William Lovett kept reminding him of that episode. He was an active member of multiple unions and liked it a lot because of his activity levels. He had a wife named Frances and 4 kids. She worked as a railway Vince dispatcher for pier 6 and other nearby piers in Halifax harbor. On the day of the explosion, Coleman was heading to work, when he heard a deafening crash. He saw two boats that had crashed, one of them on fire. A sailor informed Coleman that the burning boat was filled with explosives. At that moment, Coleman had a split- Coleman second decision to make; escape, or send a telegram warning the oncoming trains to stop their courses. He was about to evacuate with his boss, He made a last second decision to send the telegram anyways. His telegram was sent to train number 10, the one he worried most about as this train had more than 300 people aboard and was headed for pier 6 due to arrive around nine o'clock, this was the same pier where the boats had crashed. At this point, Coleman knew death was near.

Due to his bravery and last-minute decision to send the telegram, Coleman likely stopped train number 10 as it sat at Rockingham Station when the telegraph was received. For this Vince Coleman has been considered the hero who saved 300+ people. He made the ultimate sacrifice, his own life to save many more. His act of heroism will never be forgotten by the people he saved, their loved ones and Canadians.

Hidden Message:                         Horatio Brannen Halifax Hero: Horatio Brannen

Captain Horatio Harris Brannen, born in Woods Harbour, Shelburne County, Nova Scotia on December 27, 1872. He had a wife and seven children. He was a remarkably successful ship salvager. Some of the most famous salvages he carried out were the salvaging of the S.S. Hungarian, a ship that crashed into an island more than 50 years before, and the H.M.C.S. Niobe, the first Canadian Navy ship manufactured. However, his most significant deed he has to his name was his heroism during the Halifax Explosion. On that day, as Brannen and his crew prepared for another normal salvage, he heard a crash. He would have looked towards pier 6 to witness the ship burning. Brannen ordered his crew to sail towards the ship in an effort to help put out the flames. As Brannen and his shipmates fought on, it soon became clear that his ship was not equipped with the proper fire-fighting equipment for these flames. Brannen and his crew decided to tow the burning ship away from the pier in an effort to extingusish the fire. As they began towing Monte-Blanc, the burning ship, it suddenly exploded. This resulted in the deaths of 19 out of 24 from Brannen’s crew, including Brannen. Horatio Brannen’s acts of heroism on this day demonstrated his quick thinking to help save the lives of others and contain a dangerous fire from spreading. For this, he remains one of the greatest heroes ever. Kaye McLeod- Chapman Halifax Survivor: Kaye McLeod- Chapman

Kaye McLeod’s story during the Halifax Explosion is one that is told often. McLeod is one of the most famous survivors of the Halifax Explosion. On December 6, 1917, a 5-year old McLeod prepared her dolls to play with them. Instead of going to the living room to play as usual, she decided to go play outside, a decision that saved her life. As she started playing, she heard a deafening boom. Twenty-two minutes later she heard another boom. She was thrown off her feet and landed beside a shower of glass shards. Her mother was trapped by a falling cupboard and screamed to her daughter not to move. Although it was scary, painful and traumatic to experience, McLeod’s entire family survived the explosion. Kay McLeod died at the age of 104 and was one of the last living survivors of the explosion. Hidden Message:                 The Aftermath of The Halifax Explosion Think Like a Historian: The Halifax Explosion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BETlpLBieF0 Historical Significance: The Halifax Explosion

The Halifax Explosion was very significant because it confused people about its deadly nature, attracting crowds. The attraction lead to an increase in deaths, around 2000 people in a city of 50,000. The gathered people watched as barrels od Benzol flew up into the air, shock overcame the crowds as they realized quickly realized the danger they were in.

The Halifax Explosion was the largest man-made explosion in the history that resulted in many tragic deaths.

Historical Significance: The Halifax Explosion Memorialized

The Halifax Explosion has been memorialized numerous ways. Among them, there are stamps commemorating the date, books, movies and paintings are also ways in which this event has been memorialized. However, the most significant memorial is Fort Needham Memorial Bell Tower dedicated to remember this tragic event. The tower has numerous ornate golden bells, one nearly identical to the others. This memorial is beautiful and contrasts against the treacherous events that occurred not on the battlefields of World War 1, but on Canadian soil. Vince Coleman has been memorialized and remembered by many news articles, books and displays with his picture and information in museums across Canada. Artifacts such as his watch, wallet and a pair of raffle tickets he had on that day are some of the items on display at museums. Historical Significance: The Heroic Acts

Actions and quick thinking of the heroes during The Halifax Explosion saved many lives. Vince Colemans telegraph ended up saving 300 lives, that is roughly the size of a school. Imagining the 300 lives saved that day by one person explains the heroic acts significance. Halifax Explosion: 100 Years Later

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0g2dSX6YyM&t=514s Do you want to learn more?

This project is only a brief introduction to the events of December 6th 1917- The Halifax Explosion. Many resources are available online and in libraries to anyone who wants to read more into this historical event.

A great website to gather more information from is: https://archives.novascotia.ca/, this site includes newspaper articles, photos and more valuable information. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat References ional/the-girl-who-lived-remembering-the- halifax-explosion-through-a-childs-eyes-99- yearslater/article33203811/ https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lif estory/7677598 https://www.saltwire.com/news/local/from- the-archives-shelburne-county-man-died-a- hero-in-halifax-explosion- 92864/?location=yarmouthsouthwest-nova- scotia