Halifax Explosion Essay

Halifax harbour was extremely busy during the war and plenty of ships gathered there to “convoy” across the Atlantic. At 8.30 am December 16, 1917 a Belgian streamer, The Imo, collided with French freighter, The Mont Blanc in Halifax Harbour. The Mont Blanc was carrying explosives and caught on fire igniting the Halifax Explosion. The Halifax Explosion is a defining moment in Canadian History because it’s the biggest explosion in Canadian History, it brought a lot of help from other places and it brought the war home to Canada. Halifax Explosion was a defining moment in Canadian History because it brought the war home to Canada. The Halifax Explosion was the only occasion when the horrors of modern warfare were visited in an important Canadian city. The greatest war in history was raging in Europe, but no city experienced such catastrophe. The railway tracks were ripped out for miles and the roads cracked open into fissures. Some buildings and bridges around Halifax were swept away. The blast wave destroyed everything in its path, from factories to churches and schools. People experienced the horrors and casualties normally associated it with the battle front. The Halifax Explosion brought the experience of war home to Canadians like no other event could.
Halifax Explosion is a critical moment in Canadian History because it brought people from other Canadian cities to help rebuilt the city.
To help rebuilt the city, military and naval personnel worked with other civilians to build the city. Turo, a city near Halifax, took in people who were homeless. Stores in Eaton, another city near Halifax donated furniture for the new houses. Canadian and British governments donated millions to help rebuilt the city. A train from Boston US was the first to arrive at Halifax with medical aid and other supplies. Other trains from central Canada and New England brought medical aid, food, clothing, building materials and skilled labours. The Canadian and British governments