Most disasters are unexpected. They find people in the
midst of their everyday lives and change everything. Some people do not survive;
those who do are often scarred by their experiences in ways that are visible or
hidden from view. Not long after the Regina Tornado another disaster struck in
a city in a different part of Canada. On December 6, 1917, Halifax was
devastated by an explosion.
The Halifax Explosion was massive. The initial explosion and the fires that
followed laid waste to most of the North End and also caused damage in other
parts of the city. This episode of Halifax history came to my attention when I
lived in the North End. In this way the explosion touches upon my family
history research through my own life.
There are also
some family lines I have traced in Halifax. Did the explosion affect members of
the Hickey or McLaughlin families? My exploration of the information about the
explosion will include some real genealogical research to see if any members of
these families were affected by the disaster.
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