Exploded Identity: A Saga of the Halifax
Explosion
Catherine M.
Mildon
Mum
was determined to have the housecleaning finished by the middle of
April. Just about every room had been gone over from top to bottom.
Drawers had been emptied, ceilings had been whitewashed, new wall paper
had been put on the kitchen, bedding and curtains blew on the line on
sunny days.
Tonight Gram and Aunt Sadie arrived after supper to help Mum wash all
the dishes on the pantry shelves. Cliff and I had been given the task
of using Silvo to clean the silver cutlery.
Suddenly there was a crash that sounded like an explosion had taken
place, either in the house or close by. After looking around, Dad went
upstairs to investigate and found a large picture on the floor,
surrounded by broken glass. He came to the conclusion that Mum had not
placed it securely on the nail after removing it for cleaning.
Poor Gram was frightened out of her wits and her hands trembled.
She said, “This reminds me of the fear that was created at the time of
the Halifax Explosion.”
Speaking of the Halifax Explosion, Catherine M. Mildon remembers that
day very well. She was four and half years old and living in Halifax
with her seven siblings on the day the city was devastated by an
exploding ship in the harbour. The force threw her to the floor as the
windows in her home collapsed. In the days, weeks, months and years
that followed, this vivid, terrifying moment and the stories of altered
lives dominated the daily thoughts and conversations of her family and
friends.
Years later she felt driven to record her family experiences and to
study thoroughly the record of those awful days. As she wrote, she was
struck by the overwhelming determination, heroism and cooperation that
the unheralded citizens of Halifax demonstrated in the face of death,
destruction and snowstorms.
She and her brothers and sisters were directly involved, as many small
children were, in the care and clean-up, in the first week after. There
was no school for many weeks so children tended to be used for many
tasks.
Catherine was determined to set down the experience of her community.
She read everything available, searched the archives of daily
newspapers for that dramatic year and wrote the stories her family had
retold and retold.
Now in her nineties with health failing, Catherine M. Mildon decided it
was time to finish her work and publish it for all to read as,
“Exploded Identity: A Saga of the
Halifax Explosion”. The 217 pages of
documentary fiction are filled with details of the men and women who
worked behind the scenes, the events that happened to her family or
events she heard about and her memories - such as the sloven wagons
that were used to collect the wounded and dead from the streets the
first few days during the terrible winter storm that followed.
For more details on purchasing the book, contact dmildon@sympatico.ca
By the way, I’ll be doing a
presentation on the Hampton to St. Martins
Railway and the communities of Upham, Titusville and Barnesville at the
Kings County Historical Society meeting on April 22, 2006 at 2:00 p.m.
at the
Central Kings Rec Centre, Upham. There will also be displays of
photographs. Guests are welcome.
*
Query 1468
Rupert - Kerr: I am
seeking information on the parents and siblings of
David Crandall Rupert, who was born 1835 in Saint John, New Brunswick
and married Mary Carline (Carrie) Kerr.
KATARI FRASER
53 Fisher Ave. Apt 2
Fredericton, NB
Canada, E3A 4J1
E-mail katari28@hotmail.com
Query 1469
Jones - Fowler:
Frederick Arthur Jones of Saint John, born 4 Aug 1864,
died 21 Nov 1912 was married in Sussex, New Brunswick, 3 Dec 1884 to
Charlotte Maria Arnold Fowler, born 9 May 1863, died 13 Nov 1932. I am
trying to find their connection to the South African War (1899-1902) as
Frederick Jones came into possession of Boer war related artifacts that
he collected from men who had served in the war. He does not appear to
have served himself. I am wondering if either one of his brothers or
Mrs. Jones's brothers served in the war. Jones also owned a furniture
and carpet store in Saint John on 16-18 King St. I would be interested
to know who worked there with him to see if maybe he acquired these
artifacts from one of his employees.
NICOLE
E-mail - Researcher1@nbm-mnb.ca
Query 1470
Fleet: Seeking
information on James Alexander Fleet, born circa 1839 in
either New Brunswick or Nova Scotia, enlisted in the 2nd Massachusetts
Infantry in the United States on 23 Apr 1864. On 17 May 1864, he was
transferred to the US Navy, where he remained until his discharge on 17
Aug 1865. He later migrated to Australia where he lived for some 40
years until his death on 23 Nov 1909. I have built a Memorial Website,
www.acwv.info, for all of the American Civil War veterans buried in
Australia and New Zealand. I would like to compile enough validated
information to add Mr. Fleet to that memorial, so he will always be
remembered as a Canadian American Civil War veteran who is buried in
Australia.
JAMES GRAY
11 Corndale Street, Loganholme
Queensland, Australia, 4129.
E-mail cracker3@optusnet.com.au
