On December 6th, 104 years will have passed since that devastating day on a cool fall morning in Halifax Harbour when two ships collided, causing the largest man-made explosion up to that time. The official death toll reached almost 2,000 but in the chaos, fires and resulting tsunami that washed victims out to sea, the true death toll will forever remain unknown. Some suggest it was closer to 3,000.
An additional 9,000 were injured or blinded, and more than 25,000 people were left homeless.
To remember the victims of the disaster on it’s one hundredth anniversary in 2017, Quarter Castle Publishing released The Coldest December, a collection of short stories written by Nova Scotia authors. The stories revolve around the explosion and the affect it had on those involved.
Stories and Contributing Authors
- “Blue” by Sheila McDougall
- “Business as Usual” by Phil Yeats
- “Silenced Memories” by Lawren Snodgrass
- “Cellars and Sauerkraut” by Catherine A. MacKenzie
- “Ruins, Glass and the Opportunities They Present” by Polly J. Brown
- “The Whispers of Words” by Diane McGyver
- “The Ring” by Cheryl Lynn Davis
- “Bluebirds and Daisies” by Bronwen Piper
- “Forever Green” by Barbara-Jean Moxsom
- “Neighbours” by Liana Olive Quinn
- “Big Ramblin’ Mike” by Annemarie Hartnett
Get your copy at Amazon.
Quarter Castle Publishing 
I really enjoyed this book. All the stories were well written and very interesting. I often felt I was there on that terrible day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Darlene. It’s certainly a piece of history that has left its mark in Nova Scotia, both on the landscape and in families.
LikeLiked by 1 person