Coldest December

The Coldest December: Big Ramblin’ Mike by Annemarie Hartnett

/ Diane / 5 Comments

One of the stories in The Coldest December short story collection was written by Annemarie Hartnett. Here is the biography that accompanied her submission.

First published in 2006, Annemarie Hartnett has written stories under various pseudonyms in just about every genre. Her young adult historical romance set during the Halifax Explosion can currently be read at Watttpad. A Mount Saint Vincent University graduate, she grew up in Halifax, where she still lives, and works in the non-profit sector.

Find more about her writing and what she’s working on next by visiting her website Annemarie Hartnett.

Continue reading →

Advertisement

Halifax Explosion Remembrance Book

/ Diane / Leave a comment

On December 6, 2019, the twin cities of Halifax and Dartmouth will mark a devastating event in their histories. On that morning in 1917, a cataclysmic event occurred, leaving large sections of the two cities in ruins. It would go down in history as the largest man-made explosion of its time and would remain there until the atomic bomb in 1945.

The SS Imo, a Norwegian vessel chartered to transport relief supplies overseas, struck the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship en route from New York to France. Loaded with wartime explosives, the Mont-Blanc caught fire. It raged out of control and ignited the cargo.

Continue reading →

Halifax Explosion: Recipe for Disaster

/ Diane / 2 Comments

The Halifax Explosion from a distance.

Disasters like the Halifax Explosion don’t just happen out of the blue for no reason. Many factors must fall into place to set the stage. For the cities of Halifax and Dartmouth, the perfect storm started three years earlier.

On August 4, 1914, Canada joined allied forces and went to war with the Central Powers in Europe (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey). The ice-free harbour of Halifax was strategically located, making it a vital link to the conflict overseas. It was the perfect staging area for trans-Atlantic convoys. Military personnel from across the country congregated in Halifax and Dartmouth. They either prepared for transport overseas or remained at military facilities to help with the war effort on this side of the Atlantic. Hospital ships arrived at the port bringing war-torn troops from Britain to home. Civilian men and women also came for many reasons, including to work as labourers.

The Coldest DecemberThe many military ships, merchant vessels and other types of watercraft created heavy traffic in Halifax Harbour. Add to this the types of cargo transported, such as fuel, ammunition and explosives, made it a recipe for disaster.

The Coldest December is a short story collection published in December 2017 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Explosion. Eleven Nova Scotia authors tell of the events through fictional stories. To learn more about the anthology, visit The Coldest December.