A history of Halifax's extraordinary role in the Second World War.

Halifax was surprised by the outbreak of war in August 1914 but within days the public mood had turned into a staggering display of unified support. Voluntary fund raising organisations sprang up and bore witness to an incredible self-help ethic that supported the troops at the front, their dependant families at home and the returning wounded. People came to fear the Zeppelins, were forced to retrieve their children from German naval guns in Scarborough and read with horror the stories of local lads gassed at the front. Residents of German descent found themselves in difficult situations, and Belgian refugees were offered sanctuary.Struggling local industry was revitalised by government orders for Khaki cloth, machine tools and munitions. Halifax can claim to have contributed many interesting technological items such as bomb release mechanisms, flame projectors and Tommy's iconic bowl shaped steel helmet. Women were increasingly employed in traditional male occupations. In 1917 the food crisis fermented tensions, but at the end of 1918 there was triumph of a sort.

In 1939, Halifax quickly became the country's centre of war activity when Canada declared war on Germany. With its vital naval base and its key role in getting supplies to Great Britain, the city was on a wartime footing for seven long years. Blackouts, enemy ships just offshore, and worries about raids and attacks were part of daily life. So were thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and merchant seamen who passed through on their way to or from Europe. Wartime Halifax is a visual history of this period. William Naftel has found a treasure trove of archival photos showing the bustling shipyards, construction, convoys and cadets, and neverseen-before images of parades, platoons and personnel. The photos show the dramatic impact of the war on city life -- long lineups at movie theatres, crammed dance halls, and crowded restaurants. Visuals and text convey a unique portrait of a wartime city -- not in far-off Europe but on Canada's east coast. This is a book for anyone with an interest in the history of the Canadians who participated in the Second World War. It is a companion to William Naftel's double award-winning book Halifax at Warpublished in fall 2008.

Describes the relationship between British party politics and the conduct of British foreign policy between 1933 and 1940.

Three distinguished authors tell the story of Halifax, from its beginnings as a British settlement to counter the French establishment at Louisbourg, to its present-day status as one of Canada's most appealing cities.

Anyone who grew up in the late 1940s and 50s will recognize themselves and their experiences in this story of a Halifax boyhood. Whether it’s the thrill of skating while holding someone’s hand for the first time, waiting for a Saturday matinee in the raucous din of a movie theatre full of kids, or exploring a building left temporarily unsupervised, Malcolm MacLeod brings back the sights, sounds, and feelings of the era. Photographs from the same period show a city replacing old ways with the new world of big cars, suburbs, and fast food. This is a book that captures the spirit of an optimistic age when the world was becoming a better place for everyone, every day. For anyone who knows Halifax, there are special pleasures here. There’s a boy’s-eye view of the construction of the Armdale Rotary, the thrills of climbing to the top of the Dingle Tower, and the excitement of jumping from ice pan to ice pan on the semi-frozen Northwest Arm.

Halifax has grown from a small garrison town to the bustling city it is today. This beautifully curated collection of over 200 key images shows the building of Halifax. Included are key public buildings and public spaces -- schools, universities, churches, parks, shopping centres -- along with street views and waterfront activitiy. Culled from many archival sources, the images document the city's rich heritage with the finest photographic images from every period.

This work by Dr. Thomas Akins presents an in-depth history of the city of Halifax through the late 19th century.

The Halifax Explosion of 1917 is a defining event in the Canadian consciousness, yet it has never been the subject of a sustained analytical history. Astonishingly, until now no one has consulted the large federal government archives that contain first-hand accounts of the disaster and the response of national authorities. Canada's recently established navy was at the epicentre of the crisis. Armstrong reveals the navy's compelling, and little-known, story by carefully retracing the events preceding the disaster and the role of the military in its aftermath. He catches the pulse of disaster response in official Ottawa and provides a compelling analysis of the legal manoeuvres, rhetoric, blunders, public controversy, and crisis management that ensued. His disturbing conclusion is that federal officials knew of potential dangers in the harbour before the explosion, took no corrective action, and kept the information from the public.