By Corey Sandler
We are back in Halifax, a handsome port that glows in the sun. Today we are in the cold rain of autumn. Just like its history: today Halifax is written in shades of gray.
In September 1943, during the dark days of World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill came across the Atlantic for a conference of the Allies in Quebec.
He then made a visit to Hyde Park, New York to see American President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
From there he came to Halifax.
Halifax was the most important gathering place on this side of the pond for the Atlantic convoys bringing food, supplies, and men to Britain and later to Russia.
Meeting the town mayor Churchill was said to have declared, “now, sir, we know your town is more than a shed on the pier.”
Despite the security risks, he insisted on taking his morning constitutional, something that is commemorated by an evocative statue in the Spring Garden area near Dalhousie University.
From Halifax, he was met by the cruiser Renown, which brought him home. News of Churchill’s visit was kept secret for a week until he was safely back in London.
THE OTHER SIDE, ANOTHER TIME
The island of Nova Scotia’s tangled history includes Le Grand Derangement, the Great Disruption.
That occurred when the British expelled thousands of French Catholics from the region known as Acadia. It was a sad story, with little in the way of defense for the events.
On a recent visit to Halifax we drove west to the shores of the Bay of Fundy, and there we found one of the Canadian government’s remembrances of the events at a place called Grand Pre.
Today it is a peaceful and lovely spot:
All photos and text Copyright 2018 by Corey Sandler, all rights reserved.
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