On December 6, 1917, the biggest man-made explosion prior to the atom bomb occurred in Halifax Harbour.
In 1917 Halifax was a booming port involved in the World War I effort. But on that December morning the Mont-Blanc, loaded with munitions bound for the war in France, collided with the Imo. The end result was an explosion that devastated the city. Buildings were flattened, more than a thousand people were dead by the end of the day, a thousand more would die before it was all over, and nine thousand people were left injured. For more information about the day and aftermath of the Halifax Explosion, click here.
Many bodies after the explosion were left unclaimed and unidentified. Those that were assumed to be Catholic because of religious artifacts found on the person were interred at Mount Olivet Cemetary, where eventually a memorial was placed.
This cache was hidden the week of the 88th anniversary of the explosion. I decided to help mark the anniversary I'd expand my pair of explosion related caches into a series, and this memorial is probably unknown to many people; I first learned of it from a newspaper article. The cache is hidden between the monument and the street. Take time to view the memorial and remember the unknown victims of a wartime tradgedy that happened in our midst.
If you enter the cemetary remember to be respectful and stay on the paths. This location has many old Halifax graves, and victims from the Titanic are interred here as well.
The area is rather exposed so beware of muggles when retrieving and rehiding the cache.
To find other caches in the Halifax Explosion series, click here.