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; the rest were taken to the southernmost end of the Fairview Lawn Cemetery which at that time extended to Bayers Road. The area is now fenced off with a memorial stone surrounded by trees. A gate in the back of the property allows public access.
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 in the trees bordering the fence since I felt it more appropriate to place the cache outside the actual memorial grounds than on the premises. Take time to visit the marker stone and remember the unknown victims of a wartime tradgedy that happened in our midst.
To find other caches in the Halifax Explosion series, click here.