At Country Air Radio, we love sharing the stories that make Atlantic Canada what it is — stories about real people, real families, real moments that shaped our region. And few moments changed Nova Scotia the way the Halifax Explosion did on December 6th, 1917.
This year marks 108 years since that tragic morning. For many, it’s history. But for families like mine — and many across our region — it’s still personal. It’s part of the memories handed down through generations.
A Sailor Approaches a City Forever Changed
My Great-Grandfather, Sidney D. Burrill, was a soldier and sailor in the First World War. In early December 1917, his ship was sitting in the harbour in Saint John, New Brunswick, waiting for another vessel from Massachusetts before they could finally sail.
When Sidney’s ship finally sailed around Nova Scotia and entered Halifax Harbour, he saw something no one should ever have to witness: a city flattened. Entire neighbourhoods gone. Smoke rising over a harbour that had always felt alive and bustling with activity.
In his journal, he wrote that he didn’t know whether his wife, Hattie StClair (Dixon) Burrill, or their infant daughter — my grandmother, Norma — were alive.
Imagine that moment.
Imagine seeing the devastation and wondering if the people you love most are somewhere beneath the rubble.
Fortunately, Hattie and baby Norma were safe — they happened to be visiting family in Massachusetts. A blessing of timing that saved their lives.
But Not Everyone in the Family Was Spared
Hattie’s uncle, Herbert Dixon, was one of the many Nova Scotians who braved terrible winter conditions to search the ruins for survivors after the explosion. It was dangerous, exhausting work.
He paid the ultimate price.
His death record shows he died of pneumonia brought on by exposure while helping in the ruins. And on that same page of records, you can see others — children and elders, aged six to eighty-six — who died in the days and weeks following the explosion. Many from shock. Many from injuries. All during what should have been the Christmas season.
For so many families across Nova Scotia, that December must have been heartbreak beyond words.
A Regional Memory, Carried in Many Homes
Here in Southwest Nova Scotia, and across the Valley, the South Shore, Digby, Yarmouth, and beyond, countless families have their own stories — small pieces of memory handed down about where their relatives were, who they lost, or how they helped during the tragedy.
These stories remind us that the Halifax Explosion wasn’t just a Halifax story.
It was a Nova Scotia story. An Atlantic Canada story. A family story.
Why We Still Remember
Even 108 years later, the Halifax Explosion speaks to the strength and heart of our people:
- Neighbours helping neighbours
- Families holding on to hope
- Communities rebuilding from nothing
- Ordinary people doing extraordinary things
And as we remember this day, we honour those who lived through it — like Sidney, Hattie, baby Norma, and Herbert — and the thousands of others whose lives were changed forever.
Keeping the Memory Alive
Here at Country Air Radio, we believe in celebrating our region’s stories — not just the joyful ones, but the ones that show our resilience, our courage, and the deep roots that tie us all together.
Remembering the Halifax Explosion isn’t just about looking back.
It’s about honouring the people who helped build the Nova Scotia we love today.
Their stories deserve to be told.
And we’re proud to help tell them.
Do You have a story to tell? About the Explosion? Or something else pertaining to Nova Scotia or Atlantic Canada? Historical, Community, Human Interest?
Contact Us. 902-907-0770
