With regards to what went through Mr. Coleman's head, I can answer at least part of it. As a train dispatcher, especially during those days with no ability to track trains except through time sheets and the telegraph system, he'd have the schedule of every train memorized down to the very minute. At first, when the sailor told them of the impending disaster, Mr Coleman wouldn't have had much time to think. There would have been a massive shot of adrenaline run through his body as the fight or flight instinct kicks in and he naturally books it. But as your running, your brain starts to catch up. The part of his brain that keeps track of the train schedule and the time would have remembered the next train due. As to how he was able to make the choice to stop and turn around to his certain death is something I can't explain. I know I don't have the depth of character nor the moral courage to make such a sacrifice. It really hits me too, the fact that this wasn't a split second decision that ended his life in the next second. He would have had time to contemplate his own mortality in the minutes and seconds he had left. He would have known he was trading his life, potentially decades, for the lives of strangers. I'm not ashamed to admit I cried.
I was born in Halifax. My grandmother was a young woman when it happened. She always told us to have a "soft spot" and an attitude of gratefulness to the city of Boston. When she met and married my grandfather she said he was a huge fan and supporter of the Boston Bruins. Roughly half the population of Nova Scotia share his sentiment still to this day. So from one Halifax descendent of the disaster, I would like to say to Boston descendants who gave aid.....Thank you so much for your help during that time. Thanks.
I've been a tour guide in Halifax for more than 20 years. The explosion is a big part of my job. The blast works out to 2.9 kilotons. The anti-sub nets weren't lowered, they were opened. There were 'gate ships' (tugboats) that would pull back a portion of the net and open a gate. Benzol was used in the making of aircraft fuel. The people on the Dartmouth could here the crew of the Mont Blanc plainly enough, but there were speaking French. It wasn't until one sailor snatched a small child from its mothers arms and started running, which of course caused the crowd to chase him. @18:39 Yes, that's the Imo on the Dartmouth shore, post-blast. She was refloated and continued to sail until running aground in the Falkland Island in 1921. her wreck is still there. Fun Fact: The system we used to identify the dead was the same system we used to identify Titanic's dead. Thanks for your sincere interest, John.
Every time I hear that message from Vince Coleman... I get goosebumps and have to pause and stop whatever is going on in my head to come to terms with it. Such an act.
This is the second American reacts to the Halifax explosion I have seen, I was going to get seriously upset that Vince Coleman was not in this one either.. thank goodness I watched to the end ❤ he’s a huge part of our history.
First came the explosion, then 18 meter high (60 feet) tsunami caused by the explosion, then the town caught fire. The next day a blizzard dumping up to 40cm (15 inches) of snow and winds gusting up to 90km/hr (50mph) with windchill of -15C (5F), hit Halifax while rescuers were still frantically searching for survivors and dealing with the aftermath of the explosion.
I agree with you when you commented about Canada & the U.S. helping each other in times of need. The Halifax Explosion and 9/11 were 2 times. A 3rd time was in 1997 in North Dakota and Manitoba. Granted, it wasn't on the scale of the 1st 2 disasters mentioned, but it was bad enough. In the Spring of 1997 the Red River which starts in the U.S. and flows North into Manitoba flooded badly. Winnipeg, Manitoba has the Red River floodway which diverts excess water from damaging the city but Grand Forks, N.D. doesn't have (or at least it didn't have in 1997). Manitoba was flooding badly but North Dakota had it worse. At one point Grand Forks citizens were told to "get out of town". I remember watching a news channel from Grand Forks and they stopped all regularly scheduled programming to direct people to go elsewhere. For Americans who didn't have passports, or papers for their pets, they were by-passed and allowed to cross the border. Several hundred Americans came up to Manitoba. Some people met the Americans in a small town about 1/2 way between Winnipeg and Grand Forks. Manitoban's were phoning the U.S. TV station and giving their names and addresses and if they had cribs/high chairs. If people had small children they could go and stay with these Manitobans. We're neighbours. That's what we do.
During the Manhattan project, scientists studied the Halifax explosion. They calculated that the destruction was greater than it should have been. They figured out that the shock wave traveled to the harbour floor and reflected to increase the yield of the shockwave. This taught them to detonate the nuclear bomb in the air, increasing the damage.
Thank-you for reacting to this, especially with the level of respect that you did. The Halifax Explosion is a major event in Canadian history. It's one of those things that I don't remember learning about for the first time because it's so embedded in the Canadian psyche. There's actually a Heritage Minutes video about Vince Coleman. (Heritage minutes is a series of short videos about Canadian history that played during commercials. They were a regular part of growing up in Canada for years.) Side note, I think it's cool you're going to tell your daughter about the Boston Christmas tree.
Despite the name, Fascinating Horror is very tasteful and respectful in how he presents things. Also, if you ever get the chance, there is a Canadian Heritage Minute (basically one minute shorts about people/events/things in Canadian History) about Vince Coleman you should check out as well.
My great Grandmother worked at the Halifax Dockyard and was thrown from a two story bldg. She survived, but for almost two weeks, couldn’t be found. She was eventually found on the grounds of the Halifax Commons. She was in a make shift hospital, in army tents, in the middle of Winter. The day after the Explosion, there was a blizzard, and the frigid temperatures helped heal my great grandmothers infection. It is a miracle she survived, and her story along with so many other victims, is an amazing piece of our NS history and heritage.
Thanks for doing this. My grandmother used to tell us about this when we were kids. She and her sister were survivors of this event which made it more personal for us. She said they were lucky to survive, they were late for school and still in the house when it happened so they were protected from the onslaught, she was 9 years old at the time.
Thank you for covering this story. I did see that fascinating horror stories last year & was so blown away by the irrational behaviours of the ships involved but the last part you so notably remarked of the telegraph hero was impacting on me as well.
John, take a look at the rail disaster in Lac Mégantic, Quebec which occurred July 6 th 2013. . Firefighters from Farmington, Maine rushed over to assist in combating the enormous blaze. Our countries have certainly been there for each other at times of crisis.
You should look up the Spring Hill mine disaster that took place in Nova Scotia in 1958 where 75 coal miners died. Anne Murray a well known Canadian singer did a song about it called Spring Hill Mine Disaster. Another thing you should look up is a choir of Nova Scotia coal miners called Men of the Deeps. In order to be in the choir you have to have worked in the coal mines. It is very emotional to hear them perform the song about the Spring Hill Mine Disaster. I have seen this choir in concert twice, the first time on the worst day of my life, the day my mum died. During intermission when the choir were meeting the audience one of them noticed me fighting back tears and asked me what was wrong. I told him I was supposed to be there with my mum but she had passed away. The next thing I knew I was being hugged by the coal miner and many others from the choir came over and hugged me too. The second time I saw them I had been given tickets because I had wanted to thank them for their kindness to me when my mum had died. The day of the concert I was hit by a car, but I was given the ok to still go. The miners remembered me and the one to hug me first that night years earlier asked me how I was doing. My friend told him of my adventures earlier that day. The miner looked at me and told me “ I was a tough little girl” which made me laugh and he gave me another hug. They also dedicated a song to me that night.
Just as a reference to scale... the M.O.A.B is a conventional non-nuclear ordinance bomb, 9 meters in length or 30ft or 6 washing machines laid end to end... The SS MONT-BLANC was a conventional non-nuclear bomb the size of a 30 story building...
Firecrews from Maine came to assist battling the blaze in Lac Mégantic, Quebec on July 06th 2013 when the train derailment engulfed my small hometown into an inferno. For this I will forever be grateful.
I followed this year’s wild fires. We were with you guys. I hope we did enough. I know many nation’s firefighters came to help. Those stories give me hope.
I admire the level of respect you show our country. As a Canadian who grew up watching American ( WUTV Buffalo 29 ) television and learning American history this is really great.
25:49 You speak of the Christmas tree given to the people of Boston from the people of Halifax annually. I just read that this year's tree was cut down (with great ceremony) on November 16th at Christmas Island, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia! It's on its way to Boston now. The 81st Annual Tree-Lighting Ceremony at Boston Common will take place on Thursday, December 1st at 6:00-8:00 p.m. Merry Christmas, Boston, from a grateful City of Halifax!
Thank you Carol. I did a reaction about that very event. Here is the link of you haven’t seen it yet: Celebrating Nova Scotia’s Annual Christmas Tree - A Gift to Boston th-cam.com/video/JAJNCqvsucY/w-d-xo.html
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 How thoughtful of you to reply to my comment, and to provide me the link! Yes, I had actually seen that wonderful reaction video, which you posted the day after my comment to you. I'm glad to know that Sir David of Tor and so many others are showing such interest in your videos, and I hope that encourages you to keep them coming! I'm thoroughly enjoying them, too! I'm a couple of days late, but I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with those who are dear to you Cheers!
As a Nova Scotian, I greatly appreciate you reacting to this, and I'd like to also let you know that the christmas tree is hand picked every year, not just from from government property but some are donated from private property of citizens of nova scotia, and is one of our proudest traditions. We learn about this incident from a young age and there's even a TV commercial series called Heritage Minutes, one of which highlights Colemans efforts to save the train.
Thank you for this episode John. I live in Halifax and there are imprints of the Explosion all over the city. A friend of mine up the street from us lives in the same house his grandmother grew up in. When the Mt. Blanc exploded into shrapnel, a large chunk of iron crashed through the roof of his grandmother’s three-level home, carried on through the main floor, and came to rest in the basement. That chunk is on display in my friend’s house to this day. Coleman’s grave and the graves of firemen killed trying to put out the ship are not far away.
I have watched a number of videos by Fascinating Horror and have always found them to be well done and tasteful. I learned a little about Patrick Vince Coleman from Heritage Minutes, there is no telling how many lives he helped to save besides those on the train. Thank you, John!
Thank you Blane. This video had a lasting impact on me. Whenever any of my friends ask me about the channel and what of interest Ive learned, I always tell them the Halifax explosion.
I shouldn’t be watching this at 2 in the morning with earphones on. I live on an island in Northern Ontario, so basically in the bush, but as I’m watching this I hear two dogs barking,and then sirens…. I think something is going on here, but when I take my earphones out it all goes quiet. So I rewind,this a bit so I can listen to what I have missed of your story, only to hear the dogs barking again and the sirens.…… But on a more serious note…. You coverage of this was excellent, you always have such compassion. That Halifax Explosion was Canada’s worst disaster. What a heart wrenching time for the people of Halifax.
Ha, sorry for the dogs and sirens. Dogs usual sound in my yard, not the sirens. Don’t know what was going on. Thanks for watching and for your comment.
Halifax girl here. Thank you for doing this video. When i was growing up, we were taught a rhyme in school. Remember, remember the 6th of December. For many people here, the explosion still remains fresh in our minds. We can recall stories of family members who survived and those who died. My own Great Grandmother lived about 95km (60 miles) outside the city and when the ship blew, her windows shattered.
As a halifax resident, its hard to really understand how much was completely flattened until your there. I know it was for me. the harbour is at the bottom of a steep hill that the city sits on, and basically the entire side of the hill that the modern city sits was vaporized.
fascinating horror is i think the only channel of the type that i watch. he does a fantastic job of being very thoughtful and tasteful when putting together videos on some of the worst events in modern history. it's important to know about these things, and it's also important to approach the subjects properly and with the respect deserved.
Your reaction was genuine and heartfelt. Many went to their windows to see the fire and were blinded by glass when the explosion occurred. My great grand mother died that day and I first read about this horror when I looked up her obituary for my genealogy many years ago. The story was on the same page. It told of a child just sitting at her kitchen table but she had been decapitated by glass. The disaster was downplayed so as to not further destroy morale during the war. This was 5 years after many of the Titanic victims were brought to Halifax for burial. Relics retrieved at the time of the sinking are also in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. The good in people always rises to the surface in desperate time.
I knew that many were injured by broken glass because they had been watching the burning ship. I wonder how many people in Beirut suffered the same fate.
What an amazing part of Canadian history. Good often comes from bad. The birth of the CNIB and the evolution of the Red Cross were great outcomes of this tragic event. From adopting a dog to running 5 km for charity, the word hero can be thrown around quite casually nowadays. Vincent Coleman was a hero. Married father of 4 who saved hundreds of lives. Many folks who are alive today wouldn't be if it had not been for this man. Courageous and extremely honourable.
I grew up in one of them, hydros stone houses that at the time were bought For under 10,000 and now they’re worth 4 to 500,000 but it was so fun growing up in the houses. I still live in the north end of Halifax and up my street. There’s a little park that has a piece of one of the boats that landed a couple miles away People are just now understanding how beautiful Halifax is and we are still one of the deepest ports in the world. Thank you for doing this story and take care.
The Halifax explosion to this day still remains the largest accidental non-nuclear explosion to date. To put it into perspective, watch the Beirut explosion of 2020, it’s blast was estimated at around 4 terra joules of energy. Now imagine it at 3x that size, the Halifax explosion produced around 12 terra joules of energy.
Wow! You can see that from the pictures. I didn’t say it because I was processing what I was looking at but later I thought that it reminded me of the pictures of Nagasaki or Hiroshima.
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 another crazy fact not told in the video you saw was that the blast was so powerful, it momentarily exposed the harbour floor with the sheer amount of water it displaced and turned into a tsunami. Also, there are some places in and around halifax where you can visit and see where major pieces of the ship landed such as anchor pieces and parts of the gun battery the ship was equipped with.
When that warehouse in Beirut blew apart, a lot of speculation online immediately went to terrorism. A good number of people from Canada (in my feed, at least) looked at that cloud and said “Halifax.” Something about it just resonated.
Growing up in Ontario in the 50s, we had at school the book, Barometer Rising, Hugh Maclennan 1941, that told of the Halifax Explosion! It was embedded in a fictional romance , but nothing of the truth was left out! That event has been embedded in my mind, and revisited often in my 75 years! Thank you for your video! Peace and Love from Canada
What I love about doing this is since I did this reaction, I reacted to a Tragically Hip song, Courage for Hugh MacLennan, so people told me in the comments who he was and I read up about him so now I have a reference point for your comment. It all connects. Loving it.
My great grandfather was a jeweller working in Halifax that morning. He actually missed his train that morning that saved his life. Thanks for sharing. 🇨🇦🙂🇺🇸
I'm so glad I came across your video. It is the first of yours I have watched. I was a child of the late 1960's and grew up hearing about The Halifax Explosion from my grandmother, who was born in 1897 and was a young, engaged to my grandfather lady at work that morning in a building near the waterfront. I will share my story with you in hopes you'll learn a bit more about that day. She was decades ahead of her time in terms of being a working woman, but she was a Para-Legal (as I became) working with her back to the window when the explosion occurred. She would tell us how the stairs caught fire as she escaped only by sliding down the banisters with glass and other burning shrapnel in her back. Most or all of the buildings were made of wood, with oil or coal open stoves to heat. My grandfather, whom she was engaged to, was already working for the CNR (Canadian National Railway) and would later become the Head TimeKeeper until his retirement. She then survived the Spanish Flu. She was a trooper, and as I think about it, my mom, and her only sister, and our family wouldn't have been born had she not survived. I remember her telling me tales of making hot soup and housing as many as she could in the Allen Family home at the time. Interestingly, her daughter (my aunt) married an RCAF pilot who fought overseas all of Canada's Involvement in WW11 and I spent a lot of my life in Halifax, visiting my family who remained there. He would often tell me stories of finding German U-Boats in the Northwest Arm, and Halifax Harbour, and into the St. Lawrence Seaway. I was shown photos of the time taken by my grandfather, who loved cameras and photography and had his own dark-room at home. I remember the story of the Halifax explosion being told often, and in a matter of fact way. Winters there are brutal, and that snowfall the following day wasn't unusual, just unfortunate. I watched a good Documentary about The Halifax Explosion a few years back. I think it was CBC Docs. (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). If you're curious to learn more, there is more information out there. I've subscribed, and I must thank you for so intelligently and with empathy, learning about what is still the greatest tragedy in Canadian history.
Thanks so much for all this great and personal information. I’m loving seeing these stories of real people. I especially love the story of a strong working woman ahead of her time. I have a strong professional wife and four amazing daughters. I want the world to be an even playing field for them and we have always shined the light on the women of the past whose struggles made things better for the women of today.
As someone from just outside the Halifax area, I heard stories about the Halifax Explosion, I knew a few elderly people who were there and I often visited sites related to it and locals have always been thankful to the people of Boston for their help. Good to see others around the world learning about this tragic event.
My dads family lived in the area, luckily not close enough to suffer any immediate effects . They moved out of the area after ww2 looking for work. I have onlly been there once myself though I would love to return.
John, I watched this again in the first week of December of 2023. I can't thank you enough for covering this impactful story. My maternal grandfather was born in Yarmouth NS. I'm sure he would have remembered this story. He died in 1955, a year after I was born, so sadly I was never able to hear his stories...
Wow I even learn a lot from people who respond to this. It’s wonderful we don’t forget these stories! And again thank you for your videos! Love you!❤❤❤❤
I have been fascinated by this disaster for years. This was a big a loss of life as 9/11 was and it was just swept under the carpet to an extent. It wasn't talked about for long past the horrors of war and as a Canadian, I didn't learn about it in school. I can't imagine an American not knowing about Pearl Harbor or 9/11. I was in Halifax this summer. I have seen parts of the Mont Blanc in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. When you see steel parts weighing hundreds of pounds twisted like pretzels you wonder about the level of force and violence that did that. The largest non nuclear explosion in history.....it is amazing there wasn't twice as many dead. Vince Coleman has some part to play in that. I do know that this message was true Canadian grit......
I just watched that video on this tonight and was shocked by it. Wow. Will be reading a book about it next called The Great Halifax Explosion as soon as my library says it's available.
I've read a historical personal journal once from a person living in Caraquet new Brunswick (northern New Brunswick), AND on day of this explosion, people in Caraquet heard the explosion as described in this personal journal.
My grandparents lived close enough to have the aftershock blow out every window of their house. There are parts of ships that have been left in the spot they landed during the explosion as a memorial of the day and are still there today. There are houses in Halifax that have been remodeled to be very modern but have left uncovered the large parts of walls that were knocked down during the explosion, many have writings on them with the description of the explosion and history of that part of the building. It is quite interesting to see a beautiful modern home with an ugly, patchy clay like wall that looks like it is a hundred years old (because it is) The history of the explosion is all throughout Halifax and Dartmouth.
Thank you for watching. My grandmother was 7 years old at the time of the explosion and lived in the north end. I still live here to this day. She used to deliver milk to an older lady in a wheel chair. Those days they were in bottles. This day she dropped the bottle on the woman's knee and she screamed in pain. This scared my grandmother and she ran home to hide under the bed as she thought she was in big trouble. Thats when the explosion happened. Her hiding under the bed saved her life and why I'm here today.
Thank you for covering this story. My great grandmother was a survivor of the Halifax Explosion. She had to evacuate her office by the waterfront. Luckily her families home was still standing after but I remember her telling us that they had to put their mattresses up against the windows to keep the snow out and sleep on the floor.
Thank you so much for reacting to this and for the respect you gave it. My great great grandmother Mary Alice Corkum was one of the many who were killed because of the explosion. She died in her home due to a fire. I've heard the story of the Explosion and that of Vince Coleman numerous times and I still get emotional and choked up.
Out of all the reactions I’ve done so far, I’ve thought about this one the most. I knew it happened but had no idea the magnitude. Thanks for telling me about your ancestor Mary Alice Corkum. It’s good to put names to the people that died there. It’s more humanizing.
Thanks so much for the comment. This was truly an impactful story. I’m so glad I learned about it and was able to give it the attention it deserved rather than being a footnote to a larger Great War study.
Thank you for your emotions. You should watch Heritage Minutes. There was also a dramatization of this that was on CBC. Also Boston had a deadly explosion and Halifax was the first city to help Boston.
This is why I contribute to CNIB, monthly, Canadian Institute for the Blind, and sponser seeing eye dogs. I knew about this event, vaguely, your video inspired me to make an ongoing monthly contribution to CNIB. Thank you CNIB started because of this event
Thank you John. Your emotions mirror my own. I first learned of this tragedy in grade school, including Patrick Vince Colmans selfless act. Ever wonder if the people on the train he saved, and others, descendants perhaps, have made an incredible Mark as well?
Thank you for reviewing this story. It was and is incredibly impactful. I was fortunate to live in Nova Scotia as a young teen, late 1969 & 1970. There are still structures in place that were damaged in the blast or shockwave. It's truly a disaster, and yet a testament to the fortitude, resilience and strength of the people to come out the other side and still find joy in life. The sacrifice made by that young train station operator will never be forgotten. The christmas tree that is given to Boston each year is a deeply felt and generational gratitude for their help in Nova Scotia's darkest moments. Bless you, your family and your people.
Hi Jack, My oldest daughter lives in Boston where she goes to University. Last Christmas I went with her to see the Nova Scotia tree in Boston Common. It was beautiful and had plaques showing pictures and describing the explosion and that the tree is an annual gift of friendship and appreciation from Nova Scotia. I did a vlog about it in case you’re interested. th-cam.com/video/GFXy0cMJYjg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=VFtfU1LsKzo4o29g
My great grandfathers brother had just returned home from the war and was in Halifax waiting to return to his home country of Newfoundland (we weren't part of Canada yet back then) He was thrown quite a distance by the explosion, but survived it. He lived to almost 100 years old and always wore sunglasses, even indoors because of damage done to his eyes from glass from the explosion. Thanks for sharing this video! And hello, from Newfoundland! Now a part of Canada (Technically... :p)
😊. You’re making me blush. I’m just so glad people are talking. It’s why I’m doing this. And I’m blown away by all the amazing people I have had the privilege of interacting with here.
My grandfather was in school when it happened, his sister had a scar, on her face,from flying glass. It is also the reason the CBIB,Canadian National Institute for the Blind was formed...
My, my, my. You are a remarkable and rare blend of equal parts mind and heart. I truly appreciate how you are able to display each with such passion... With regard to Vince Colman, perhaps he ran back because he probably realized that he would die anyway down on the harbour, so he should spend his final minutes in service to others. Pier 6 in Halifax is Canada's major port and it's very likely where my father's parents first docked; one from Poland and one from Ukraine. I have often thought about visiting the Maritime museum there.
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 I don't know if you've done a video yet of people from the Titanic who are buried in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Something to consider...
I'm from Halifax, i remember meeting a lady by the moniker Ashpan Annie as she was referred to, she was a baby at the time and she was found in the ashpan of the kitchen stove , she relatively unharmed but carried black marks in her skin from the stove The original Camp Hill Hospital for veterans was new , and not openned, but was pressed into service, and now torn down, so many stories.
As a Nova Scotian, Thank you for covering this and bringing more attention to this senseless tragedy. the H.E was used as a Reference for the Nuclear bomb tests during Trinity Testing. Where I grew up, I was less than half a mile from where a 1184lbs part of Mont Blancs Anchor landed 2 1/2 miles inland.
I was born and raised in Dartmouth. My father was in the CDN Navy and my siblings and I were all raised on the base in Dartmouth. This piece of history is very important yet it is glossed over in our education system everywhere except N.S. As school kids we are all taken to the citadel and shown / taught the devastion that happened that day. I remember stories from my parents friends parents ( honorary grandparents) about this and how horrifying it truly was. I was so disgusted when my own children ( raised on the other side of Canada in B. C.) Were litterly given a half page blurp in their history books regarding this. I marched down to their school and told their principle to get better books because it deserved more than half a page. My father proceeded to tell my kids about the disaster so they could appreciate the sacrifice that members of their family had made and why it was so important to know more than the date and the why. History should be never forgotten or glossed over. To forget is to make the same mistake. Lord help us all .
Denise, not all of us grew up not knowing about the Halifax Explosion. I learned about it in school (Quebec) and my father told me the whole story at home at that time. Including that hero, Vince Coleman, whom I have never forgotten. On one of my trips to Nova Scotia (down home) I promised my father I would visit Pier 6 and the MMOA, which I did. When I came back to Montreal, I gave him some things which I had bought at the museum. It became a great bond between us. I know there are many like me who are aware of this tragedy. I often wonder what happened to his family.
Interesting fact. There is a ship called the CSS (Canadian Surveying Ship) Acadia that is at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. She was serving as a guard ship on the day of the explosion and although only 1 mile from the blast site, she sustained very little damage. They only had to do a bit of repainting but otherwise she was fine. As for her crew, I believe they were all inside her when the explosion happened
Born and raised in New Brunswick ,I encourage you to visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, you will not be disappointed. This museum also has relics from the Titanic, as many who perished were brought to Halifax harbour. The Titanic graveyard and memorial in Halifax will bring tears to your eyes. There are always lessons to be learned from the tragedies of the past.🇨🇦🍁🇨🇦🍁💔
I read an amazing book about the disaster. It was written mainly about one family, which was almost totally wiped out. There were over 25 people dead from this one family. From grandparents at home to kids in school who ran down to harbour to see the burning ship.
The annual Christmas tree to thank Boston is a Christmas tradition for Nova Scotians. Residents are proud to have the special tree chosen from their private property. There is a small ceremony to celebrate the beginning of the tree’s voyage to Boston on a flat bed truck. We are fortunate to have neighbours who continue to come to our aid in times of need and natural disasters.
I drive past a piece of one of the cannons that was launched very far from that explosion almost everyday on Albro Lake Road in Dartmouth! Thanks for the video! Cheers from Ochterloney street in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia :)
Hello, I live in Dartmouth thanks for reviewing this tragedy, at the end of my street lies the cannon from the Mont Blanc , it has now been transformed into a yearly memorial.
my 2nd great grandfather after immigrating to Halifax from Abruzzo at age 13 and worked as a train engineer after learning English from my 2nd great grandmother ; based on employee records I found he was placed on leave / removed from his position a week or so before the explosion due to an accident in downtown Halifax where his train poured excessive amounts of smoke in a heavily populated area. Given my great grandfathers date of birth its evident I probably wouldn't exist had it not been for that simple workplace incident.
I just recently discovered your channel and am glad I did! As a proud Canadian your respect to our culture and people is heart-warming…we are all brothers and sisters together…and the Halifax explosion is a piece of this history. Well done!!!🇨🇦🇨🇦
Hello John I live in Alberta Canada. In WWI Canada was only fifty years old. There were roughly eight million people living here. The Halifax Explosion was only one of the many challenges our new Dominion faced. Just prior to WWI Canada was in a railway building boom. There were three transcontinental railways that had been or were nearing completion. When the war broke out Canada along with its Commonwealth cousins in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa were at war supporting Great Britain. There was no choice. Our first Division was trained and shipped to Europe in late 1914 and early 1915. The 1st Canadian Division entered the trench's in the spring of 1915. They were quickly joined in battle at Ypres, Belgium in the first poison gas attack. ( Ever hear the poem in Flanders Fields it was written during this battle by a Canadian doctor) The 1st Divisions legend was cemented in this battle. At a memorial at Frezenberg one of the plaques reads on May 8th 1915 the originals of the Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry lead by their founder Major Hamilton Gault held firm and counted not the cost. With the 1st Canadian Division were shipped to Europe the were joined with a Railway battalion. The soldiers came from the railway building boom before the war. These young men of the railway battalions would become incredibly important to the success of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. The Railway Battalions little known efforts helped bring about the Armistice during the last 100 days of WWI. Have a look at CEF Canadian Corps during 1917 to the end of the war. The Corps never lost a battle. A good read would be about Sir Arthur Currie. Your coverage of the Halifax Explosion is very well done and put's some light on the roots of two cities wonderful Christmas relationship. Lest we forget.
Thanks for all this great information. I have read the poem In Flanders Fields and I know that this is how the poppy became a symbol of remembrance. I plan on doing something for Remembrance Day very soon.
Hi John I want to say thank you for ur videos. God bless u. I grow up in Halifax/Dartmouth from 1975 to 1981 as a child. I visited that museum a lot. It’s a great place to visit. U should take a vacation to Atlantic Canada and visit all the Atlantic provinces. U would love it there. Love from Canada 🇨🇦
Thank you for doing this. I grew up and learned about the explosion when I was in school here in Canada, but my greater knowledge would come from my late Mother in Law who's family had the greatest loss of life. 66 members of the Jackson family were alive and well in the city of Halifax that morning, when the explosion took place 46 of them were dead. My Mother in Law's own mother was alive simply because she missed the bus to go to her mothers home. Vince Coleman the person you learned about and spoke of his widow went on to marry my Mother in Law's Great Uncle. My daughter and her fathers family take a moment every year on Dec. 6th to pause and remember the family members who lost their lives that day.
I gotta say I love your reactions, you're so genuine. I have seen a few of your videos now and I truly enjoy how you structure them and react. Also I agree with the other commentators you should try watching Canadian Heritage Moments, they give a great insight into a lot of our countries history. I'm now subscribed and look forward to your future videos, keep it up!
John @10:29 you asked if that was a picture of the fire. No that was a picture taken miles away from Halifax Harbour from another ship at sea. That is the picture of the fireball/explosion cloud after the blast occurred. It is referenced in many books of the explosion.
Your comments and feelings resurrect my upbringing of Americans of time gone by. There are still people in your country that still have a strong belief in humanity even with all the hate around the world today. Keep finding out and relaying to us all of heroism and knowledge.
In 2019 We for the 3rd time from Toronto set out for Quebec for a 2 week unplanned hoiday ...with a twist I never told her I was only stopping for food And gas Or told her we loaded the tent Just the cooler And some other items .........we were set for the east coast..Halifax being on the most important part for me Grandfather was one of 1 million men that got on a Liberty ship that was bound for England I wanted to walk the same path And I did cry with a smile Standing on the exact spot of him at 20 years old standing in uniform at the entrance of a tunnel that go's under the railroad towards the shipping docks And pier pictured 1943 with his hat tilted sideways What i did not expect was to learn of the explosion Or touch a fragment of the ship that was pulled out of a tree in 1985 that broke the teeth of a chainsaw Having a beer at a pub a old man told me about the explosion His father come to Halifax from Cape Breton for work on the rail system after the explosion And bought some of the land Which had the trees ..The story explained ...He left quietly And 10 mins later showed up at the bar again with the metal the size a bit bigger than a fist And said Alot of people talk But some can back it up There is the chain marks This metal was logged in the tree Me and my father cut down This tree is 2.1kms/1.3 miles from the explosion
Great video. I hope you get into watching some of the Canadian Heritage Minutes/Moments that are out there. It's a series of one minute re-enactment clips detailing various events and people in Canadian history. The Halifax explosion is one of them
As someone who grew up in Dartmouth, there is a monument in the location where the Cannon had flew 5km, I grew up 200m from its location. I learned about the explosion at a very early age. You can still see the damage it caused on heritage properties. To all who survived it was horrendous living conditions.
As this is a condensed telling of the tale some interesting details are not included though their absence doesn't alter the chain of events. The devastating tsunami caused by the explosion is a major event that is included in the documentary but the its "trigger" is not, which is that the explosion moved so much water that the floor of the basin was momentarily visible and when the water rushed back in, the collision of the walls of water created the tsunami. Again, not a necessary detail of the story but it is further reinforcement of the power of the blast.
Im from there live there . My grandmother was 7yrs old .Her father rode a horse n buggy and picked up the dead. The lived in the south end and had minor damage all the glass mostly. Nova scotians are hard core people.✊
My father's uncle was Captain Horatio Brannen who was Captain of the Stella Maris was attempting to tow the Mont Blanc away from the pier. The explosion occurred and severly damaged the Stella Maris 19 men were killed including my father's uncle. His son Walter Brannen was standing beside him and survived the explosion along with four other crew. He was only 45 and the father of seven children. Walter was 21 years old at the time.
Watch the documentary "As If They Were Angels" about the grounding of the S.S. Pollux and the S.S. Truxton during WWII in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. The town's people of Lawn and St. Lawrence worked, during horrible icy weather to rescue, house and heal the sailors from those two ships. The documentary records the reunion between the rescued and rescuers.
Thank you for watching this. I have family in Halifax. It would be awesome if you could react to some of our Canadian songs. Maple Leaf Forever and Land of the silver birch would be good ones. I imagine you get a lot of requests so I understand if you don't. Anyway, amazing reactions and all the love from Ontario.
I do get a lot of requests and a lot of comments. I try my best to read them and reply or at least love them because if you take the time to watch and comment, I want to take the time to reply. Your suggestions are for sure on my ever increasing list. Peace from NY.
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With regards to what went through Mr. Coleman's head, I can answer at least part of it. As a train dispatcher, especially during those days with no ability to track trains except through time sheets and the telegraph system, he'd have the schedule of every train memorized down to the very minute. At first, when the sailor told them of the impending disaster, Mr Coleman wouldn't have had much time to think. There would have been a massive shot of adrenaline run through his body as the fight or flight instinct kicks in and he naturally books it. But as your running, your brain starts to catch up. The part of his brain that keeps track of the train schedule and the time would have remembered the next train due.
As to how he was able to make the choice to stop and turn around to his certain death is something I can't explain. I know I don't have the depth of character nor the moral courage to make such a sacrifice.
It really hits me too, the fact that this wasn't a split second decision that ended his life in the next second. He would have had time to contemplate his own mortality in the minutes and seconds he had left. He would have known he was trading his life, potentially decades, for the lives of strangers.
I'm not ashamed to admit I cried.
I was born in Halifax. My grandmother was a young woman when it happened. She always told us to have a "soft spot" and an attitude of gratefulness to the city of Boston. When she met and married my grandfather she said he was a huge fan and supporter of the Boston Bruins. Roughly half the population of Nova Scotia share his sentiment still to this day. So from one Halifax descendent of the disaster, I would like to say to Boston descendants who gave aid.....Thank you so much for your help during that time. Thanks.
My husband, who grew up in Nova Scotia, also had ancestors that perished that day. Horrific!
Thank you, Boston... 🇨🇦🇺🇲
I've been a tour guide in Halifax for more than 20 years. The explosion is a big part of my job.
The blast works out to 2.9 kilotons.
The anti-sub nets weren't lowered, they were opened. There were 'gate ships' (tugboats) that would pull back a portion of the net and open a gate.
Benzol was used in the making of aircraft fuel.
The people on the Dartmouth could here the crew of the Mont Blanc plainly enough, but there were speaking French. It wasn't until one sailor snatched a small child from its mothers arms and started running, which of course caused the crowd to chase him.
@18:39 Yes, that's the Imo on the Dartmouth shore, post-blast. She was refloated and continued to sail until running aground in the Falkland Island in 1921. her wreck is still there.
Fun Fact: The system we used to identify the dead was the same system we used to identify Titanic's dead.
Thanks for your sincere interest, John.
I’ve been on a tour of Halifax. The guide gave very effective description of the explosion. Very sobering!
@@grahamkemble3917
Heh, I may have been your guide.
Every time I hear that message from Vince Coleman... I get goosebumps and have to pause and stop whatever is going on in my head to come to terms with it.
Such an act.
This is the second American reacts to the Halifax explosion I have seen, I was going to get seriously upset that Vince Coleman was not in this one either.. thank goodness I watched to the end ❤ he’s a huge part of our history.
Thank you for treating this horrific event in our Nova Scotia history with such respect.
First came the explosion, then 18 meter high (60 feet) tsunami caused by the explosion, then the town caught fire. The next day a blizzard dumping up to 40cm (15 inches) of snow and winds gusting up to 90km/hr (50mph) with windchill of -15C (5F), hit Halifax while rescuers were still frantically searching for survivors and dealing with the aftermath of the explosion.
I agree with you when you commented about Canada & the U.S. helping each other in times of need. The Halifax Explosion and 9/11 were 2 times. A 3rd time was in 1997 in North Dakota and Manitoba. Granted, it wasn't on the scale of the 1st 2 disasters mentioned, but it was bad enough. In the Spring of 1997 the Red River which starts in the U.S. and flows North into Manitoba flooded badly. Winnipeg, Manitoba has the Red River floodway which diverts excess water from damaging the city but Grand Forks, N.D. doesn't have (or at least it didn't have in 1997). Manitoba was flooding badly but North Dakota had it worse. At one point Grand Forks citizens were told to "get out of town". I remember watching a news channel from Grand Forks and they stopped all regularly scheduled programming to direct people to go elsewhere. For Americans who didn't have passports, or papers for their pets, they were by-passed and allowed to cross the border. Several hundred Americans came up to Manitoba. Some people met the Americans in a small town about 1/2 way between Winnipeg and Grand Forks. Manitoban's were phoning the U.S. TV station and giving their names and addresses and if they had cribs/high chairs. If people had small children they could go and stay with these Manitobans. We're neighbours. That's what we do.
Great sorry about Manitoba. Love it. Thanks so much for letting me know.
During the Manhattan project, scientists studied the Halifax explosion. They calculated that the destruction was greater than it should have been.
They figured out that the shock wave traveled to the harbour floor and reflected to increase the yield of the shockwave. This taught them to detonate the nuclear bomb in the air, increasing the damage.
Thank-you for reacting to this, especially with the level of respect that you did. The Halifax Explosion is a major event in Canadian history. It's one of those things that I don't remember learning about for the first time because it's so embedded in the Canadian psyche. There's actually a Heritage Minutes video about Vince Coleman. (Heritage minutes is a series of short videos about Canadian history that played during commercials. They were a regular part of growing up in Canada for years.)
Side note, I think it's cool you're going to tell your daughter about the Boston Christmas tree.
Thanks so much for this thoughtful comment. I’ll have to check out the Heritage Minutes. It’s such a powerful story.
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 th-cam.com/video/rw-FbwmzPKo/w-d-xo.html
Despite the name, Fascinating Horror is very tasteful and respectful in how he presents things. Also, if you ever get the chance, there is a Canadian Heritage Minute (basically one minute shorts about people/events/things in Canadian History) about Vince Coleman you should check out as well.
My great Grandmother worked at the Halifax Dockyard and was thrown from a two story bldg.
She survived, but for almost two weeks, couldn’t be found.
She was eventually found on the grounds of the Halifax Commons.
She was in a make shift hospital, in army tents, in the middle of Winter.
The day after the Explosion, there was a blizzard, and the frigid temperatures helped heal my great grandmothers infection.
It is a miracle she survived, and her story along with so many other victims, is an amazing piece of our NS history and heritage.
Wow! Thanks for sharing this personal story. It brings it home for me and all those who read the comments. Much appreciated. Peace.
Thanks for doing this. My grandmother used to tell us about this when we were kids. She and her sister were survivors of this event which made it more personal for us. She said they were lucky to survive, they were late for school and still in the house when it happened so they were protected from the onslaught, she was 9 years old at the time.
Thanks for sharing this account from your family.
Thank you for covering this story.
I did see that fascinating horror stories last year & was so blown away by the irrational behaviours of the ships involved but the last part you so notably remarked of the telegraph hero was impacting on me as well.
From Halifax thanks for sharing
John, take a look at the rail disaster in Lac Mégantic, Quebec which occurred July 6 th 2013. . Firefighters from Farmington, Maine rushed over to assist in combating the enormous blaze. Our countries have certainly been there for each other at times of crisis.
You should look up the Spring Hill mine disaster that took place in Nova Scotia in 1958 where 75 coal miners died. Anne Murray a well known Canadian singer did a song about it called Spring Hill Mine Disaster. Another thing you should look up is a choir of Nova Scotia coal miners called Men of the Deeps. In order to be in the choir you have to have worked in the coal mines. It is very emotional to hear them perform the song about the Spring Hill Mine Disaster. I have seen this choir in concert twice, the first time on the worst day of my life, the day my mum died. During intermission when the choir were meeting the audience one of them noticed me fighting back tears and asked me what was wrong. I told him I was supposed to be there with my mum but she had passed away. The next thing I knew I was being hugged by the coal miner and many others from the choir came over and hugged me too. The second time I saw them I had been given tickets because I had wanted to thank them for their kindness to me when my mum had died. The day of the concert I was hit by a car, but I was given the ok to still go. The miners remembered me and the one to hug me first that night years earlier asked me how I was doing. My friend told him of my adventures earlier that day. The miner looked at me and told me “ I was a tough little girl” which made me laugh and he gave me another hug. They also dedicated a song to me that night.
Wow. That’s intriguing and heartbreaking. We had a lot of coal mine disasters here too. I’ll check it out. Thanks my friend.
Just as a reference to scale... the M.O.A.B is a conventional non-nuclear ordinance bomb, 9 meters in length or 30ft or 6 washing machines laid end to end... The SS MONT-BLANC was a conventional non-nuclear bomb the size of a 30 story building...
Vince Coleman, he has his own heritage minute shown on TV,
Firecrews from Maine came to assist battling the blaze in Lac Mégantic, Quebec on July 06th 2013 when the train derailment engulfed my small hometown into an inferno. For this I will forever be grateful.
I followed this year’s wild fires. We were with you guys. I hope we did enough. I know many nation’s firefighters came to help. Those stories give me hope.
I admire the level of respect you show our country. As a Canadian who grew up watching American ( WUTV Buffalo 29 ) television and learning American history this is really great.
Much appreciated my friend
25:49 You speak of the Christmas tree given to the people of Boston from the people of Halifax annually. I just read that this year's tree was cut down (with great ceremony) on November 16th at Christmas Island, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia! It's on its way to Boston now. The 81st Annual Tree-Lighting Ceremony at Boston Common will take place on Thursday, December 1st at 6:00-8:00 p.m. Merry Christmas, Boston, from a grateful City of Halifax!
Thank you Carol. I did a reaction about that very event. Here is the link of you haven’t seen it yet: Celebrating Nova Scotia’s Annual Christmas Tree - A Gift to Boston
th-cam.com/video/JAJNCqvsucY/w-d-xo.html
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 How thoughtful of you to reply to my comment, and to provide me the link! Yes, I had actually seen that wonderful reaction video, which you posted the day after my comment to you. I'm glad to know that Sir David of Tor and so many others are showing such interest in your videos, and I hope that encourages you to keep them coming! I'm thoroughly enjoying them, too! I'm a couple of days late, but I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with those who are dear to you
Cheers!
As a Nova Scotian, I greatly appreciate you reacting to this, and I'd like to also let you know that the christmas tree is hand picked every year, not just from from government property but some are donated from private property of citizens of nova scotia, and is one of our proudest traditions. We learn about this incident from a young age and there's even a TV commercial series called Heritage Minutes, one of which highlights Colemans efforts to save the train.
Here is the link to that commercial here on youtube: th-cam.com/video/rw-FbwmzPKo/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for this. It’s great
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 not a problem, love the content, keep up the good work John
Thank you for this episode John. I live in Halifax and there are imprints of the Explosion all over the city. A friend of mine up the street from us lives in the same house his grandmother grew up in. When the Mt. Blanc exploded into shrapnel, a large chunk of iron crashed through the roof of his grandmother’s three-level home, carried on through the main floor, and came to rest in the basement. That chunk is on display in my friend’s house to this day. Coleman’s grave and the graves of firemen killed trying to put out the ship are not far away.
I have watched a number of videos by Fascinating Horror and have always found them to be well done and tasteful. I learned a little about Patrick Vince Coleman from Heritage Minutes, there is no telling how many lives he helped to save besides those on the train. Thank you, John!
Thank you Blane. This video had a lasting impact on me. Whenever any of my friends ask me about the channel and what of interest Ive learned, I always tell them the Halifax explosion.
I shouldn’t be watching this at 2 in the morning with earphones on. I live on an island in Northern Ontario, so basically in the bush, but as I’m watching this I hear two dogs barking,and then sirens…. I think something is going on here, but when I take my earphones out it all goes quiet. So I rewind,this a bit so I can listen to what I have missed of your story, only to hear the dogs barking again and the sirens.……
But on a more serious note…. You coverage of this was excellent, you always have such compassion. That Halifax Explosion was Canada’s worst disaster. What a heart wrenching time for the people of Halifax.
Ha, sorry for the dogs and sirens. Dogs usual sound in my yard, not the sirens. Don’t know what was going on. Thanks for watching and for your comment.
Halifax girl here. Thank you for doing this video. When i was growing up, we were taught a rhyme in school. Remember, remember the 6th of December. For many people here, the explosion still remains fresh in our minds. We can recall stories of family members who survived and those who died. My own Great Grandmother lived about 95km (60 miles) outside the city and when the ship blew, her windows shattered.
The ferry that transports people across the harbour is called “ the Vincent Coleman “
As a halifax resident, its hard to really understand how much was completely flattened until your there. I know it was for me. the harbour is at the bottom of a steep hill that the city sits on, and basically the entire side of the hill that the modern city sits was vaporized.
fascinating horror is i think the only channel of the type that i watch. he does a fantastic job of being very thoughtful and tasteful when putting together videos on some of the worst events in modern history. it's important to know about these things, and it's also important to approach the subjects properly and with the respect deserved.
i typed that before i saw our hosts comment just as i noticed what video was being reacted to. respect to john f. as well.
for context, i've watched dozens and dozens of FH's videos.
Unbelievable courage! What a HERO!
Your reaction was genuine and heartfelt. Many went to their windows to see the fire and were blinded by glass when the explosion occurred. My great grand mother died that day and I first read about this horror when I looked up her obituary for my genealogy many years ago. The story was on the same page. It told of a child just sitting at her kitchen table but she had been decapitated by glass. The disaster was downplayed so as to not further destroy morale during the war. This was 5 years after many of the Titanic victims were brought to Halifax for burial. Relics retrieved at the time of the sinking are also in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.
The good in people always rises to the surface in desperate time.
I got to go to Halifax a number of years ago, and it really struck me how you could still see the impact on the city almost a century later.
Wow, thanks for this comment. It’s a powerful story and I understand why it is so important to remember.
I knew that many were injured by broken glass because they had been watching the burning ship.
I wonder how many people in Beirut suffered the same fate.
What an amazing part of Canadian history. Good often comes from bad. The birth of the CNIB and the evolution of the Red Cross were great outcomes of this tragic event. From adopting a dog to running 5 km for charity, the word hero can be thrown around quite casually nowadays. Vincent Coleman was a hero. Married father of 4 who saved hundreds of lives. Many folks who are alive today wouldn't be if it had not been for this man. Courageous and extremely honourable.
Thanks for this reaction, and, may I say... tastefully done.
I grew up in one of them, hydros stone houses that at the time were bought For under 10,000 and now they’re worth 4 to 500,000 but it was so fun growing up in the houses. I still live in the north end of Halifax and up my street. There’s a little park that has a piece of one of the boats that landed a couple miles away People are just now understanding how beautiful Halifax is and we are still one of the deepest ports in the world. Thank you for doing this story and take care.
Halifax is still high on my list visit list. Thanks for the comment.
The Halifax explosion to this day still remains the largest accidental non-nuclear explosion to date. To put it into perspective, watch the Beirut explosion of 2020, it’s blast was estimated at around 4 terra joules of energy. Now imagine it at 3x that size, the Halifax explosion produced around 12 terra joules of energy.
Wow! You can see that from the pictures. I didn’t say it because I was processing what I was looking at but later I thought that it reminded me of the pictures of Nagasaki or Hiroshima.
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 another crazy fact not told in the video you saw was that the blast was so powerful, it momentarily exposed the harbour floor with the sheer amount of water it displaced and turned into a tsunami. Also, there are some places in and around halifax where you can visit and see where major pieces of the ship landed such as anchor pieces and parts of the gun battery the ship was equipped with.
When that warehouse in Beirut blew apart, a lot of speculation online immediately went to terrorism. A good number of people from Canada (in my feed, at least) looked at that cloud and said “Halifax.” Something about it just resonated.
@seaking2290 my buddies grandfather was saying that and they're from nova Scotia originally. First words out if his mouth were Halifax the second.
Growing up in Ontario in the 50s, we had at school the book, Barometer Rising, Hugh Maclennan 1941, that told of the Halifax Explosion! It was embedded in a fictional romance , but nothing of the truth was left out! That event has been embedded in my mind, and revisited often in my 75 years! Thank you for your video! Peace and Love from Canada
What I love about doing this is since I did this reaction, I reacted to a Tragically Hip song, Courage for Hugh MacLennan, so people told me in the comments who he was and I read up about him so now I have a reference point for your comment. It all connects. Loving it.
My great grandfather was a jeweller working in Halifax that morning. He actually missed his train that morning that saved his life. Thanks for sharing. 🇨🇦🙂🇺🇸
Thank you very much for your amazing respect for Canada. ❤ from Victoria, BC 🇨🇦🇨🇦
I'm so glad I came across your video. It is the first of yours I have watched. I was a child of the late 1960's and grew up hearing about The Halifax Explosion from my grandmother, who was born in 1897 and was a young, engaged to my grandfather lady at work that morning in a building near the waterfront. I will share my story with you in hopes you'll learn a bit more about that day. She was decades ahead of her time in terms of being a working woman, but she was a Para-Legal (as I became) working with her back to the window when the explosion occurred. She would tell us how the stairs caught fire as she escaped only by sliding down the banisters with glass and other burning shrapnel in her back. Most or all of the buildings were made of wood, with oil or coal open stoves to heat. My grandfather, whom she was engaged to, was already working for the CNR (Canadian National Railway) and would later become the Head TimeKeeper until his retirement. She then survived the Spanish Flu. She was a trooper, and as I think about it, my mom, and her only sister, and our family wouldn't have been born had she not survived. I remember her telling me tales of making hot soup and housing as many as she could in the Allen Family home at the time. Interestingly, her daughter (my aunt) married an RCAF pilot who fought overseas all of Canada's Involvement in WW11 and I spent a lot of my life in Halifax, visiting my family who remained there. He would often tell me stories of finding German U-Boats in the Northwest Arm, and Halifax Harbour, and into the St. Lawrence Seaway. I was shown photos of the time taken by my grandfather, who loved cameras and photography and had his own dark-room at home. I remember the story of the Halifax explosion being told often, and in a matter of fact way. Winters there are brutal, and that snowfall the following day wasn't unusual, just unfortunate. I watched a good Documentary about The Halifax Explosion a few years back. I think it was CBC Docs. (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). If you're curious to learn more, there is more information out there. I've subscribed, and I must thank you for so intelligently and with empathy, learning about what is still the greatest tragedy in Canadian history.
Thanks so much for all this great and personal information. I’m loving seeing these stories of real people. I especially love the story of a strong working woman ahead of her time. I have a strong professional wife and four amazing daughters. I want the world to be an even playing field for them and we have always shined the light on the women of the past whose struggles made things better for the women of today.
As someone from just outside the Halifax area, I heard stories about the Halifax Explosion, I knew a few elderly people who were there and I often visited sites related to it and locals have always been thankful to the people of Boston for their help. Good to see others around the world learning about this tragic event.
My dads family lived in the area, luckily not close enough to suffer any immediate effects . They moved out of the area after ww2 looking for work. I have onlly been there once myself though I would love to return.
I am still surprised that the captain of the Clara wasn't also brought up on charges.
John, I watched this again in the first week of December of 2023. I can't thank you enough for covering this impactful story. My maternal grandfather was born in Yarmouth NS. I'm sure he would have remembered this story. He died in 1955, a year after I was born, so sadly I was never able to hear his stories...
My roots are in Halifax and Boston. Thanks for taking the time to talk about the tree. It's very special.
Vince Coleman represented the true Canadian Spirit, I feel like I can speak for all of us thanking you for recognizing his heroism
Wow I even learn a lot from people who respond to this. It’s wonderful we don’t forget these stories! And again thank you for your videos! Love you!❤❤❤❤
I have been fascinated by this disaster for years. This was a big a loss of life as 9/11 was and it was just swept under the carpet to an extent. It wasn't talked about for long past the horrors of war and as a Canadian, I didn't learn about it in school. I can't imagine an American not knowing about Pearl Harbor or 9/11.
I was in Halifax this summer. I have seen parts of the Mont Blanc in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. When you see steel parts weighing hundreds of pounds twisted like pretzels you wonder about the level of force and violence that did that. The largest non nuclear explosion in history.....it is amazing there wasn't twice as many dead.
Vince Coleman has some part to play in that. I do know that this message was true Canadian grit......
I just watched that video on this tonight and was shocked by it. Wow. Will be reading a book about it next called The Great Halifax Explosion as soon as my library says it's available.
I've read a historical personal journal once from a person living in Caraquet new Brunswick (northern New Brunswick), AND on day of this explosion, people in Caraquet heard the explosion as described in this personal journal.
I've always heard about the Coleman story, never heard those exact last words however... Heartbreaking.
Yeah, reading his telegraph message was powerful and really brings his sacrifice home. It makes if very personal.
My grandparents lived close enough to have the aftershock blow out every window of their house. There are parts of ships that have been left in the spot they landed during the explosion as a memorial of the day and are still there today. There are houses in Halifax that have been remodeled to be very modern but have left uncovered the large parts of walls that were knocked down during the explosion, many have writings on them with the description of the explosion and history of that part of the building. It is quite interesting to see a beautiful modern home with an ugly, patchy clay like wall that looks like it is a hundred years old (because it is) The history of the explosion is all throughout Halifax and Dartmouth.
Thanks for the interesting info. It’s clear the people of Halifax are taking care to keep tangible reminders all about.
Thank you for watching. My grandmother was 7 years old at the time of the explosion and lived in the north end. I still live here to this day. She used to deliver milk to an older lady in a wheel chair. Those days they were in bottles. This day she dropped the bottle on the woman's knee and she screamed in pain. This scared my grandmother and she ran home to hide under the bed as she thought she was in big trouble. Thats when the explosion happened. Her hiding under the bed saved her life and why I'm here today.
Thank you for covering this story. My great grandmother was a survivor of the Halifax Explosion. She had to evacuate her office by the waterfront. Luckily her families home was still standing after but I remember her telling us that they had to put their mattresses up against the windows to keep the snow out and sleep on the floor.
Your reactions are always so genuine and heartfelt! Thank you!
Thanks, I try.
Thank you so much for reacting to this and for the respect you gave it. My great great grandmother Mary Alice Corkum was one of the many who were killed because of the explosion. She died in her home due to a fire. I've heard the story of the Explosion and that of Vince Coleman numerous times and I still get emotional and choked up.
Out of all the reactions I’ve done so far, I’ve thought about this one the most. I knew it happened but had no idea the magnitude. Thanks for telling me about your ancestor Mary Alice Corkum. It’s good to put names to the people that died there. It’s more humanizing.
Love the respect for him right off the start, brings a tear to my eye when I think of him.
Thanks so much for the comment. This was truly an impactful story. I’m so glad I learned about it and was able to give it the attention it deserved rather than being a footnote to a larger Great War study.
When push comes to shove Americans and Canadians will always stand side by side
This has been true for over 200 years and remains true today
Thank you for your emotions. You should watch Heritage Minutes. There was also a dramatization of this that was on CBC. Also Boston had a deadly explosion and Halifax was the first city to help Boston.
That I didn’t know. I’ll have to look into that. Thanks for the comment and info.
Are you talking about the molasses explosion?
This is why I contribute to CNIB, monthly, Canadian Institute for the Blind, and sponser seeing eye dogs.
I knew about this event, vaguely, your video inspired me to make an ongoing monthly contribution to CNIB.
Thank you
CNIB started because of this event
Thank you John. Your emotions mirror my own.
I first learned of this tragedy in grade school, including Patrick Vince Colmans selfless act.
Ever wonder if the people on the train he saved, and others, descendants perhaps, have made an incredible Mark as well?
I’m sure many did. It’s an amazing story. Thanks for your kind words.
Thank you for reviewing this story. It was and is incredibly impactful. I was fortunate to live in Nova Scotia as a young teen, late 1969 & 1970. There are still structures in place that were damaged in the blast or shockwave. It's truly a disaster, and yet a testament to the fortitude, resilience and strength of the people to come out the other side and still find joy in life. The sacrifice made by that young train station operator will never be forgotten.
The christmas tree that is given to Boston each year is a deeply felt and generational gratitude for their help in Nova Scotia's darkest moments.
Bless you, your family and your people.
Hi Jack,
My oldest daughter lives in Boston where she goes to University. Last Christmas I went with her to see the Nova Scotia tree in Boston Common. It was beautiful and had plaques showing pictures and describing the explosion and that the tree is an annual gift of friendship and appreciation from Nova Scotia. I did a vlog about it in case you’re interested. th-cam.com/video/GFXy0cMJYjg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=VFtfU1LsKzo4o29g
My great grandfathers brother had just returned home from the war and was in Halifax waiting to return to his home country of Newfoundland (we weren't part of Canada yet back then) He was thrown quite a distance by the explosion, but survived it. He lived to almost 100 years old and always wore sunglasses, even indoors because of damage done to his eyes from glass from the explosion. Thanks for sharing this video! And hello, from Newfoundland! Now a part of Canada (Technically... :p)
I have no idea how I stumbled across your channel a few weeks ago, but I'm sure glad I did. I have learned so much. Thank you for being you!!
😊. You’re making me blush. I’m just so glad people are talking. It’s why I’m doing this. And I’m blown away by all the amazing people I have had the privilege of interacting with here.
My grandfather was in school when it happened, his sister had a scar, on her face,from flying glass. It is also the reason the CBIB,Canadian National Institute for the Blind was formed...
My, my, my. You are a remarkable and rare blend of equal parts mind and heart. I truly appreciate how you are able to display each with such passion...
With regard to Vince Colman, perhaps he ran back because he probably realized that he would die anyway down on the harbour, so he should spend his final minutes in service to others.
Pier 6 in Halifax is Canada's major port and it's very likely where my father's parents first docked; one from Poland and one from Ukraine. I have often thought about visiting the Maritime museum there.
Equal parts mind and heart may be one of the best compliments I’ve ever had. Thanks so much. ☺️. Thanks also for all the great info. Peace my friend.
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 God bless you and your family. Canada is open and welcoming to all...
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 I don't know if you've done a video yet of people from the Titanic who are buried in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Something to consider...
Vince Coleman is a true Canadian hero. he's immortalized in a Heritage Minute so many of us learned about what he did when we were kids.
I'm from Halifax, i remember meeting a lady by the moniker Ashpan Annie as she was referred to, she was a baby at the time and she was found in the ashpan of the kitchen stove , she relatively unharmed but carried black marks in her skin from the stove The original Camp Hill Hospital for veterans was new , and not openned, but was pressed into service, and now torn down, so many stories.
Such a sad and compelling bit of history.
Ouuu as a Halgonian i appreciate this!
Thanks friend and thanks for letting me know what folks from Halifax call themselves. 😊
@@johnf-americanreacts1287 no problem! Also I have no clue who chose that term, seems quite odd tbh
As a Nova Scotian, Thank you for covering this and bringing more attention to this senseless tragedy.
the H.E was used as a Reference for the Nuclear bomb tests during Trinity Testing.
Where I grew up, I was less than half a mile from where a 1184lbs part of Mont Blancs Anchor landed 2 1/2 miles inland.
I was born and raised in Dartmouth. My father was in the CDN Navy and my siblings and I were all raised on the base in Dartmouth. This piece of history is very important yet it is glossed over in our education system everywhere except N.S. As school kids we are all taken to the citadel and shown / taught the devastion that happened that day. I remember stories from my parents friends parents ( honorary grandparents) about this and how horrifying it truly was. I was so disgusted when my own children ( raised on the other side of Canada in B. C.) Were litterly given a half page blurp in their history books regarding this. I marched down to their school and told their principle to get better books because it deserved more than half a page. My father proceeded to tell my kids about the disaster so they could appreciate the sacrifice that members of their family had made and why it was so important to know more than the date and the why. History should be never forgotten or glossed over. To forget is to make the same mistake. Lord help us all .
Truer words have never been spoken. Thanks so much. peace form NY.
Denise, not all of us grew up not knowing about the Halifax Explosion. I learned about it in school (Quebec) and my father told me the whole story at home at that time. Including that hero, Vince Coleman, whom I have never forgotten. On one of my trips to Nova Scotia (down home) I promised my father I would visit Pier 6 and the MMOA, which I did. When I came back to Montreal, I gave him some things which I had bought at the museum. It became a great bond between us. I know there are many like me who are aware of this tragedy. I often wonder what happened to his family.
@@jennifermarlow. Thanks! How could I not? That's what it is. Be well.
Interesting fact. There is a ship called the CSS (Canadian Surveying Ship) Acadia that is at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. She was serving as a guard ship on the day of the explosion and although only 1 mile from the blast site, she sustained very little damage. They only had to do a bit of repainting but otherwise she was fine. As for her crew, I believe they were all inside her when the explosion happened
Born and raised in New Brunswick ,I encourage you to visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, you will not be disappointed. This museum also has relics from the Titanic, as many who perished were brought to Halifax harbour. The Titanic graveyard and memorial in Halifax will bring tears to your eyes. There are always lessons to be learned from the tragedies of the past.🇨🇦🍁🇨🇦🍁💔
I read an amazing book about the disaster. It was written mainly about one family, which was almost totally wiped out. There were over 25 people dead from this one family. From grandparents at home to kids in school who ran down to harbour to see the burning ship.
The annual Christmas tree to thank Boston is a Christmas tradition for Nova Scotians. Residents are proud to have the special tree chosen from their private property. There is a small ceremony to celebrate the beginning of the tree’s voyage to Boston on a flat bed truck.
We are fortunate to have neighbours who continue to come to our aid in times of need and natural disasters.
I drive past a piece of one of the cannons that was launched very far from that explosion almost everyday on Albro Lake Road in Dartmouth! Thanks for the video! Cheers from Ochterloney street in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia :)
Hello, I live in Dartmouth thanks for reviewing this tragedy, at the end of my street lies the cannon from the Mont Blanc , it has now been transformed into a yearly memorial.
my 2nd great grandfather after immigrating to Halifax from Abruzzo at age 13 and worked as a train engineer after learning English from my 2nd great grandmother ; based on employee records I found he was placed on leave / removed from his position a week or so before the explosion due to an accident in downtown Halifax where his train poured excessive amounts of smoke in a heavily populated area. Given my great grandfathers date of birth its evident I probably wouldn't exist had it not been for that simple workplace incident.
The would haves a could haves of history. Amazing story. But the way, my grandmother’s parents were immigrants to New York from Abruzzo in the 1880s.
I just recently discovered your channel and am glad I did! As a proud Canadian your respect to our culture and people is heart-warming…we are all brothers and sisters together…and the Halifax explosion is a piece of this history. Well done!!!🇨🇦🇨🇦
You covered this story so well..... I had to whipe my my eyes many times as the tears fell like a waterfall. WELL done sir!
Thank you. Sorry for the delayed response. I try to get to most of the comments but it’s not easy. Lol.
I am Halifax born and grew up in the Hydrostone District, then known as Richmond, and watch the Boston tree lighting each year.
Hello John I live in Alberta Canada. In WWI Canada was only fifty years old. There were roughly eight million people living here. The Halifax Explosion was only one of the many challenges our new Dominion faced. Just prior to WWI Canada was in a railway building boom. There were three transcontinental railways that had been or were nearing completion. When the war broke out Canada along with its Commonwealth cousins in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa were at war supporting Great Britain. There was no choice. Our first Division was trained and shipped to Europe in late 1914 and early 1915. The 1st Canadian Division entered the trench's in the spring of 1915. They were quickly joined in battle at Ypres, Belgium in the first poison gas attack. ( Ever hear the poem in Flanders Fields it was written during this battle by a Canadian doctor) The 1st Divisions legend was cemented in this battle. At a memorial at Frezenberg one of the plaques reads on May 8th 1915 the originals of the Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry lead by their founder Major Hamilton Gault held firm and counted not the cost. With the 1st Canadian Division were shipped to Europe the were joined with a Railway battalion. The soldiers came from the railway building boom before the war. These young men of the railway battalions would become incredibly important to the success of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. The Railway Battalions little known efforts helped bring about the Armistice during the last 100 days of WWI. Have a look at CEF Canadian Corps during 1917 to the end of the war. The Corps never lost a battle. A good read would be about Sir Arthur Currie. Your coverage of the Halifax Explosion is very well done and put's some light on the roots of two cities wonderful Christmas relationship. Lest we forget.
Thanks for all this great information. I have read the poem In Flanders Fields and I know that this is how the poppy became a symbol of remembrance. I plan on doing something for Remembrance Day very soon.
Watch the Canadian heritage minute on this it’s great also watch all Canadian Heritage minutes they are so Educational
Hi John
I want to say thank you for ur videos. God bless u. I grow up in Halifax/Dartmouth from 1975 to 1981 as a child. I visited that museum a lot. It’s a great place to visit. U should take a vacation to Atlantic Canada and visit all the Atlantic provinces. U would love it there. Love from Canada 🇨🇦
Thank you for doing this. I grew up and learned about the explosion when I was in school here in Canada, but my greater knowledge would come from my late Mother in Law who's family had the greatest loss of life. 66 members of the Jackson family were alive and well in the city of Halifax that morning, when the explosion took place 46 of them were dead. My Mother in Law's own mother was alive simply because she missed the bus to go to her mothers home. Vince Coleman the person you learned about and spoke of his widow went on to marry my Mother in Law's Great Uncle. My daughter and her fathers family take a moment every year on Dec. 6th to pause and remember the family members who lost their lives that day.
I was just thinking that Pearl Harbor Day is Dec 7th so we both have days of remembrance on back to back days
I gotta say I love your reactions, you're so genuine. I have seen a few of your videos now and I truly enjoy how you structure them and react. Also I agree with the other commentators you should try watching Canadian Heritage Moments, they give a great insight into a lot of our countries history. I'm now subscribed and look forward to your future videos, keep it up!
John @10:29 you asked if that was a picture of the fire. No that was a picture taken miles away from Halifax Harbour from another ship at sea. That is the picture of the fireball/explosion cloud after the blast occurred. It is referenced in many books of the explosion.
Thanks for the info. Much appreciated
Your comments and feelings resurrect my upbringing of Americans of time gone by. There are still people in your country that still have a strong belief in humanity even with all the hate around the world today. Keep finding out and relaying to us all of heroism and knowledge.
You know that's kind of rude, right? You essentially just said most Americans suck but you are one of the good ones.
In 2019 We for the 3rd time from Toronto set out for Quebec for a 2 week unplanned hoiday ...with a twist I never told her I was only stopping for food And gas Or told her we loaded the tent Just the cooler And some other items .........we were set for the east coast..Halifax being on the most important part for me
Grandfather was one of 1 million men that got on a Liberty ship that was bound for England I wanted to walk the same path And I did cry with a smile Standing on the exact spot of him at 20 years old standing in uniform at the entrance of a tunnel that go's under the railroad towards the shipping docks And pier pictured 1943 with his hat tilted sideways
What i did not expect was to learn of the explosion Or touch a fragment of the ship that was pulled out of a tree in 1985 that broke the teeth of a chainsaw Having a beer at a pub a old man told me about the explosion His father come to Halifax from Cape Breton for work on the rail system after the explosion And bought some of the land Which had the trees ..The story explained ...He left quietly And 10 mins later showed up at the bar again with the metal the size a bit bigger than a fist And said Alot of people talk But some can back it up There is the chain marks This metal was logged in the tree Me and my father cut down This tree is 2.1kms/1.3 miles from the explosion
Great video. I hope you get into watching some of the Canadian Heritage Minutes/Moments that are out there. It's a series of one minute re-enactment clips detailing various events and people in Canadian history. The Halifax explosion is one of them
Some other people clued me in the the Heritage Minutes so I’m def in on those. Thanks so much.
Thanks John, we as North American family appreciate your heartfelt reactions and yes, please watch the Heritage Minute on him ;)
Thanks my friend
As someone who grew up in Dartmouth, there is a monument in the location where the Cannon had flew 5km, I grew up 200m from its location. I learned about the explosion at a very early age. You can still see the damage it caused on heritage properties. To all who survived it was horrendous living conditions.
As this is a condensed telling of the tale some interesting details are not included though their absence doesn't alter the chain of events. The devastating tsunami caused by the explosion is a major event that is included in the documentary but the its "trigger" is not, which is that the explosion moved so much water that the floor of the basin was momentarily visible and when the water rushed back in, the collision of the walls of water created the tsunami. Again, not a necessary detail of the story but it is further reinforcement of the power of the blast.
Im from there live there . My grandmother was 7yrs old .Her father rode a horse n buggy and picked up the dead. The lived in the south end and had minor damage all the glass mostly. Nova scotians are hard core people.✊
My cousins own a trucking company they have hauled that Christmas tree a few times and it's always an honor for them to do so.
Nice! Thanks to your cousins. Peace
Fascinating Horror is an amazing documentary channel. The name is very misleading. Same with the channel Dark Records.
My father's uncle was Captain Horatio Brannen who was Captain of the Stella Maris was attempting to tow the Mont Blanc away from the pier. The explosion occurred and severly damaged the Stella Maris 19 men were killed including my father's uncle. His son Walter Brannen was standing beside him and survived the explosion along with four other crew. He was only 45 and the father of seven children. Walter was 21 years old at the time.
Watch the documentary "As If They Were Angels" about the grounding of the S.S. Pollux and the S.S. Truxton during WWII in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. The town's people of Lawn and St. Lawrence worked, during horrible icy weather to rescue, house and heal the sailors from those two ships. The documentary records the reunion between the rescued and rescuers.
The story of Lanier Phillips, a black survivor of the Truxton is also worth noting! The Newfoundlanders changed his life!
Thank you for watching this. I have family in Halifax. It would be awesome if you could react to some of our Canadian songs. Maple Leaf Forever and Land of the silver birch would be good ones. I imagine you get a lot of requests so I understand if you don't. Anyway, amazing reactions and all the love from Ontario.
I do get a lot of requests and a lot of comments. I try my best to read them and reply or at least love them because if you take the time to watch and comment, I want to take the time to reply. Your suggestions are for sure on my ever increasing list. Peace from NY.
There is a Heritage Minutes video depicting Vince Coleman. I get Goosebumps everytime that I view it.
Thanks for doing this video. I'm Canadian but never knew the story of Vince Coleman.
I’m glad we could learn about him together. Amazing and sad.
I knew about what Vince did. But couldn't remember his name.
We named a harbour Ferry The Vincent Coleman! He’s very remembered ❤️