Nova Scotia archives show how women 'adapted to the war in Halifax'
The Nova Scotia Archives contain an immense amount of military history, including records of the roles women played when Halifax was the port-of-call for a nation at war.
John MacLeod is the manager at the Nova Scotia archives. He said the population of the Halifax peninsula was around 65,000 when the Second World War started in 1939. The population nearly doubled to 113,000 during the war.
“There was already quite a network of women’s organizations in town so when the war started they quickly realized there was a need for services to those serving and also to the families of those serving,” MacLeod said.
One of the archives’ treasures from the period is Edith Girouard’s scrapbook. Girouard was the chair of the Halifax Women’s Voluntary Services organized through the Department of National Defence. Her scrapbook shows women working across industries during the war.
The archive contains a brochure for the Canadian Women’s Army Corps, encouraging women to enlist. MacLeod said in Halifax, the Women’s Navy Corps had a larger presence.
“As we approach Remembrance Day I think it’s important to remember that war affected everybody in the community,” MacLeod said. “We have many records here at the archives that show how women adapted to the war in Halifax.”
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
5 rescued after avalanche triggered north of Whistler, B.C. RCMP say
Emergency crews and heli-skiing staff helped rescue five people who were caught up in a backcountry avalanche north of Whistler, B.C., on Monday morning.
Quebec fugitive killed in Mexican resort town, RCMP say
RCMP are confirming that a fugitive, Mathieu Belanger, wanted by Quebec provincial police has died in Mexico, in what local media are calling a murder.
Bill Clinton hospitalized with a fever but in good spirits, spokesperson says
Former President Bill Clinton was admitted Monday to Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington after developing a fever.
Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada and the Panama Canal
First it was Canada, then the Panama Canal. Now, Donald Trump again wants Greenland. The president-elect is renewing unsuccessful calls he made during his first term for the U.S. to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding to the list of allied countries with which he's picking fights even before taking office.
UN investigative team says Syria's new authorities 'very receptive' to probe of Assad war crimes
The U.N. organization assisting in investigating the most serious crimes in Syria said Monday the country’s new authorities were “very receptive” to its request for cooperation during a just-concluded visit to Damascus, and it is preparing to deploy.
Pioneering Métis human rights advocate Muriel Stanley Venne dies at 87
Muriel Stanley Venne, a trail-blazing Métis woman known for her Indigenous rights advocacy, has died at 87.
King Charles ends royal warrants for Ben & Jerry's owner Unilever and Cadbury chocolatiers
King Charles III has ended royal warrants for Cadbury and Unilever, which owns brands including Marmite and Ben & Jerry’s, in a blow to the household names.
Man faces murder charges in death of woman who was lit on fire in New York City subway
A man is facing murder charges in New York City for allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a subway train and then watching her die after she was engulfed in flames, police said Monday.
Canada regulator sues Rogers for alleged misleading claims about data offering
Canada's antitrust regulator said on Monday it was suing Rogers Communications Inc, for allegedly misleading consumers about offering unlimited data under some phone plans.