“Her”storiography

Bradley, Susan (2015). “Home Guard Halifax’s unsung wartime heroes: Patrol made up of black Nova Scotians stood in for police, fire department.” NOVASCOTIAN, The Chronicle Herald, Monday, Feb. 2, 2015. C4.

Bruce, Jean (1985) Back the attack: Canadian women during the Second World War, at home and abroad. Macmillan of Canada. Toronto.

In this history, official photographs, posters, and snapshots are contrasted with the recollections of individual Canadian women of “what it really felt like… to be part of the war effort.” Selections from letters, diaries, interviews, media sources, political debates, and government statements give a fascinating glimpse of women’s (and men’s) attitudes toward women’s wartime roles: women at home, in auxiliary groups, the Army Corps, war production, the Auxiliary Air Force, the Navy, in civilian jobs in transportation, in the media, on farms, in nursing services, and serving overseas.

DeLory, Barbara. (2011) Three Centuries of Public Art: Historic Halifax Regional Municipality. New World Publishing, Halifax. 

A publication cataloguing three centuries of the history of the region through its public art: 114 public monuments, cenotaphs, sculptures and statuary illustrated with over 280 full colour photographs, many detailed histories,  with nine maps and directions depicting the location of each . . . plus six walking tours of the historic downtown regions.  

Gregor, Frances. (2005) “The Women of the St. John Ambulance Brigade: Volunteer Nursing Auxiliaries in War-time and Post-war Halifax.” Journal of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society, Vol. 8. 

Journal article documenting and describing the work of women serving in Halifax in the St. John Ambulance Brigade during World War Two. It documents the important but neglected story pertaining to public health and the history of women in Nova Scotia. 

MacDonald, Sharon M.H. (1999) “Hidden Costs, Hidden Labours. Women in Nova Scotia During Two World Wars.” Master of Arts Thesis, Atlantic Canada Studies, Saint Mary’s University.

Available online at: http://www.library2.smu.ca/handle/01/22317#.U3lUPsZbtuY 

War provides a striking example of gender differentiation, yet, because of the unusual demands in times of war, breakdowns in traditional divisions of labour occur. Historians debate how and whether war has been a springboard for women’s greater emancipation. However, less critical attention has been paid to women’s traditional roles during wartime. This thesis explores the territory of women’s wartime volunteer participation in Nova Scotia in a qualitative and quantitative way and question the assumption that all women shared the same motivations for doing this work. 

Naftel, William D.(2008) Halifax at War. Formac Publishing Co. Ltd., Halifax.

Halifax at War explores this transformation of the city and civilian life, making use of a rich blend of historical, biographical and archival sources. Bill Naftel describes the incredible demands placed upon the city due to the war — which far exceeded any other city in Canada. Halifax’s infrastructure was barely able to cope as thousands of soldiers and sailors streamed through the city and thousands more arrived for war-related work.

Naftel, William D. (2009) Wartime Halifax: The photo history of a Canadian city at war – 1939-1954 Formac Publishing Co. Ltd., Halifax

Wartime Halifax is a visual history of this period. William Naftel has found a treasure trove of archival photos showing the bustling shipyards, construction, convoys and cadets, and never-seen-before images of parades, platoons and personnel. The photos show the dramatic impact of the war on city life — long lineups at movie theatres, crammed dance halls, and crowded restaurants. Visuals and text convey a unique portrait of a wartime city — not in far-off Europe but on Canada’s east coast. This is a book for anyone with an interest in the history of the Canadians who participated in the Second World War. It is a companion to William Naftel’s double award-winning book Halifax at War, published in fall 2008.

O’Neil, Patrick B. (1999) “The Halifax Concert Party in World War II.” Theatre Research in Canada/Recherches theatrales au Canada, Vol. 20 (2)

Available online here.

Although many Canadians have heard of Meet the Navy and The Army Show and the entertainment they provided during the Second World War, few are aware that numerous civilian concert parties operated at the same time. This journal article describes one such company providing diversion for the Canadian troops, and traces the growth and history of the Halifax Concert Party.