Quote:
Originally Posted by Drybrain
I think the history of active combat, especially during the world wars, has really cemented the navy as part of the civic identity in a way that I don't get the sense is replicated in Victoria.
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Some local historians (Thomas Raddall, etc.) used to argue that Halifax was most "in the war" city in Canada during both WWI and WWII (with a fatality rate to match). The Halifax Explosion and Magazine Hill were a part of that. The city was also under blackouts in WWII, with people wondering if and when bombings would start. For a while, people thought the Explosion was caused by Germans.
Most people who lived in Halifax in the 90's or so had relatives alive who were in WWII, remembered the Explosion, etc. The Cold War also had a big impact on the city. That is probably fading now.