This week our featured item is a very scarce (as fewer than 100 were produced) 1992 Halifax Explosion 75th Anniversary Commemorative Medal. In December 1992, to mark the 75th Anniversary of the Halifax Explosion in 1917, the City of Halifax gifted commemorative medals to the remaining survivors of the great tragedy. The medal is cast bronze plate and in uncirculated condition with only a couple of minor spots of verdigris on the obverse.
The Halifax Explosion was a disaster that occurred in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, on the morning of 6 December 1917. SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship laden with high explosives, collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the Narrows, a strait connecting the upper Halifax Harbour to Bedford Basin. A fire on board the Mont-Blanc led to a massive explosion that devastated the Richmond district of Halifax. Approximately 2,000 people were killed, largely in Halifax and Dartmouth, by the blast, debris, fires, or collapsed buildings, and an estimated 9,000 others were injured.The blast was the largest human-made explosion at the time.
The Halifax Explosion Memorial Bell Tower located in the Fort Needham Memorial Park is depicted on the obverse. A memorial service is held annually on December 6th at this site.
Moira Leiper Ducharme was the first female mayor of Halifax, Nova Scotia from 1991–1994.
