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Halifax Explosion Memorial Bell Tower
Fort Needham
The force of the Halifax Explosion leveled the Richmond District of Halifax's north end. Atop this district is the area known as Fort Needham, now a city park. Standing tall, overlooking the site in the Narrows of Halifax Harbour where the Explosion occurred, this Memorial Bell Tower commemorates that terrible day in 1917 when a collision of two ships in the Harbour resulted in the largest man-made explosion prior to the detonation of the first atomic bomb.
More than 2,000 Haligonians died, and thousands more were seriously injured. Approximately 6,000 were made homeless in the blast. Property damage was estimated at approximately c$30 million.
The inscription on the Harbour side of the Bell Tower reads:
| "This Bell Tower, a memorial to those who lost their lives or suffered injuries in the Halifax Explosion of Thursday, December 6, 1917, and to the survivors who rebuilt the cities of Halifax and Dartmouth. The Tower was erected with donations from individuals and corporate citizens, and the governments of Canada and Nova Scotia, and the cities of Halifax and Dartmouth." |
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