7 pm
During the American Revolutionary War Halifax served as one of the Royal Navy’s principal bases in North America, and thereafter it’s only one. To treat the growing numbers of wounded and ailing sailors and Royal Marines a naval hospital was built on the harbourfront just north of the Naval Yard in 1783, with a graveyard established nearby for those who succumbed to their wounds or illnesses. The Royal Naval Burying Ground thus received the Navy’s dead for the next 119 years and is estimated to have over 1,000 interred there. Yet it is a relatively unknown feature of Halifax’s rich naval and military history, even though fully intact and untouched by modern development hands.
The talk will examine the history of the Royal Naval Burying Ground in Halifax, the context for its creation, its evolution over a century, and the state of its current existence.
The southwest corner of the Burying Ground facing Barrington Street
Tom Tulloch served 37 years in the Royal Canadian Navy, retiring as a Captain. He commanded two HMC Ships at sea and held leadership roles ashore and afloat. Over the years he deployed for NATO Cold War deterrence operations in the North Atlantic and for UN embargo enforcement, post-9/11 counter-terrorism and NATO counter-piracy operations throughout the Middle East; he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his leadership in action against Somali pirates. A Dalhousie and Royal Military College graduate, Captain Tulloch is also a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation and an Honorary Director of the Halifax Military Heritage Preservation Society.
The Halifax Military Heritage Preservation Society is a volunteer educational society incorporated under the Societies Act and is committed to promoting public awareness of and appreciation for Halifax’s profuse and diverse military heritage.
For additional information:
Richard MacMichael
902-424-8897
richard.macmichael@novascotia.ca