Articles

See “Projects” for examples of more recent work.

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA IN WWII: AN ALLIED STAGING AREA (1991)

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This essay draws on my doctoral research on Halifax during the Second World War. It was originally presented at a conference in Stuttgart, West Germany in September 1989.

EXPLODING MYTHS: THE HALIFAX HARBOUR EXPLOSION IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT (1994)

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In 1992, I wrote a paper challenging the popular belief that the 1917 Halifax Explosion was the “largest man-made explosion before the atomic bomb.” Click here to read it. The illustrations were omitted due to lack of space, but I’ve posted them on my Flickr site here 

CANADIAN MERCHANT SEAMEN AND THE INTERNATIONAL CONVOY SYSTEM (1995)

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In the early 1980s I interviewed a retired merchant mariner, Mr. Mel LeBlanc of Mount Hope, Ontario, who shared a list of Canadian merchant seamen lost due to enemy action during the Second World War. I compiled a database from this list and analyzed the results. Another version of the list later appeared on the web here.

SUBSCRIPTION BOOKS AND THE TITANIC (1999)

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So-called “instant books” were one of the most pervasive sources about the 1912 Titanic disaster. I created a website about these books in 1997An article published in Acadiensis in 1999 was a product of that work.

PORTIA WHITE: A NOVA SCOTIA LEGEND (2001)

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In the early 1990s, I delivered a public lecture about Portia White for the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society. The lecture was later published in their journal. This 2001 article was part of a special issue on “Legends of Nova Scotia” in the Halifax Daily News.

A CONVERSATION WITH CAPT ANTHONY MacPHERSON ROSS ABOUT CABLE SHIPS (1991)

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Captain Tony Ross was retired and living in Darnley, PEI when I met him in 1991. This interview was published in four parts in Argonauta, an offshoot of The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord.

FORLORN HOPE: THE LAST STAND OF HMS JERVIS BAY (1990)  

In 2007, I had the pleasure of meeting HMS Jervis Bay survivor Art Taylor (left) at the Crows’ Nest Club in St. John’s, NL. In the early 1980s I traveled to Saint John NB to attend a reunion of other Jervis Bay survivors.

This article was originally published in the Halifax Mail-Star.

4 comments to “Articles”
  1. Hello,
    I have just come across your interview with Captain Ross of C.S. Ocean Layer. My Father was Captain Joseph Marshall, Captain in 1955 at her relaunch. I found the memories of his time at sea fascinating and wish I had some idea of my own Fathers earlier history.
    For the past 10 years I have found myself going to sea periodically, installing and maintaining costumes on cruise ships, QM2 my first ship. The irony of how Ocean Layer was lost is not LOST on me, as I use a hot plate to melt the glue on crystals for the costumes. Next time I make it to Halifax I would love to take one of your tours.
    regards
    Vanessa

    • Delighted that you liked the interview, Vanessa. Please do get in touch if you visit Halifax. All best, Jay

    • Thank you, John. I look forward to another season of visits to the SS Atlantic Interpretation Centre. It’s always a highlight of my tours. Cheers, Jay

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