'An East Coast Port': Halifax in Wartime, 1939-1945

The Halifax Mail, 8 May 1945, p.5, and 9 May 1945, p. 3, and The Halifax Chronicle, 10 May 1945, p. 13, commented on looters with particular interest in shoes. Cascades of shoes appeared from two looted shoe stores to the waiting crowd who pounced upon them. A sailor inside Wallace Brothers shoe store acted as clerk -- he handed out shoes to passersby who entered via the window and then stated their size and colour preferences. Another account (or perhaps another shoe store) said the clerk was a civilian who threw out whatever was requested. If women didn't like them, they just threw them away and waited for more shoes. A sailor sat on the street car tracks, discarded his old shoes, and put on a new pair.

Date: 1945

Reference: David Hall Nova Scotia Archives 1981-412 3