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

The British government provided ocean passage and escort officers, and the Canadian government provided rail fare, food, medical care, and escort in Canada. Children's placement in private homes and aftercare was handled by the provinces via Children's Aid Societies and other child-caring agencies. The Canada Year Book 1942, p. 165, reported "In the autumn of 1940 two ships carrying children to Canada were torpedoed in the Atlantic. These incidents brought to an unexpected end a movement which had aroused the greatest interest throughout Canada and had moved at least 50,000 Canadians to offer their homes for the accommodation of British guest children for the duration of the War."

Date: August 1941

Reference: Nova Scotia Bureau of Information Nova Scotia Archives  NSIS no. 2315