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

The Earl of Athlone (1874-1957) was Governor-General of Canada, 1940-1946. Following the death of Governor-General Lord Tweedsmuir, the Earl of Athlone, uncle of King George VI, was approached to assume the post of Governor General. The ship which brought the Earl and his wife, Princess Alice (a granddaughter of Queen Victoria), zigzagged across the Atlantic to avoid submarine attack. Fortunately, they arrived safely in Halifax. The Governor-General was very active in supporting the war effort by inspecting troops, training schools, and military hospitals. His wife was Honorary Commandant of the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service, Honorary Air Commandant of the Royal Canadian Air Force (Women's Division) and president of the nursing division of the St. John Ambulance Brigade. Lord Athlone travelled throughout Canada during the war. He encouraged Canadians during the war and told them Canada's King George VI stood with them in fighting totalitarianism. The Governor-General and Princess Alice hosted Prime Minister Mackenzie King (Canada), Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Britain), and President Franklin D. Roosevelt (United States) at La Citadelle in Québec on two occasions in 1943 and 1944. The Quebec conferences helped decide the strategies of the Western Allies that eventually led to victory over Nazi Germany and Japan.

Reference: R.V. Harris Nova Scotia Archives 1992-415 no. 66