Nova Scotia Archives

1917 Halifax Explosion

Norwegian steamship Imo in the harbour after the Explosion

The photographer James Burn Russell was born on 8 April 1892 in Brampton, Ontario. He joined the Canadian Navy in 1917. At the time of the explosion, James Burn Russell was the most junior of the three wireless operators aboard the Auxiliary Patrol Ship Cartier. It was located off HMC Dockyard Pier 3. He was working on the ship at the time of the Explosion and was tasked with helping to look for survivors in the water during the aftermath. Consists of two images of ships in Halifax Harbour after the Explosion, taken from the water.

Reference: James Burn Russell Nova Scotia Archives accession 2007-062

Nova Scotia Archives — https://archives.novascotia.ca/explosion/personal/narratives/?ID=15

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