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Halifax Disaster Record Office
Chronicle Building
Halifax, N.S.

Dec. 29, 1917.

Testimony of William Walsh, Wellington Barracks.
Taken at this office. Dec. 29th, 1917.

Short and rather dumpy. 17 years old. Brown hair, blue eyes
Office hoy at McLean, Paton, Burchell &Raston. Unhurt.

Father overseas. Mother, self, four-year-old sister and two-year-old brother lived at Wellington Barracks. Was at work in office in Chronicle Building, at time of explosion. Started for home. Went up Barrington St. to the Admiraly Grounds, through Admiralty to Wellington Barracks fence, climbed fence. Found place in ruins. Russell St. and Gunn's Mills on fire. Not more than twenty-five minutes after explosion. Nobody at house. Found mother on stretcher at the Barracks gate. Artery in arm cut. Lost much blood. Small cuts on face. Found little sister sitting on side-walk outside gate wrapped on blanket, unhurt. Put mother on a team belonging to a country man, and got on the same team with sister.Went to Camp Hill Hospital. Stayed with mother until one o'clock p.m. Went down stairs then to see what he could do. Borrowed a pair of scissors from a nurse who had an extra pair, to help cut clothes off injured people. Did this until 5 p.m. Then went to kitchen and got food for mother and others. Got supper himself in hospital dining room at 6:30 p.m. Afterwards carried hot water etc. for doctors and nurses until midnight. Then a soldier came along with two unidentified and unhurt children