Nova Scotia Archives

Archibald MacMechan

Halifax Disaster Record Office Materials

Letter from M. Cumming, Department of Agriculture, Truro to R.A. MacMechan

26 December 1917. — 3 pages : 30 x 39 cm.

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Department of Agriculture
Province of Nova Scotia

M. Cumming, B. A., B. B. A.
Secretary for Agriculture
Principal, College of Agriculture

Truro, Nova Scotia
Dec. 26/17.

Dr. A. MacMechan,
Dalhousie University,
Halifax, N. S.

Dear Mr. MacMechan:

I have yours of dec. 24th, asking or particulars of work done at Truro in connection with the looking after of the people from Halifax who arrived in this town by special train on the day of the disaster. The story in Truro will not be difficult to get at. Advise your representative to see John Stanfield, who organized the preliminary committee, George Stewart, Chairman of Relief Committee, Mayor Dunbar etc. Be sure that he gets in touch with the various women who did admired work. He should be rather careful in writing up this part provided any names are used, for as one would naturally expect, there were little jealousies.

As far as I was concerned, myself I was purely a voluntary helper and my home was one of a number of homes in Truro at which the whole or part of families are kept. In this connection, however, it is only right to state that ten times as many families could have been put up in private homes, for every one was willing to do their part.

I will be in Halifax Thursday and Friday of this week, when I can giver you details.

Yours sincerely,
M Cumming

[handwritten correction in left margin from "admired" to "admirable" in second-last sentence of first paragraph]


Regarding role played by Truro in assisting Halifax, "ten times as many families could have been put up in private homes, for every one was willing to do their part" - stories of survival and death.

Reference: Archibald MacMechan Nova Scotia Archives MG 1 volume 2124 number 4

Nova Scotia Archives — https://archives.novascotia.ca/macmechan/archives/

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