A man in a Hitler mask is the star of the show on Ste.

The country was in an expectant mood — eager for victory and ready for peace.

Though in the end, downtown Halifax descended to mob rule. According to one report, “vandalism, including the breaking of plate glass windows and the tearing down of awnings and street signs, mostly by intoxicated Naval ratings on paydays, was a usual and expected occurrence [in wartime Halifax].” Canada's third war in less than half a century was nearing its end. In cities and towns across Canada, a war-weary nation expressed its joy and relief at the news.In Halifax and Dartmouth, cities equally exhausted by their wartime role, into looting and rioting — and were perhaps a reminder that the war was not yet over, as conflict with Japan was ongoing.Canadians had been at war since September 1939 — retooling our factories, mobilizing our men and women, and sending our troops and resources overseas. As a result, the city’s population increased by nearly 60 per cent between 1939 and 1944 — nearby Dartmouth by 73 per cent — with temporary government and military jobs created to keep local war industries moving. Canada was a country of faith in 1945, and everywhere people attended religious services to mark the day with prayer and reflection. Many cities had prepared for the surrender announcement by ordering that liquor stores and drinking establishments be closed when the announcement came. Catherine St.

“Open gangway” (i.e., a holiday) was declared for Navy personnel for reasons that remain unclear.Open gangway continued the next day. For others it was a day of thanksgiving. If you’ve already mastered DIY houses for birds and dogs, maybe it’s time you built one for yourself.

Although the shooting had stopped, there was much work still to be done.

The atomic bomb and victory against the Japanese in the Pacific were only four months away. In Canada's East Coast naval port, however, the celebrations devolved into chaos and violence.

For these reasons and more, Halifax was tense on VE-Day. A week earlier, Adolf Hitler had committed suicide in his Berlin bunker. Before the United States entered the fight, Canada stood beside Britain and the oppressed peoples of Western Europe, intent on defeating Nazi Germany and the Axis powers.The first Canadians to cheer the victory were the soldiers, sailors and airmen on the front lines in Germany, the Netherlands and the North Atlantic. A military curfew was set in force by 11 p.m. and the streets cleared.

Before the United States entered the fight, Canada stood beside Britain and the oppressed peoples of Western Europe, intent on defeating Nazi Germany and the Axis powers.

Canadian students also left their classrooms to take part in the festivities, or to attend special religious services of thanksgiving.

The RCN had expanded rapidly during the Second World War — from 3,500 regulars in 1939 to some 96,000 by 1945 — and personnel training suffered as a result, particularly “discipline ashore.” Over 18,000 Navy personnel were stationed in Halifax in May 1945. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian confederation which occurred on July 1, 1867, with the passing of the Constitution Act, 1867 where the three separate colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were united into a single Dominion within the British Empire called Canada. Thank you. “After all the noise, all of a sudden, it became very quiet.