Halifax (Fort Massey) Cemetery

• Country Canada
• Total identified casualties 128 Find these casualties
• Region Nova Scotia
• Identified casualties from First & Second World War
• GPS Coordinates Latitude: 44.64003, Longitude: -63.57445

Location information

The cemetery is located in downtown Halifax at the junction of Queen and South Streets, four blocks south of Citadel Hill National Historic Site.

Visiting information

The cemetery grounds are open for visitation from sunrise until sunset.

History information

Halifax was the headquarters of No 6 Military District during the both wars. In the First World War, the city had nine military hospitals with almost 1,500 beds. On the morning of 6 December 1917, a collision took place in the harbour between a Belgian relief ship and a French vessel loaded with ammunition, and in the resulting explosion, half a square mile of the city was destroyed and 1,500 lives were lost. Two hospitals were ruined, and one damaged. During the Second World War, Halifax was heavily fortified and the Atlantic Command and Eastern Air Command of the Royal Canadian Air Force were established there. The harbour was the main port of embarkation for troops serving abroad. HALIFAX (FORT MASSEY) CEMETERY contains 86 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 41 from the Second World War. Most of these graves are in a plot at the lower end of the cemetery, next to which stands the Cross of Sacrifice. The HALIFAX (FORT MASSEY) MEMORIAL stands within the cemetery and commemorates two servicemen who were killed in the 1917 explosion but whose bodies were not found.