By Terrie Todd
A single warning can make a difference.
One of the nearly 2000 people killed in the Halifax Explosion was Vincent Coleman, a train dispatcher, at the age of 45. But thanks to him, others survived who would not have without his brave final act. Coleman was on duty on the morning of December 6, 1917, along with his boss, William Lovett.
Vincent Coleman by Unknown author - The Nova
Scotia Museum, Department of Tourism and Culture, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46418062
Coleman’s job was to control the massive rail traffic
generated by the crowded wartime harbor. He sent orders to the countless trains
feeding freight into the ship-filled wharves of North End Halifax, as well as
routing passenger traffic passing into the North Street Station.
As Coleman relieved the night dispatcher at the telegraph, he noticed a column of black smoke rising above the rows of parked freight cars in front of the station. The French munitions ship Mont-Blanc had caught fire after a collision with the Norwegian ship, Imo. A sailor burst in to warn everyone that the Mont-Blanc was full of ammunition and about to explode. Coleman started to leave with Lovett, but turned back to use the telegraph key.
Coleman was concerned about Passenger Train No. 10, the overnight train from Saint John, New Brunswick. Due to arrive in Halifax at 8:55 am, it had about 300 passengers on board. If not intercepted, it would pass along the tracks directly in front of the blazing ship.Coleman, knowing he could not possibly survive the imminent explosion, tapped out his final, famous message:
“Hold up the train. Ammunition ship afire in harbor making for Pier 6 and will explode. Guess this will be my last message. Good-bye boys.”
Seconds later, the largest man-made explosion prior to the atomic bombs destroyed much of Halifax. Later, Vincent Coleman’s telegraph key, watch, and wallet were found among the ruins and are on display in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax. While his wife and children survived, their nearby home was destroyed. His wife, Frances, and their youngest child, Eileen, were wounded.
 |
| Coleman's Telegraph Key |
Not only did Coleman manage to delay the No. 10 train, but his message got the word out about the explosion before it happened, taking down telegraph lines with it. Help was able to arrive far sooner from across Canada and the U.S, most notably, Boston. Vincent Coleman is considered a hero in Halifax and Canadian history.
 |
| Coleman's grave in Halifax. CC BY-SA 4.0, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65632485 |
Sources:
https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/vincent-coleman-and-halifax-explosion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_Coleman_(train_dispatcher)
Vincent Coleman is mentioned briefly in The Reluctant Healer of Halifax, a novel of the Great Halifax Explosion of 1917. It’s a story of love, loss, faith, and honor set against Canada’s most devastating moment of the First World War. It releases August 1, 2026.
all set in Canada, where she lives with her husband Jon. A former church drama team leader and newspaper columnist, she’s also a frequent contributor to Guideposts Books, a mother of three, and grandmother of five.
Follow Terrie here:
Quarterly Newsletter Sign-up
No comments:
Post a Comment