Music, movies, and meals : Halifax’s local contributions on the home front

Abstract

The Second World War turned Halifax, a small city that is the capital of Nova Scotia, into an overcrowded port city at the edge of the Canadian Home Front. Due to the large transient population in the city at the time, there was a sizable demand for entertainment, and for related services. This thesis explores three ways in which the city hosted its temporary guests: through music, movies, and food and drink. Each of these areas is explored through a case study: music through the Halifax Concert Party Guild, movies through the Capitol theatre, and food and drink through the dry canteen known as the North End Services Canteen and a social club which provided liquor, the Ajax Club. Special attention is given to services provided to sailors, who made up a large proportion of the service personnel in the city. This work demonstrates that independent organizations and local business branches also aided the war effort, despite the limited historiographical attention paid to them.