VE Day in Halifax

Yes, I was in Halifax. We were in between trips, you know, for the, for the tender, the gates. And the awful mess that happened after the war, you know, VE-Day there. Oh, my gosh. They had riots there in Halifax. And I was lucky I was visiting my sister, there in Halifax. And when I heard all that, you know, then I went out in the streets and tried to get in on some of the fun, and . . . so, some . . . my chum said . . . we, we were tied up in Dartmouth at the wharf there. And we depended on the ferry, you know, the only thing they had then. There was nand eo bridges. So, my chum said, "I'll bet you if this riot gets worse, they'll have to shut off the ferry." So, we made haste for the ferry to get back aboard ship, and . . . so, I missed out on a lot of fun. Wasn't fun, not really, but . . . the navy got the, the credit for all this busting windows and stealing fur coats you know, and they were organized and they did most of the stealing, but the navy took the, the rap. The navy, I know caused a lot of trouble and deserved probably what they got, but it was embarrassing. I . . . like I said, I had two sisters in Halifax. And, naturally, sisters, they want to show me off, eh, the big brother in the navy, in uniform, and all that. So, they took me out to a dance. And when we got to the dance, the fella a the door said, "You and you and you can come in, but he can't." Holy Moses. That hit pretty hard, and I imagine that some sailors beat up the place, you know, they, they were rowdy, but still it hurts. And when you get a lot of incidents like that, I can see where the riots became from. There was a lot of grudge, you know, and . . .

Mr. Pellerin was in Halifax at the end of the war in Europe and remembers the VE- Day riots. He describes his view of the incidents that took place.

Victor Pellerin

Mr. Victor Pellerin was born January 9, 1921. One of seven children he was the son of a stone mason, carver/bricklayer, whose work kept him from home for long periods of time.

Mr. Pellerin attended school in Moncton during his early years, also attending school in Memramcook, and later Lagere Corner, also known today as Dieppe, New Brunswick. During his early teenage years Mr. Pellerin worked as a bicycle delivery boy for EA Fryers in Moncton. Later he took a job with Canadian National Railway in Moncton where he worked up until he enlisted for service into the Canadian Navy. After signing up in St. John, New Brunswick, Mr. Pellerin travelled to Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, to do basic training. After completing basic training he was transferred to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he was hastily assigned for service aboard HMS Caldwell, a destroyer assigned to the British Navy, purchased from the American Navy. Mr. Pellerin refers to that type of ship as a four-stoker.

Mr. Pellerin served on convoys between New York, eastern Canada and Great Britain, Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Often referred to as the "milk run."

Mr. Pellerin was later assigned to serve in Halifax working on the gates to Halifax harbour for ships passing through Halifax harbour. Mr. Pellerin served in the Canadian Navy during the VE-Day celebrations in Halifax at the end of the war in Europe. He returned to Moncton after his service and was able to return to his position with Canadian National Railway retiring as a Carman.

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 2:54
Person Interviewed:: Victor Pellerin
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Canada
Branch:: Navy
Rank:: Able Seaman
Occupation:: Seaman

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VE Day in Halifax

Victor Pellerin

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