Halifax group launches national campaign to erect monument to honour Second World War women volunteers
Oct. 29, 2015
HALIFAX: The Halifax Women’s History Society (HWHS) has launched a national campaign to erect a monument — the first to actual women in Halifax — to honor the work of women volunteers during the Second World War.
“There are no monuments to women in Halifax and very few in Canada,” says HWHS Chair Janet Guildford. “We want to begin to correct this imbalance in public art by honoring the astounding amount of volunteer work done by women during the Second World War.
“There are more than 100 statutes, cairns and plaques in Halifax. Fewer than a dozen are of women, and most of them are from mythology. On the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and during October, Women’s History Month, we are launching a campaign to change this with our Woman on the Waterfront (WOW) project.”
The project’s goal is to place the monument, The Volunteers/Les Bénévoles, at the Halifax Seaport, along Harbourwalk South on the Halifax waterfront. Today marks the launch of our fund-raising campaign. The Society hopes to unveil the monument in 2017.
Thousands of women throughout Canada played key roles in providing services to the troops, who departed and returned through Halifax. These women have not been recognized for their work.
Contact
Mary Somers, Communication Director
Halifax Women’s History Society and the WOW Project
902 2092970
marysomers2@eastlink.ca
Yesterday on the radio I heard about your WOW launch and am greatly interested. This is such promising news. I must become a member.
In 1997, I was in Edmonton, Alberta for the Famous Five Foundation’s launch to place the Famous Five monument on Parliament Hill and other cities and to have the Famous Five on a Canadian bill.
I use the library for Internet a few times a week, but my phone number is 902 – 405 – 6179 (Halifax) and 902 – 733 – 2235 (Louisbourg). I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks so much, Marjorie