Marilyn Davidson Elliott could go on for hours about her father, Eric Davidson, who survived the Halifax Explosion.
But at Friday’s memorial service, she would only need a few minutes to share what Davidson endured on Dec. 6, 1917.
“It would mean so much to not only me, but also others,” Davidson Elliott said.
“We’re the storytellers now because to my knowledge there are no survivors who are able to tell the story.”
Davidson Elliott said after hearing Vince Coleman’s grandson tell the train dispatcher’s story at the 100th anniversary, she’s reached out to the city to see if she could briefly speak at the annual memorial service.
“It was so well received and made it real for people and since then I really thought, gee, that would be nice for different families to be able to tell their story,” she said.
On Dec. 6, 1917, Davidson was playing in front of the window at his house on the corner of Duffus Street and Gottingen Street, now Novalea Drive, when it exploded in his face.
The house collapsed, trapping two-year-old Davidson, his sister and mother. His father, who was blown against a tree on his walk to work, managed to free the family and take them to the hospital.
Later that day, Davidson’s eyes were removed because of the significant damage.
Davidson would go on to become a mechanic for the city for 25 years before he retired. He died in September 2009 at the age of 94.
“That’s our family legacy and I would love to relay that story to those in attendance about my family,” Davidson Elliott said.
Dan Conlin, a historian, said many family members of Halifax Explosion victims and survivors came forward with details about “scars in the family and possessions that were lost or damaged” when he was a curator at the Maritime Museum of Atlantic.
“Their contributions to public history were really powerful, evocative and made a big impact on our audience,” Conlin said.
“That oral family tradition is a really significant way that community history is transcended and is an important tool for our public understanding of those events and their legacy.”
While she hasn’t been given a straight yes or no to speaking at Friday’s or a future memorial service, Davidson Elliott said north-end Halifax Coun. Lindell Smith offered her the opportunity to lay a wreath on behalf of his district.
"The fact that he’s asked me to lay a wreath shows some willingness, but I don’t know where they stand on whether they want any family to speak or not," Davidson Elliott said. "They may be planning, but they certainly haven’t invited me to speak next year or given me any indication.
"I would hope the city would embrace it.”
Davidson Elliott also spoke with a handful of other families, who expressed interest in speaking at future services. The speaker would rotate each year, she said.
Halifax Regional Municipality spokeswoman Maggie-Jane Spray said the municipality usually consults with the district's councillor and then invites a representative of the arts community. National Poet Laureate George Elliott Clarke was the speaker the past two years.
"The official schedule, which includes speakers, is confirmed in early fall and we could not make changes to the official program in time for the ceremony," Spray said of Elliott's request.
Spray added the number of speakers is limited because of cold weather conditions and to ensure the event stays on time.
"We are open to reviewing the program for 2020 to ensure the community is represented respectfully," Spray said.
As Davidson Elliott waits to see if she'll be included in services in the future, she and other families of victims or survivors are going to start a new service tradition Friday.
“In the past those survivors who attended always sat together and now there’s no such need, so to make everyone aware that there is a body there that has a close attachment to the Halifax Explosion, we’re wearing red scarves,” she said.
The memorial service will be held at 9 a.m. at the Fort Needham Memorial Park Bell Tower in Halifax.
