"In the Wake of TITANIC" - The Recovery and Burial of the Dead (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

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Thank you to the Stevens Group of Companies for sponsoring this documentary and their continued support of the Nova Scotian communities: https://stevensgroup.ca/

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A special 90 minute documentary about the aftermath of the Titanic from Nova Scotia's point of view - the terrible task of recovering the dead at the wrecksite and processing them, then burying those who were not claimed.

When the Titanic slipped beneath the North Atlantic in the early hours of April 15, 1912, nearly 1,500 souls were lost. Although their lives were over, their stories were not. In the days that followed, a grim and solemn task began.

From Halifax, Nova Scotia, the cable ship Mackay-Bennett was among the first vessels sent to search the icy waters, tasked with recovering as many of the victims as possible. What the crew encountered was haunting—an endless expanse of debris, and the silent presence of those who had once filled the great liner’s decks. For the sailors, the work was difficult. For the undertakers and clergy waiting on shore, it was heartbreaking.

Halifax, Nova Scotia was the base of action for these dreaded expeditions. We’re looking in detail like never before at this chapter of the Titanic’s story, looking at rare artifacts, lost communication transcripts, and forgotten evidence to understand why Halifax was once called the City of the Dead. There, 150 victims remain to this day, buried beneath simple headstones, their names and stories still echoing across time.

This is the often-overlooked aftermath of the Titanic disaster—the story of those who carried out an unimaginable duty, and the city that became the final guardian of so many lost souls. This is Titanic’s Aftermath.

Featuring Charles Haas of the Titanic International Society, Dee Ryan-Meister of the Titanic Society of Atlantic Canada, as well as other local Nova Scotian historians including Blair Beed, Bob Chaulk, and Pat Teasdale.

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Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction
2:24 - Sponsorship by The Stevens Group
4:10 - The Titanic Disaster
6:32 - The Carpathia Turns to North American
10:06 - Halifax, George Wright, and Hilda Slayter
13:48 - Introducing the Mackay Bennett
17:16 - A Futile Mission
20:26 - The SS Bremen at the Wreck Site
22:33 - Day 1
25:23 - Finding the Unknown Child
27:27 - Burials at Sea
28:36 - Day 2
31:15 - Vincent Astor Travels to Halifax
33:23 - The Minia is Chartered
35:22 - The Heart of the Debris Field
36:41 - Day 3
38:22 - Day 4
41:14 - Salvaging Floating Debris
44:06 - Mackay Bennett Offloads in Halifax
47:51 - The Undertakers and the Mayflower Curling Rink
52:50 - Day 11
54:13 - The First Burials in Fairview Lawn Cemetery
56:47 - The Burials in Baron de Hirsch Jewish Cemetery and Michel Navratil
1:03:34 - Day 12
1:04:19 - Funerals Across Halifax
1:05:35 - The Burials in Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery
1:08:58 - The Funeral of the Unknown Child
1:15:27 - The Minia Offloads in Halifax
1:16:17 - The Montmagny and the Algerine
1:17:54 - Fairview Lawn Cemetery
1:22:21 - Identifying the Unknown Child
1:24:42 - Other Titanic Connections in Nova Scotia
1:27:33 - Conclusion