Louisbourg 1939 -45

SPECIAL VE DAY 1995 EDITION

By

Jean Kyte

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• 1939 & 1940
  

To the Louisbourg of 1939 the looming war declared by Great Britain and France on Germany on September 3rd was a minor affair that hardly rippled the even tenor of everyday life. The previous February, Mayor Melvin S. Huntington arranged with Malcolm Patterson to introduce a bill in the Legislature establishing the boundaries of the town. The opening of the new Post Office on February 14 and the Customs Office in the same building on February 23 were signs of progress. Swordfishing went on in the summer and the fleet was welcomed as usual. On September 1, Huntington noted in his diary, " Germany invaded Poland today and the war that has been threatened for many months has begun." Up to then, nothing in the way of world news was considered worthwhile mentioning in his diary.