6 December 1917
More than 1,600 are killed and 9,000 wounded after the explosion of a munitions ship in Halifax Harbour.
Credit: LAC/C-001833
7 December 1941
Canada declares war on Finland, Hungary and Romania, as well as Japan, following its attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
8 December 1915
Punch magazine publishes “In Flanders Fields.”
Credit: Guelph Museums
16 December 2021
HMCS Winnipeg completes its deployment to the Indo-Pacific region on Operation Projection, an ongoing naval presence mission to promote peace and stability.
17 December 1917
Military nurses and female relatives of Canadian soldiers are allowed to vote for the first time in a federal election.
Credit: LAC/PA-002279
18 December 1837
During the Upper Canada Rebellion, 18 Black men from Hamilton sign a “Loyal statement of people of colour” devoting themselves to British military service. They form a Black company that helps suppress the rebellion.
19 December 1941
In Hong Kong, Sgt-Maj. John Robert Osborn tosses back several Japanese grenades before throwing himself on one to save his company. He is posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
20 December 1943
Canadian forces begin their fight to capture the Italian town of Ortona in a battle renowned for its vicious street fighting.
23 December 1970
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau announces that troops dispatched in response to the October Crisis will be withdrawn from Quebec on Jan. 4.
24 December 1914
An unofficial Christmas truce begins on the Western Front.
26 December 1943
Gen. Andrew McNaughton, commander of First Canadian Army, retires; shortly thereafter he becomes defence minister.
27 December 2001
Canada announces the deployment of two long-range surveillance and maritime patrol aircraft and some 200 air force personnel to the Persian Gulf.
28 December 1945
Brigadeführer Kurt Meyer is found guilty of war crimes at a Canadian military court in Germany for the murder of Canadian soldiers at Abbaye d’Ardenne, France.
Credit: LAC
31 December 1992
New Canadian military honours are established, including the Victoria Cross, the Star of Military Valour and the Medal of Military Valour.
Credit: Wikimedia
Advertisement
