Ashpan Annie

Ashpan Annie (January 25, 1916[1] – July 18, 2010) was the name given to Halifax Explosion survivor Anne M. Welsh (née Liggins).

Anne Welsh
Born
Anne Liggins

(1916-01-25)January 25, 1916
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
DiedJuly 18, 2010(2010-07-18) (aged 94)
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Resting placeMount Olivet Cemetery
NationalityCanadian
Other namesAshpan Annie
Known forSurvivor of the Halifax Explosion

At the time she was 23 months old. Her brother Edwin[2] and mother Anne were killed in the blast, which leveled most of the north Barrington Street structure.[3] She was blown under the kitchen stove, where the still warm ashes in the ashpan kept her alive until she was rescued by a soldier, Sgt Davies and his dog along with a neighbour, Mr Henneberry, who was looking for his own family that had lived nearby[4] some 26 hours later.[5]

Her father, Pte Edward, was a soldier who was overseas at the time. She was taken to the Pine Hill Convalescent Hospital, where she was discovered by her grandmother and aunt.[6]

She worked as a laundry worker at a young age, married and raised her own family. Her husband, Angus Welsh, died in the 1990s.[7]

She lived most of her life in the Hydrostone district. She died at The Berkeley, Gladstone Ridge in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Legacy

Several songs have been written about her.

  • Ash Pan Annie - Samantha Gracie[8]
  • Ash Pan Annie - David Stone and Friends[9]

Further reading
  • MacDonald, Laura M. (2005). Curse of the Narrows: The Halifax Explosion 1917. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-200787-8.
  • Bird, Michael J. (1967). The Town That Died: The True Story of the Greatest Man-Made Explosion Before Hiroshima. Ryerson Press. ISBN 0-7700-6015-3.
  • Kitz, Janet (2008). Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion and the Road to Recovery (3rd ed.). Nimbus Publishing. ISBN 1-55109-670-6.
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References
  1. "Mrs. Anne M. "Ashpan Annie" Welsh". ebituaries.ca. 21 July 2010. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  2. "Liggins, Edwin". Halifax Explosion Remembrance Book. Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management. 2009-11-26. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  3. Lipscombe, Kristen. "Thinking of Dec. 6, 1917 : Halifax Explosion survivors commemorate horrific event". Halifax Herald. Archived from the original on 2004-12-06. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  4. Butts, Ed (2007-04-10). SOS: Stories of Survival; True Tales of Disaster, Tragedy, and Courage. Tundra Books. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-88776-786-9. Retrieved 20 July 2010. Says she was 18-months old at the time.
  5. "Halifax explosion survivor 'Ashpan' Annie dead at 95". CTV News. July 18, 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  6. Boutlier, Alex (July 19, 2010). "Ashpan Annie dies at 95". Metro International. Archived from the original on 24 July 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  7. "Ashpan Annie mourned". The Daily Gleaner. July 19, 2010. p. A2. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  8. "Ash Pan Annie". www.halifaxexplosion.org. 2007. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  9. "David Stone and Friends". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
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