Ashpan Annie

Anne Welsh
Born Anne Liggins
(1916-01-25)January 25, 1916
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Died July 18, 2010(2010-07-18) (aged 94)
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Resting place Mount Olivet Cemetery
Nationality Canadian
Other names Ashpan Annie
Known for Survivor of the Halifax Explosion

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

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.

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 Dec 7, 2004. 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. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  9. ↑ "David Stone and Friends". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  • Obituary in The Chronicle Herald
  • Herriman, Margaret; Graham North (March 2008). "Ashpan Annie: "Hard work will never kill you"" (Flash slideshow). University of King's College School of Journalism. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  • "Anne M Liggins Welsh". Find a Grave. Oct 11, 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
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