Today the community of Joggins Nova Scotia is recognized for its 350 million year old fossils and its distinction as one of the few UNESCO World Heritage sites in Canada. However, three hundred years ago Joggins was fought over by English and French troops in their battle for control of North America.
This area of Nova Scotia is rich in the military history of Canada. Beginning with the struggles between the English and French which ended with the deportation of the local Acadian population from the province and the fall of the French Fort Beausejour. The French Fort is only a few miles up the Bay of Fundy. The beginning of the end of French control in Canada was set in motion.
During the War of 1812 the area once again played an important role for the British military. The nearby freestone quarries provided an ample supply of sharpening stones for use on their swords and bayonets.
In later 1800s and up until the 1960s the area was an important coal mining centre in Nova Scotia. Like most mining towns when they call of duty came the men of these communities rallied to the cause. Whether it was out of patriotism or a means to avoid working in the dark dangerous pits, over thirty percent of the male population volunteered for military service during both World Wars.
The community paid a high price during the wars, with over thirty men lost in the First World War, another thirteen in the Second World War, and one of the first Canadians killed in the Korean War, Private Borden Brown of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI).