Since 2016, on the third Monday of February we’ve taken a day off to rest and celebrate a part of our heritage. Heritage Day, each year, is a celebration of what makes us Nova Scotians. Thus far, we’ve celebrated Viola Desmond in 2016 and Mi’kmaq heritage in 2017.
This year we honour another Nova Scotian woman, Mona Louise Parsons, who saved lives and made a significant difference in the lives of many others during World War II. Parsons moved to the Netherlands in 1937 with her Dutch husband, just a few years before the German occupation. During the occupation, along with her husband, Parsons sheltered allied airmen on their estate and helped them get to safety. They were turned in by an informer in 1941.
Parsons faced trial and was sentenced to death but the judge gave her the rare opportunity to appeal her sentence turning it to a life sentence. She served her sentence until the prison was bombed allowing her escape in 1945.
Learn more about Mona Parsons here: https://heritageday.novascotia.ca/content/2018-honouree-mona-louise-parsons
Learn more about Heritage Day: https://heritageday.novascotia.ca/