A surprise Japanese attack on the United States' main naval base in Hawaii (before there had been an official declaration of war by either country) provoked great apprehension on Canada's West Coast. For several nights following the 7 December 1941 raid on Pearl Harbor residents of Vancouver observed a blackout for fear of a similar attack. As it turned out, Japan directed only the most minor acts of aggression against Canadian territory.
When a passing Japanese submarine fired a few shells at a lighthouse on Vancouver Island, civil defence measures were implemented. These students at Queen Mary School in North Vancouver, for example, were required to drill for a possible gas attack by wearing respirators, A charcoal filter attached to the front of the mask was intended to absorb noxious gases before they could be inhaled by the wearer.
