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In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
AMYOT, George Lionel - HMCS Venture's founding Director of Studies, passed away in Ottawa, on 12 June 2004 at the age of 92. George Amyot joined the RCNVR as a S/Lt (SB) in 1942 and later entered the RCN. He served at Royal Roads from 1946-1949. He was promoted to InstCdr in 1949 and served in "Ontario" and "Stadacona". He was the Director of Studies in HMCS Venture from 1954 to 1957. He retired from the RCN in 1963. His patrician demeanor and no-nonsense approach to the instruction of recalcitrant early Venture Cadets prepared them for much greater challenges ahead. (Source: HMCS Venture website - Memoriam)
AMYOT, George Lionel - I first met George Amyot in September 1945. He was an Instructor Lieutenant on the staff of Royal Roads, teaching math to 200 or so cadets. I was the XO in charge of setting a good example, and had little else to do. George soon fixed that. For the next two years he saw that I was properly instructed at golf and tennis. Soon he had me doing cross-court backhand smashes and dodging his 100 mph serves; never did I beat him. At golf he saw to it that I was properly trained by a Pro (at the Royal Colwood), but not so I could take money from him; a 12 handicap wouldn’t do it.
George was 6-2 at least, he had put himself through the University of Manitoba by playing professional hockey and more profitably, club boxing for money in the smoky gyms of Winnipeg and North Dakota. His hockey career was briefly interrupted when he was suspended for punching out a rowdy fan who insulted him. His reputation as a teacher saw him sent to the toughest high school in Winnipeg to restore order, ...that took only one day.
In 1953 when I was assigned the job of inventing a naval college, (I was Director of Training in Ottawa) I asked that George be assigned to help. At the same time I asked that LCdr Ray Phillips also be put on my staff; Ray had been my XO in "Haida" for the last year of the war. 11 months later we had 162 cadets on the Venture parade ground. Amyot or Phillips interviewed each boy who was finally accepted.
George wrote the instructional syllabus for all academics; he had a major input into the sports program, and selected the officers for his staff who could double in sports: Joe Connor, Dave Atkinson, Rugger Williams and others. George saw to it that we had a proportional representation from Quebec, and the other provinces. Every cadet learnt conversational French or English; George was 12 years ahead of Mr. Trudeau on that subject!
George and Ray were great co-operators; there were no turf wars between academics, sports and the time-consuming matters of flying, yachting and warship seatime.
Every Venture cadet owes George one.
So do I.
Written by Read Admiral Robert Welland RCN, Ret'd - HMCS Venture's architect and first Commanding Officer Source: (Source: HMCS Venture website - Memoriam)
Ships served in: * Appointed Probationary Sub-Lieutenant (Special Branch), RCNVR (Navy List Sep 1942) RCN BARRACKS ST JOHN'S - Appointed to (HMCS AVALON for) RCN BARRACKS ST JOHN'S 27 Sep 1942 (Navy List Sep 1942) * Promoted to Sub-Lieutenant (Special Branch), RCNVR (seniority 31 Jul 1942) (Navy List Mar 1943) * Promoted to Sub-Lieutenant (Special Branch), RCNVR (seniority 31 Jul 1943) (Navy List Oct 1943) HMCS CHIPPAWA - Appointed to CHIPPAWA 03 Jan 1944 (Navy List Feb 1944) * Promoted to Instructor-Lieutenant, RCNVR (seniority 31 Jul 1942) (Navy List Jul 1944) HMCS NADEN - Appointed to (HMCS NADEN for) Mechanical Training Establishment 16 Oct 1944 (Navy List Nov 1944) * Transferred to the RCN * Promoted to Instructor Lieutenant-Commander, RCN (seniority 25 May 1945) (Navy List Apr 1946) RCN COLLEGE - Appointed to RCN COLLEGE 04 Jan 1946 (Navy List Apr 1946) * RCN COLLEGE name changed to ROYAL ROADS 1947 * Promoted to Instructor Commander, RCN 19 Jun 1946 (seniority 01 Jan 1949) (Navy List Jan 1949) HMCS ONTARIO - Appointed to ONTARIO 16 May 1949 (Navy List Jul 1949) FLAG OFFICER PACIFIC COAST - Appointed to (HMCS NADEN for) FOPC as Staff of FOPC as Command Education Officer 31 Jul 1950 (Navy List Jan 1951) FLAG OFFICER ATLANTIC COAST - Appointed to (HMCS STADACONA for) FOAC as Staff of FOAC as Command Education Officer 10 Aug 1951 (Navy List Apr 1952) NAVAL HEADQUARTERS OTTAWA - Appointed to NHQ as staff of Executive Assistant to Chief of Naval Personnel 17 Jul 1952 (Navy List Oct 1952) COLLEGE MILITAIRE ROYALE DE ST JEAN - Appointed to (HMCS BYTOWN for) ST JEAN as Director of Studies 01 Sep 1952 (Navy List Jan 1953) HMCS VENTURE - Appointed to VENTURE 11 Aug 1954 as Director of Studies (Navy List Oct 1954) NAVAL HEADQUARTERS OTTAWA - Appointed to NHQ as staff of the Director of Naval Education 09 Sep 1957 (Navy List Jan 1958) NAVAL HEADQUARTERS OTTAWA - Appointed to NHQ as Assistant Director of Naval Manning (Recruiting) 18 Jul 1958 (Navy List Jan 1959) * Rank designation changed to Commander (Instructor), RCN (Navy List Jul 1960) NAVAL HEADQUARTERS OTTAWA - Appointed to NHQ as Staff of Chief of Naval Personnel 11 Aug 1959 (Navy List Jul 1960) * Appointed Staff of Director of Naval Manning (Navy List Oct 1961) HMCS BYTOWN - Appointed to BYTOWN (Navy List Oct 1963) * Honourably Released 03 Nov 1963 (The Nauticapedia)
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