From left to right - FGS ERFURT, HDMS Peter Willemoes, and HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën sail in front of HMCS HALIFAX after conducting a Personnel Awaiting Transfer (PAX) during Operation REASSURANCE on 26 April 2022
Photo: Pte Connor Bennet, Canadian Armed Forces photo
Click on the above photo to view the full image
Welcome to "For Posterity's Sake" - a site dedicated to the men and women of the Royal Canadian Navy and the ships they lived and served in. This is a personal website and is not affiliated with the Government of Canada nor the Department of National Defence.
The goal of this site is to preserve and share the history of those who have sailed in the ships of the RCN. The history we all have buried in our basements or closets in boxes and photo albums - photos of grandparents and parents, aunts and uncles who have also taken pictures and told stories of their time in. This is the history you will not find on the government's historical pages - and its these photos and stories that we all have that I'm hoping to preserve here for posterity's sake.
If you would like to submit photos or stories to be posted here, please send me an EMAIL ( info@forposterityssake.ca ). With the help of all sailors past and present and their families this page can be made into a historical site for future generations to learn about our proud past. May you always have fair winds and following seas!
"The men of GALIANO died in the performance of duty. They have ventured into rough places and taken their chance many a time before. They did it without a flourish of trumpets. This time they took a chance and lost." (The Victoria Daily Colonists November 03, 1918)
"He had entered the battle with the confidence we all possessed, did his part in the face of severe enemy fire and was undoubtedly unaware of his end. A man can do no more than die at his gun." (Excerpt from the letter to the sister of LS Dugald Leitch, RCNVR)
"There was nothing glorious or romantic about watching bodies and gear float to the surface after sinking a U-boat." (Seaman Campbell, HMCS Kootenay H75)
“Few of their countrymen knew and even fewer now remember the desperate fight waged on the cold and cruel northern seas. But had it failed, the results would have been catastrophic. The clear measure of devotion and courage of these men shall always be that in that dark and bloody winter of crisis they did not fail.” (Captain John Waters Jr.)
"The Canadian Navy … trained men with men who were scarcely trained themselves. It did everything under the pressure of desperate urgency. It learned to fight a war while fighting it. By all the rules, it should have been the most unholy hash to come out of the war. Somehow, things have turned out differently." (The Guelph Mercury 16 Nov 2015)
Don't forget to stop by and sign the Ship's Log (Guestbook)
Photo collections: Annie Campbell photo collection - photos from the First World War Capital Iron and Metal - photos of ships from the Second World War being broken up Joseph Barr Champion Collection - A historical collection of photos and documents from the life of Joseph Barr Champion, RNCVR, RCN, RAN(R), Merchant Mariner Mary Lannon collection - photos of sailors during the Second World War Nick's photo collection - from his time on HMCS ONTARIO during the Second World War
Ultimate Sacrifice by Robert P. "Bob" D'Aoust
Those who made the Ultimate Sacrifice in the Royal Canadian Navy, The Royal Canadian Naval Reserve, and the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve 1939-1947 - a 3 volume 4 book set.
They Gave Their All - by Robert P. "Bob" D'Aoust
A 4 volume set on Canada's Merchant Sailors who died serving on Merchant ships from 1939 to 1947.
What's New - back to the top of the page
09 May 2022 - HMCS OWEN SOUND K340 - A ship's company photo has been added 24 Apr 2022 - RCN Memories - Wooden Ships and Iron Men (Again) has been added 23 Apr 2022 - HMCS WOLF - Eleven photos from the collection of LTO William (Bill) Dougall have been added to her page 23 Apr 2022 - HMCS DUNDAS K229 - Twenty photos from the collection of LTO William (Bill) Dougall have been added to her page 23 Apr 2022 - HMCS WALLACEBURG J336 - Fifty-six photos from the collection of LTO William (Bill) Dougall have been added to her page 19 Apr 2022 - HMCS CHILLIWACK - 80 photos from the collection of Charlie Howell, SD, RCNVR have been added to her page 14 Apr 2022 - HMCS CORNWALLIS - A course photo for NIAGARA DIVISION 24 Mar - 02 Aug 1952 has been added 01 Apr 2022 - Books related to the RCN - The book "Canada's Greatest Navy - a cartoon seaman's eye-view of our sailors in World War Two" has been added 15 Mar 2022 - HMCS UGANDA - The shipboard newspaper "The Uganda Tar Paper" from 14 Feb to 09 Aug 1945 has been added to the Newspapers, Magazines and Shipboard Newspaper page 22 Feb 2022 - HMCS MATAPEDIA K112 - Sixty photos from the collection of William Belling, LS, RCNVR have been added to her page 22 Feb 2022 - HMCS SKEENA - Seventeen photos from the collection of William Belling, LS, RCNVR have been added to her page 19 Feb 2022 - HMCS GRILSE - A ship's company photo from Dec 1916 has been added 17 Feb 2022 - HMCS FERGUS K686 - A photo album - The Life of HMCS FERGUS - has been added to her page 16 Feb 2022 - HMCS DUNDAS K229 - A ship's company photo page has been added for her Credits / Resources 1) Sailors - past and present and their families 2) ReadyAyeReady.com for ship's badges post 1949 3) The Naval History Net - Ship Histories, Convoy Escort Movements for Casualty Lists 1939-1947 4) Naval Museum of Manitoba - Crew photos and names for MTBs 5) THE FAIRMILES - CANADA'S LITTLE SHIPS by Spud Roscoe VE1BC Edited by Jerry Proc 6) German U-Boat Casualties in World War 2 - Information on U-Boats sunk by Canadian ships 7) The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910-1981 by Ken Macpherson and John Burgess 8) The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910-2002 by Ken Macpherson and Ron Barrie 9) Veterans of World War II, Langruth, Manitoba 10) RCN Fairmiles 11) A History of the West Coast Canadian Forces Auxiliary Fleet by Matthew Chapman 13) A List of the Ships Scrapped or Broken Up By Capital Iron & Metals Ltd. in Victoria BC. 14) The Bosun's Watch - The Fleetwood Steam and Sailing Trawler website 15) Arnold Hague Convoy Database 16) Ultimate Sacrifice by Robert D'Aoust 17) Designs of Distinction - Unofficial Insignia of the RCN 1910 - 1948 by David J. Freeman 18) The Nauticapedia - Celebrating the stories of the maritime heritage of British Columbia, western and northern Canada, and Canada's Naval Forces
Disclaimer This is a personal website and the website owner is not affiliated with the Government of Canada or Department of National Defence (DND).
The information on this site is for informational purposes only. This website is a compilation of information from government websites, books and other resources such as wartime diaries and stories from the memories of those who served and may contain historical inaccuracies. For Posterity's Sake and those who submit information to this site are not responsible for any historical inaccuracies and accepts no responsibility for any costs / expenditures by those using this information. Anyone using information from this site should exercise due diligence and verify any information used.
This web site contains links to other web sites. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy or opinions expressed in such web sites, and such web sites are not investigated, monitored or checked for accuracy or completeness by us. Inclusion of any linked web site on or through this web site does not imply approval or endorsement of the linked web site by us. If you decide to access these sites, you do so at your own risk.
© For Posterity's Sake.
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