Fairmiles alongside at St. John's, Newfoundland - 1945

ML Q110 inboard Fairmile

 


 

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!

 


 

Quotable Quotes

 

"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

 

In all things ships must come first, they are the only reason for us being in our present jobs. In dealing with any problems we must always ask "How does it affect the ships?"  If you have any bright ideas put them forward . . . and remember SHIPS FIRST.  - Extract from a memorandum circulated by Vice Admiral E.R. Mainguy, OBE, CD, RCN, Chief of Naval Personnel

 

There can be no doubt that the sea takes from the sailors something intangible and gives it to the ship herself - and that something intangible is her soul. Heretical as it may seem, ships do have souls, personalities of their own, and because of this, they inspire a very real love which no landsmen will ever understand  - Louis de la Chesnaye Audette, Commander. RCNVR (ret 'd)

 

Click here to read more Quotable Quotes

 


 

Click here to see What's New

 

Don't forget to stop by and sign the Ship's Log (Guestbook)

 


 

 


 

* In Memory of Those Who Have Crossed the Bar - RCN, RCNVR, RCNR, RCN(R), C.A.F. (Navy)

* In Memory of Those Who Have Crossed the Bar - WRCNS

 

 

* RCN Warships Lost during the First and Second World Wars

 

* Knights of Columbus Hostel Fire, St. John's, Nfld - 12 Dec 1942

 


 

* Sailors Service / Career Information - This page is for those who have served in the RCN and are still on the right side of the sod - or I have a name and information but it is not known if they have passed on.   Some entries may have full careers and photos, some may be just a name and rank

 


* Battle Honours for the RCN

* Beach Commando "W"

* Black Sailors in the RCN - Breaking the colour barrier

* Books (on the RCN and navy in general)

* Canada's Naval Reserves - brief timeline

* CCCP - Our Cold War Opponents

* Codes - Dolphin, Falcon, SNFL and BPC

* Command Chief Petty Officers of the RCN

* Cuban Missile Crisis and the RCN

* Customs and Traditions of the RCN

* Diaries and Memoirs

* Diesel Boats Forever - Submarines and Submariners of the RCN

* Documents and Manuals (Miscellaneous)

* First Nations People in the RCN

* Fishermen's Reserve (The Gumboot Navy)

* Flags and Pennants - sometimes official, sometimes not

* Ghost Fleet of Bedwell Bay, BC

* Grey Ghosts Aerobatic Team

* Gunshield and shipboard artwork

* Heroes and History Makers of the RCN

* Historical Vignettes

* History of the Tot

* Links

* Long Service and Good Conduct Medal

* Looking for Lost Wingers

* Memoriam Cards - Second World War

* Mission & Morale Patches

* Mystery Photos - Unknown sailors of the RCN

* Naval Museum of Halifax (on For Posterity's Sake)

* Navy Lists - Canadian   //   British

* Newfoundlanders of the RNR who served in the RCN

* News - Navy related news articles

* Newspapers, Magazines and more

* Newspapers - Shipboard

* Odds & Sods

* Officer Classification Identification - RCN

* Operation Jubilee (The Dieppe Raid)

* Photo Albums / Collections

* Photos of Unknown Second World War Ship by Class

* Poems - about Sailors and Ships of the RCN

* RCN 1sts ,2nds, 3rds, etc .....

* RCN Memories

* Ship's Bells

* Ship's Books & Booklets - Commissioning, Paying Off, Special Events

* Ship's Company Photos

* Songs of the RCN

* Sports and the RCN

* Squadron / Fleet Photos

* Stamps, Envelopes and Censor Marks

* Standing Naval Force Atlantic / Standing NATO Maritime Group 1

* Surcouf - French Submarine

* Technical Apprentice Training Plan (T.A.T.P.) 1951-1970

* Trade Abbreviations - Ratings

* Trade Badges

* V.E. Day in Halifax

* What happened to HMCS QUESNEL'S Thunderbird?

 


 

 Gunnery practice hiccups  -  The Battle of Roberts Creek   and   U.S. hit by Canadian Navy shells 

 


 

Ultimate Sacrifice

by Robert D'Aoust

 

Those who made the Ultimate Sacrifice in the RCN, RCNR and RCNVR 1939-1947 - a 3 volume 4 book set.

They Gave Their All

by Robert D'Aoust

 

A 4 volume set on Canada's Merchant Sailors who died serving on Merchant ships from 1939 to 1947

Dieppe Raid

by Robert D'Aoust

 

A 3 volume set on the Canadian Servicemen, who died while on the Dieppe Raid and as POWs in the Second World War

 

The Surrender of the U-Boat Fleet 1945

by Derek Waller, RAF, ret'd

 

This book provides a comprehensive record of the surrender of all these vessels, and it also includes the story of the 200 or so U-boats which were scuttled, rather than surrendered, in the final days of the War.

Sons of Neptune

by Donald "Buster" Brown, CPO1, MMM, CD, RCN

Edited by Sylvain Rouillard, SAOC (East)

 

An autobiography detailing Buster Brown's service history from an Ordinary Seaman Naval Reservist to a Reg Force Chief Petty Officer 1st Class

 


 

Pierre's Alley Cat Society  -  "PACS"

Pierre's Alley Cat Society

A Halifax charity caring for the feral cat colonies in HMC Dockyard.

RAS Retreat (on Facebook)

RAS is a nonprofit Veterans retreat situated on 55 acres of old growth forest in the Wentworth Valley, NS

Mike's Militaria - RCN / RN memorabilia

(on Facebook)

 


 

What's New -  back to the top of the page

 

22 Mar 2025 - a page for Historical Vignettes - researched and written by William Dziadyk has been added

17 Mar 2025 - HMCS LA HULLOISE K668 - Twenty-nine photos from the collection of Murray Howard, CPO, RCNVR have been added to her page

13 Mar 2025 - Books (on the RCN and navy in general) - Sons of Neptune, an autobiography by Donald "Buster" Brown, CPO1, MMM, CD, RCN has been added

13 Mar 2025 - RCN Memories - A new story - V.W. Bug Aweigh has been added

09 Mar 2025 - Documents and Manuals - A Steam Engineering Course Notebook for a course at HMCS NADEN  in 1940 has been added

09 Mar 2025 - HMCS OAKVILLE K178 - A ship's bell page for HMCS OAKVILLE has been added

11 Feb 2025 - The Field of Honour Project - Cemetery pages for Gods Acre Veterans Cemetery, Esquimalt;  Knox Prebyterian Church Cemetery, Sooke; and Royal Oak Burial Park, Sannich have been added

10 Feb 2025 - The Surname Index has been changed to "Sailors Service / Career Information"

09 Feb 2025 - HMCS MORDEN K170 - One Hundred Eighteen photos from the collection of Ross Somerville, Leading Coder, RCNVR, have been added to her page

09 Feb 2025 - HMCS QUINTE J166 - One Hundred Twenty-Seven photos from the collection of Ross Somerville, Leading Coder, RCNVR, have been added to her page

09 Feb 2025 - HMCS ST THOMAS K488 - Nine photos from the collection of Ross Somerville, Leading Coder, RCNVR, have been added to her page

09 Feb 2025 - HMCS STETTLER K681 - Thirty photos from the collection of Ross Somerville, Leading Coder, RCNVR, have been added to her page

08 Feb 2025 - HMCS ARMENTIERES - Two ship's company photos from the collection of Chief Skipper Cilien Matte have been added

02 Feb 2024 - HMCS BRUNSWICKER - A New Entry Course Photo for Jun 1943 has been added

28 Jan 2025 - HMCS FRONTENAC K335 - A commissioning crew photo with a complete crew list has been added

25 Jan 2025 - HMCS STETTLER K681 - The Deck Log for HMCS STETTLER 07 May 1945 - 30 Oct 1945 have been added.

23 Jan 2025 - Newspapers, Magazines and More - An Article from the Feb 1943 Edition of the National Geographic "Convoys to Victory" has been added 

23 Jan 2025 - Documents and Manuals - BR 98 - Boat's Signal Book - 1944  has been added

 


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)  THE FAIRMILES - CANADA'S LITTLE SHIPS by Spud Roscoe VE1BC Edited by Jerry Proc

5)  German U-Boat Casualties in World War 2 - Information on U-Boats sunk by Canadian ships

6)  The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910-1981 by Ken Macpherson and John Burgess

7)  The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910-2002 by Ken Macpherson and Ron Barrie

8)  Veterans of World War II, Langruth, Manitoba

9)  RCN Fairmiles

10)  A History of the West Coast Canadian Forces Auxiliary Fleet by Matthew Chapman

11)  Clyde Built Ships

12)  A List of the Ships Scrapped or Broken Up By Capital Iron & Metals Ltd. in Victoria BC.

13)  The Bosun's Watch - The Fleetwood Steam and Sailing Trawler website

14)  Arnold Hague Convoy Database

15)  Ultimate Sacrifice by Robert D'Aoust

16)  Designs of Distinction - Unofficial Insignia of the RCN 1910 - 1948 by David J. Freeman

17)  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.

 


 

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