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HMCS WINNIPEG, HNLMS EVERTSEN and RFA TIDESPRING are shown in formation on Sept. 9, 2021, during Exercise Pacific Crown. In the course of the exercise, Canada and the United States each sent a warship through the Taiwan Strait.
UK MOD Crown photo
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)
"The job by the way is that of Gunnery Officer .... My main function is to offer up a silent prayer that we hit first." Lt, Morgan Alan Griffiths, RCNVR - Nov 1942
Don't forget to stop by and sign the Ship's Log (Guestbook)
Fund Raising Campaigns
Just for the Hull of it Campaign - HMCS SACKVILLE
National Naval Reserve Monument Revitalization Project
Gunnery practice hiccups
U.S. hit by Canadian Navy shells
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), Master 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
What's New - back to the top of the page
26 Nov 2022 - Sailor's Diaries and Memoirs - The wartime diary of Stanley Fisher, RCNVR who served in ML Q104 has been added 25 Nov 2022 - Documents and Manuals - A recruiting booklet - The Royal Navy as a Career and How to Join It - dated 1936 has been added 20 Nov 2022 - Ship's book and booklets - The Sep 1982 Crossing the Line (Equator) booklet for HMCS YUKON 263 has been added 16 Nov 2022 - Newspapers, Magazines and more - 27 Issues of the "Northern Light", the official publication of the North Russia Club, have been added 04 Nov 2022 - Ship's Books and Booklets - The Commissioning Book for HMCS REGINA 334 has been added 03 Nov 2022 - Documents and Manuals - The story of Hosaqami - Six Decades of the Travels and Adventures of Hosaqami. The Extraordinary Life of a Totem Pole has been added 25 Oct 2022 - HMCS MIRAMICHI 163 - Her commissioning pamphlet has been added 21 Oct 2022 - Cuban Missile Crisis and the RCN - The document Exceptional Circumstances - Canada’s Maritime Response to the Cuban Missile Crisis October - November 1962 by Michael Whitby, Directorate of History and Heritage - has been added 09 Oct 2022 - Ernest Takalo, the last survivor of the sinking of HMCS ATHABASKAN G07, has Crossed the Bar 04 Oct 2022 - Sailor's Diaries and Memoirs - The memoirs of Coder Douglas Murch have been added 04 Oct 2022 - Sailor's Diaries and Memoirs - The memoirs of Leading Seaman Joseph Byway have been added 04 Oct 2022 - The "Wartime Diaries" page has been re-named to "Sailor's Diaries and Memoirs" 03 Oct 2022 - Wartime Diaries - The wartime diary of ABAA3 William Cummings had been posted 03 Oct 2022 - HMCS RUNNYMEDE K678 - 100 photos from the collection of John Murphy, ERA 4c, RCNVR have been added to her page 05 Sep 2022 - Documents and Manuals - Thesis - The creation of the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service and its role in Canadian naval intelligence and communications, 1939-45 by Julie Anne Redstone-Lewis 2007 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) 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.
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