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PCTU Photo Ex 2025 All 8 Orca class vessels of the Patrol Craft Training Unit conducting manoeuvers together for the first time in Class history Photo source: Patrol Craft Training Unit Facebook page DND / RCN 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!
Quotes
"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)
“Only a seaman realises to what great extent an entire ship reflects the personality and ability of one individual, her Commanding Officer. To a landsman, this is not understandable - and sometimes it is even difficult for us to comprehend - but it is so!..." (click here to read the full quote) (Attributed to Joseph Conrad (1857–1924), Polish-British writer.)
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
Don't forget to stop by and sign the Ship's Log (Guestbook)
Gunnery practice hiccups - The Battle of Roberts Creek and U.S. hit by Canadian Navy shells
What's New - back to the top of the page
11 Feb 2025 - The Field of Honour Project - Cemetery pages for Gods Acre Veterans Cemetery, Esquiamlt; 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 18 Jan 2024 - A page has been added to list events such as Rounding the Horn, Circumnavigating North American, etc titled RCN 1sts, 2nds, 3rds, etc ... 06 Jan 2025 - A page for the RCN's Technical Apprentice Trainining Program has been added 05 Jan 2025 - Documents and Manuals - A booklet on Career Opportunities in the Wrens has been added 31 Dec 2024 - Newspaper, Magazines and More - The Halifax Explosion 50th Anniversary Edition of The Halifax Herald has been added 28 Dec 2024 - Diaries and Memoirs - The memoirs of Leading Coder Ross Somerville, RCNVR have been added 23 Dec 2024 - HMCS WEYBURN K173 - A ship's company photo 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 10) A History of the West Coast Canadian Forces Auxiliary Fleet by Matthew Chapman 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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