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HMCS NIOBE sailing past Georges Island as she arrives in Halifax on 21 Oct 1910. Her arrival was deliberately chosen to coincide with Trafalgar Day, symbolizing the RCN's connection to the Royal Navy and its tradition.
This photo is from the personal photo album of OS J. O. Cossette (later Rear-Admiral Cossette) // Courtesy of the Naval Museum of Halifax
Note: October 21st is celebrated in the Royal Navy as Trafalgar Day. Since 2014 The RCN celebrates October 21 as Niobe Day.
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)
Canadian Veterans: Owed or Missing Medals - A facebook page run by Kyle Scott - A Canadian veteran helping fellow Canadian veterans receive replacement medals for missing, lost, or destroyed, as well as owed honours and awards from the Department of National Defence and the Governor General’s Office.
Fund Raising Campaign - Just For the Hull of It - HMCS SACKVILLE
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
21 Oct 2024 - HMCS CORNWALLIS - A New Entry course photo for IROQUOIS XIX Division Apr-Aug 1957 has been added 16 Oct 2024 - A Second World War New Entry course photo for Hawke Division, HMCS CORNWALLIS, has been added 07 Oct 2024 - The photo album of PO Robert Webster, RCNVR has been added. This album contains a larger number of photos of Royal Navy sailors who were in Halifax during the war. 06 Oct 2024 - A page on the Knights of Columbus Hostel Fire, St. John's, Nfld, 12 Dec 1942 has been added 26 Sep 2024 - HMCS FRASER 233 - The Crossing the Line booklet for 1964 has been added 25 Sep 2024 - Ship's Bells - A bell page for HMCS HESPELER K489 has been added. 22 Sep 2024 - Diaries and Memoirs - The Jan-Apr 1916 cruise notes of Bruce Restall, RNCVR have been added 16 Sep 2024 - Shipboard Newspapers - "Bergy Bits" Vol 1 No. 58, HMCS LABRADOR'S shipboard newspaper - has been added 12 Sep 2024 - ML Q051 - A possible crew photo for ML Q051 has been added 07 Sep 2024 - DBF - A course photo for Victoria Class Basic Submarine Course # 2024-0081 has been added 05 Sep 2024 - HMCS FLORENCE - A ship's company photo page has been added 30 Aug 2024 - HMCS WASAGA J162 - Two hundred thirteen photos from the collection of Ross E. Milligan, PO, RCNVR have been added to her page 30 Aug 2024 - HMC NAVAL CAMP - Eighteen photos from the collection of Ross E. Milligan, PO, RCNVR have been added to her page 30 Aug 2024 - HMCS SUDBURY K162 - Eight photos from the collection of Ross E. Milligan, PO, RCNVR have been added to her page 27 Aug 2024 - HMCS ST JOHN'S 340 - Seventeen photos of shipboard art work from S1 Courchesne have been added to her Gunshield and Shipboard Art page 18 Jul 2024 - Documents and Manuals - A document on Repairs and Refitting, East Coast Ships - 1943 has been added 11 Jul 2024 - Documents and Manuals - The Manual of Ceremony for HMC Ships, Submarines and Naval Reserve Divisions dated 2004 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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