HMCS ST LAURENT H83 - 1943 Source: Government of Nova Scotia Virtual Archives H.F. Pullen NSARM accession no. 1984-573 Box 1 F/18
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
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U.S. hit by Canadian Navy shells
What's New - back to the top of the page
06 Mar 2024 - A new page for Current News Articles has been added 28 Feb 2024 - HMCS FENNEL - Thirty-five photos from the collection of Art Wideman, RCNVR have been added to her page 28 Feb 2024 - HMCS SKEENA - A ship's company photo for Spring Cruise to Mazatlan in 1963 has been added 27 Feb 2024 - A page for RCN BEACH COMMANDO "W" has been added 25 Feb 2024 - COLUMBIA DIVISION 1/63 (HMCS CORNWALLIS) - A course grad photo with names has been added 18 Feb 2024 - Photos of Unknown Second World War Ships by Class - A new page for unidentified Second World War RCN ships has been added. 17 Feb 2024 - Naval Museum of Halifax - 80 photos of various shipboard weapons systems has been added to their page. 14 Feb 2024 - HMCS NIOBE - Sixty-three photos from the Naval Museum of Halifax have been added to her page 13 Feb 2024 - HMCS CORNWALLIS - 22 photos albums with official RCN photos from 1956 to 1965 have been added 29 Jan 2024 - HMCS HAIDA - A ship's company photo and 2 bear growing contest photos from the collection of LS.CR1 Dumaresq have been added to her ship's company photo page. 29 Jan 2024 - HMCS HAIDA - 34 photos from the collection of LS.CR1 Selwyn Dumaresq have been added to her page 29 Jan 2024 - HMCS LA HULLOISE - 57 photos from the collection of LS.CR1 Selwyn Dumaresq have been added to her page 19 Jan 2024 - HMCS AVALON - 54 photos from the collection of William Tennant have been added to her page. 17 Jan 2024 - HMCS COBALT - The book "HMCS Cobalt - Cobalt's Namesake Goes to War" by Charles Dumaresq has been added to her page. This is an e-book that is being distributed by the author free of charge in PDF format. 10 Jan 2024 - HMCS CORNWALLIS - A new entry course photo for Restigouche 3/65 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.
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