Canada's Naval History

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First World War (1914-1918)
The Merchant Navy

From 1914 to 1918, Canadian and Allied merchant ships and mariners transported personnel, munitions, weapons, and food to Great Britain and Europe as part of the Allied war effort. German U-Boats (submarines) and mines claimed tens of thousands of Allied lives and thousands of ships.

Artifact Record

Canada's Answer

Lieutenant Commander Norman Wilkinson's large oil painting depicts the sailing of Canada's First Contingent of troops, over 31,000 strong, from Canada to England.

After taking soldiers, horses, and equipment on board in Quebec City, the liners carrying the First Contingent formed up with British warships in Bay of Gaspé, Quebec, before leaving for England. Along the way, they were joined by another liner carrying soldiers from Newfoundland and by several other warships, including one of the Royal Navy's largest battlecruisers, the 26,000-ton HMS Princess Royal, seen here in the foreground.

Canada's Answer
Painted by Norman Wilkinson around 1918
Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
CWM 19710261-0791