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Second World War
The Navy Ashore  - Building the Royal Canadian Navy

The Royal Canadian Navy expanded dramatically during the Second World War, acquiring ships and recruiting personnel to meet the constantly increasing demands placed upon it. Ships had to be built, repaired, and maintained, and people recruited, trained, and supported.

Three Sailors at Rest Base, Northern Ireland
Three Sailors at Rest Base, Northern Ireland

Three Canadian sailors on bicycles pose at a Canadian rest camp near Portrush, Northern Ireland.

Opened in June 1944, the rest camp served the many Canadian naval personnel whose ships operated from the nearby port of Londonderry. While Londonderry was an important base for Canada's navy, few recreation facilities had been provided for Canadians until the camp's opening. The opportunity to escape shipboard routine and North Atlantic conditions was a welcome development. William Prescott, a sailor aboard the corvette HMCS North Bay, took this photograph of Joe Forester, Don Johnston, and an unidentified crew member from the corvette.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19930128-067





Halifax Dockyard
Hull of a Minesweeper under Construction
A New Gun for the Destroyer
Outfitting a Minesweeper at Night
HMCS Micmac
Diver, First Class
Diving Knife
HMCS York
Calisthenics at HMCS Cornwallis
"Do You Fit in Here?"
Seamen on Jetty Being Instructed on Bends and Hitches
Semaphore Training Tool
Signal Flag Hoist
Nurse's Uniform, Sub-Lieutenant Georgia Hayes
Service Dress Uniform, Captain Charles Best
Foot-Powered Dental Drill
Canadian Sailor in Hospital
Barrington Street Patrol, Halifax
Colt Revolver
Navy Police and Sentry in Dockyard, Halifax
Cap Ribbon Order
Service Club, Sydney, Nova Scotia
Three Sailors at Rest Base, Northern Ireland
Boxing Instruction