At the start of the First World War, Walter Hose commanded HMCS Rainbow, the first Canadian warship to put to sea as a belligerent.

In this photograph, likely on board Rainbow, the three stripes on Hose's cuffs indicate his rank of commander. Hose, who had commanded Rainbow since 1911, had transferred from Britain's Royal Navy to the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in 1912. Following the First World War, he shepherded the RCN through postwar challenges to its continued survival.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20020045-2810