Birth of the Navy (1910-1914)
Creating the Navy

Created in 1910, the Naval Service of Canada was renamed the Royal Canadian Navy in 1911. It was the product of an intense Canadian political debate driven by Great Britain's efforts to bolster its naval defences against the rapidly growing German navy.

Rifle, MK I* Lee-Enfield

An essential part of a navy's arsenal, rifles like this armed sentries and landing parties.

This 1907 rifle, ordered by Great Britain but also bearing Canadian markings, was most likely acquired by Canada during the 1910 handover of the Royal Navy dockyards at Halifax and Esquimalt to Canadian control. It is an example of the British equipment used by Canada's navy in its early years.

Rifle, MK I* Lee-Enfield
CWM 19390002-053