Second World War (1939-1945)
The Navy in European Waters  - Coastal Operations: United Kingdom and European Waters

The Royal Canadian Navy, employed on coastal patrols, convoy escort duty, and support operations, made an important contribution to the naval war that raged in the waters around the United Kingdom and off the nearby European coast.

Lieut. Charles Anthony Law, R.C.N.V.R.

Charles Anthony Law was an artist who went on to command a Canadian flotilla of motor torpedo boats (MTBs) in the English Channel.

Joining the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR), Law first saw action in British MTBs in the English Channel. Known as the "Painting Commander," he found an outlet for his artistic talents while in service, including a temporary assignment to depict some of the Royal Canadian Navy's famous ships. He subsequently commanded the 29th Flotilla, a Canadian MTB group formed in 1944, and later became an official war artist.

Lieut. Charles Anthony Law, R.C.N.V.R.
Drawn by Edwin D. McNally in 1943
Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
CWM 20020115-016