The Early Cold War
Rebuilding and Transformation

The Canadian navy's main Cold War mission was anti-submarine warfare, as it had been in the two world wars. It sought to build a force of ships, personnel, and facilities to fulfill this mission, as well as to pursue other national objectives like sovereignty protection.

Master-at-Arms Ron Crawford, HMCS Cornwallis, 1953

Master-at-Arms Ron Crawford (centre) adjusts a sailor's uniform during an inspection at HMCS Cornwallis in 1953.

As Master-at-Arms, Crawford was responsible for enforcing discipline and regulations. He is likely adjusting two tapes that secure the knot in the black silk handkerchief worn under the sailor's collar, and he holds a pair of scissors in his left hand to trim stray threads spotted during the inspection. Cornwallis, the Royal Canadian Navy's training establishment near Deep Brook, Nova Scotia, had been built during the Second World War, and continued to be used for post-war training.

2008-09-40
CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum