Second World War
The Navy Ashore  - Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service

The Second World War saw close to 7,000 women in naval service. Founded in 1942, the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS), often called the "Wrens", performed a wide variety non-combatant roles ashore, both in Canada and abroad.

HMCS St. Hyacinthe Sweatshirt

This sweatshirt belonged to Margaret Stiles, a member of the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS) who trained at HMCS St. Hyacinthe.

The shirt combines a crown (top) featuring alternating views of sails and ships' sterns and the name of St. Hyacinthe (bottom), the navy's school for signals training, located near Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. Wrens chosen to become telegraphers, coders, and visual signallers after their basic training at HMCS Conestoga were sent to St. Hyacinthe for further training and instructional courses.

Sweatshirt
CWM 20030171-001