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Interwar Years
The 1920s: A Navy Struggling to Survive

Following the end of the First World War, the Royal Canadian Navy faced significant threats to its continued existence. In the face of significant cutbacks, the navy focused on maintaining a small force to train sailors and to protect the country's coasts against enemy ships.

RCNVR Quebec Hockey Team
RCNVR Quebec Hockey Team

Members of the hockey team for the Quebec division of the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) pose for a photograph.

Established in 1923 as an effort to provide the Royal Canadian Navy with a national presence at a time when it faced substantial budget cuts, the RCNVR soon established units, called "companies" or "divisions", across the country. In addition to providing training for naval service, RCNVR units also offered the opportunity for social and recreational activities like hockey, and often took part in activities like parades and official ceremonies in their home communities.

Naval Reserve of Canada
HMCS Montcalm Collection
Naval Museum of Quebec





HMCS Aurora
Admiral Jellicoe's Visit to Canada, 1919
HMCS Patriot, around 1922
Canadian Submarines CH-14 and CH-15
Royal Naval College of Canada, Esquimalt, 1920-1921
HMS Raleigh Aground, 1922
Battle-Class Trawler HMCS Ypres
RCNVR Quebec Hockey Team
Field Gun Competition, Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto, 1924
Anchor Light, HMCS Patriot
HMCS Vancouver
F.L. Houghton aboard HMCS Vancouver
Canadian Sailors and Sugar
Leonard W. Murray at the Royal Canadian Navy Barracks, Halifax
Lieutenant Governor Tory Taking the Salute
Royal Canadian Navy Barracks, Halifax
Torpedo Lecture Room, Halifax
The Gun Battery, Halifax
HMCS Givenchy's Crew, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1919
HMCS Patriot Towing the Hydrofoil HD-4, September 1921