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Second World War
The Navy Ashore  - Building the Royal Canadian Navy

The Royal Canadian Navy expanded dramatically during the Second World War, acquiring ships and recruiting personnel to meet the constantly increasing demands placed upon it. Ships had to be built, repaired, and maintained, and people recruited, trained, and supported.

Service Club, Sydney, Nova Scotia
Service Club, Sydney, Nova Scotia

Sailors play ping-pong at the Royal Canadian Navy Service Club in Sydney, Nova Scotia, in January 1941.

The demand for recreational activities grew alongside the expanding navy, as a way of keeping personnel out of trouble. Often, facilities like this club were supported or operated by volunteer organizations. Early in the war, the harbour at Sydney was an assembly and departure point for convoys and a base for the navy's local escort forces. It was ultimately developed for the repair and refitting of warships on the east coast.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19920085-1012





Halifax Dockyard
Hull of a Minesweeper under Construction
A New Gun for the Destroyer
Outfitting a Minesweeper at Night
HMCS Micmac
Diver, First Class
Diving Knife
HMCS York
Calisthenics at HMCS Cornwallis
"Do You Fit in Here?"
Seamen on Jetty Being Instructed on Bends and Hitches
Semaphore Training Tool
Signal Flag Hoist
Nurse's Uniform, Sub-Lieutenant Georgia Hayes
Service Dress Uniform, Captain Charles Best
Foot-Powered Dental Drill
Canadian Sailor in Hospital
Barrington Street Patrol, Halifax
Colt Revolver
Navy Police and Sentry in Dockyard, Halifax
Cap Ribbon Order
Service Club, Sydney, Nova Scotia
Three Sailors at Rest Base, Northern Ireland
Boxing Instruction