Canada's Naval History

The Second World War
The Merchant Navy - The Merchant Navy

Between 1939 and 1945, Canadian and Allied merchant ships and their crews transported personnel, munitions, weapons, and food across the world's oceans as part of the Allied war effort. Enemy action sank some 70 Canadian and Newfoundland merchant vessels. Over 1,600 Canadians and Newfoundlanders, including eight women, were killed.

Artifact Record

Canadian Pacific Cap Badge and Cap Band

This Second World War cap badge features a crown over the red and white chequered flag of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company.

At the start of the war in September 1939, Canadian Pacific (CP) operated about 35 ocean-going ships in addition to other vessels operating on Canadian coastal or inland waters. Although the company was Canadian, many of its ocean-going ships were registered in Britain, and not in Canada. CP lost 12 ships, including liners, to accident or enemy action during the Second World War.

Cap Badge
CWM 20070055-001