The Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) was a naval reserve force of the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

, which replaced the

Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve The Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR) was a naval reserve that was established in Canada in May 1914 and existed until 1923. Initially divided into three subdivisions stretching across the nation, the RNCVR could serve either with t ...

(RNCVR).

Foundation

The RCNVR was created in 1923. The organization was established by

Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Walter Hose Rear Admiral Walter Hose, (2 October 1875 – 22 June 1965) was an officer of the Royal Navy (RN), the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and founder of the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR). Along with Rear Admiral Charles Kingsmill, ...

in a time when the Navy was under drastic budget cuts. Hose saw the establishment of a reserve force as a great way for the fledgling

Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

to build support from coast to coast. Thus he established Naval Reserve Divisions in every major

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

city. The initial authorized strength of the RCNVR was 1,000 all ranks. Fifteen Canadian cities were earmarked for a division. Most were to be of “Half-Company” strength, which was 50, all ranks. These cities were Calgary, Charlottetown,

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, Halifax,

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, Ottawa, Prince Rupert,

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

, Regina, Saint John,

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

and Vancouver. Three cities were ordered to man to a “Company” strength, which was 100, all ranks. These cities were Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Winnipeg. The first commission was given, on March 14, 1923, to Lieutenant Frank Meade, who established a company-sized detachment in Montreal. By the end of that year, twelve units had been formed.

Role in the Second World War

The RCNVR became the backbone of the Canadian Navy, recruiting Officer (armed forces), officers and sailors for the navy. The usefulness of the RCNVR was demonstrated in 1939, at the onset of the World War II, Second World War, when the RCNVR was used to recruit and build the navy. By the end of the war, Canada had the third largest navy in the world, with a complement of nearly 100,000. Most of these men and women were members of the RCNVR. Robert Hampton Gray, a member of the RCNVR from Nelson, British Columbia, was a pilot with the British Pacific Fleet when he sank a Japanese destroyer on August 9, 1945. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. After the Second World War, the RCNVR was merged into the Canadian Forces Naval Reserve, Royal Canadian Navy Reserves. {, class="wikitable" , - ! Department Title !! Years , - , Royal Canadian Navy Primary Reserve , , 2012–Present , - , Canadian Forces Naval Reserve , , 1968–2012 , - , Royal Canadian Naval Reserve , , 1945–1968 , - , Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve, , 1914–1920

Uniforms

Officers in the regular navy wore straight stripes on their uniform sleeves while RCNVR officers had wavy stripes, giving rise to the nickname “Wavy Navy”.

External links

Canadian Naval Reserve History
Royal Canadian Navy Naval history of Canada, Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve Military units and formations of Canada in World War II