The Way It Was: Canada’s Maritime Heritage — To Make Ready For Sea

They That Go Down To The Sea In Ships

By Andrea Grimes

On the heels of the Boer War (1899-1902), where our young nation earned its initiation on the world stage, Canada realized that hostiles on the Western Front gave cause for concern.

In preparing for the inevitable, the Canadian Parliament organized a naval service on May 4, 1910, and later, on August 29, 1911, gave it the name, Royal Canadian Navy. Thus, Canada’s maritime defence was established “to make ready for sea.”

“Battle stations” was called and this command was passed along. Every man aboard the ship knew what to do, each practicing his trade. By experiencing the bitter realities of war, many went from being lads to becoming men: “Ready Aye Ready.”

In 1996, the Royal Canadian Naval Association, Admiral Hose Branch, Windsor, (a non-profit organization incorporated in the Province of Ontario) erected the Naval Monument in Windsor’s Dieppe Gardens.

The monument, cut by Excelsior Monuments (ExcelsiorMonuments.com), stands to honour the memory of Canadians who served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the Merchant Navy of Canada in the Great War, WWII, Korean War, and Canadian Naval Peacekeeping Operations who “went down to the sea in ships and occupy their business in great waters.”

Prominent on the monument are two bronze plaques, listing the names of 50 officers and men from Windsor and Essex County who enlisted and trained at HMCS HUNTER (Naval Reserve Division) and; who were killed in the Battle of the Atlantic.

“The success of our fundraising efforts was a result of the collective support from the Windsor Port Authority; the 11 branches of our Royal Canadian Legions in Windsor and Essex County; the Windsor Essex Community Foundation — Canada 150th Project; Veterans’ organizations, unions; and citizens from Windsor-Essex County,” says Ron Sitarz, President of the Royal Canadian Naval Association (RCNA), Admiral Hose Branch, Windsor.

To commemorate the RCN’s centennial in 2010, plaques were added to the monument in recognition of the 100 years of naval service by Canadians and to honour the legacy of Rear Admiral Walter Hose who is regarded as the “father” of the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve.

Retiring in Windsor in 1950, Hose continued to serve “ship mates” and our community with a commitment to honouring duty, service and sacrifice of so many who gave up a piece of individuality to become a part of something larger than themselves.

“The Battle of the Atlantic is an important opportunity to reflect upon the presence of Canada’s distinguished naval heritage,” states Commander Richard Hillier, Commanding Officer, HMCS HUNTER. “The Royal Canadian Naval Association’s monument at Dieppe Gardens is dedicated to the memory of those who have fallen in service to their country; members of the Royal Canadian Navy who have served Canada in all theatres of conflict along with peacekeeping missions and continued operations globally.”

In 2018, the monument underwent significant restoration by Hallmark Memorial Co. (HallmarkMemorialCo.ca) with the addition of bronze plaques listing the 33 Canadian warships lost in the Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945), with inscriptions recognizing the Cold War (1950-1990) and the Afghanistan War (2002-2014).

Five flagpoles displaying the RCN’s Ensigns,

The Royal Canadian Naval Association’s Memory Panel Plaza in Windsor’s Dieppe Gardens. Photo courtesy of RCNA, 2021.

(a warship’s standard indicating its nationality) were also installed. The surrounding plaza was reconstructed and expanded with flower planters added by the City of Windsor during the city’s reconstruction of the adjacent river walk.

Sitarz adds: “In 2020, the RCNA identified the need to tell the story of the RCN and the sacrifice made by many sailors from across Canada (including Windsor-Essex County) having served in the First World War, the Second World War, The Korean War, the Cold War, the Afghanistan War and Peacekeeping missions, as well as contributions made by the Merchant Navy of Canada and Seafarers aboard the merchant vessels in WWI and WWII.”

Through the generous support of the City of Windsor, the addition of the RCNA’s “Memory Panels” (adjacent to the Naval Monument Plaza) was completed by Hallmark Memorial in May 2021. The four black granite panels are engraved with this distinction, “ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY — CANADA AND THE WAR AT SEA.”

Many young lads from Windsor and Essex County never thought twice about “joining up”. Some came home while others … “belong to the ages.” The legacy of remembrance imparts a sense of a wider purpose.

In quoting Polish poet, Czeslaw Milosz: “The living owe it to those who no longer can speak to tell their story for them.” As a civilian Veterans Advocate, Andrea Grimes was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Governor General’s Medal for her volunteer service to Veterans and a number non-profit organizations supporting Windsor’s military families’ network.