Subseries III - Reserve Division Files

The Royal Canadian Naval Reserve (RCNR) was established in 1923 and was authorized originally to enlist 500 men in nine port divisions, later reduced to five – Charlottetown, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec and Vancouver. Its actual strength between the wars never amounted to more than half that. The members from the RCNR were to be from maritime occupations and to possess a professional knowledge of ships and the sea. Each year they were given four weeks of naval training aboard RCN vessels. On the outbreak of war in 1939, a large number of professional seamen volunteered for service with the RCNR and by May, 1941, approximately 3800 members of the service were on active duty.

In order to train volunteers for naval service, in 1923 15 reserve companies of the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) were organized across the country, a number subsequently increased to 19. Unlike the members of the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve, these men were amateurs – yachtsmen, etc. – with an interest in the sea and ships, but no professional expertise. An RCN instructor provided 30 evenings’ training through the winter followed by two weeks at sea in the summer. The service was often called the “the wavy navy” because rank stripes on the cuff of the officer’s uniform were wavy, and not straight as in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). Between the wars the RCNVR never numbered more than 1500, all ranks. After the outbreak of the Second World War the RCNVR played a key role in the RCN’s expansion, providing some 88 percent of the RCN’s total wartime personnel.