Stamps issued to Commemorate Navy Centennial

Stamps issued to commemorate the Canadian Navy’s 100th Anniversary

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Navy, Canada Post has issued two stamps depicting the past and present of Canada’s naval service. The first stamp features one of Canada’s first naval warships, HMCS Niobe, with a picture of an unknown sailor taken around 1910. The second stamp focuses on the present day navy with a picture of HMCS Halifax and of Cheryl Bush, Chief Petty Officer Second Class, currently employed with the Chief of the Maritime Staff in Ottawa.

“We are particularly aware these days of the need to honour and recognize the sacrifice made by the men and women who serve in our military,” says Jim Phillips, Director of Stamp Services at Canada Post. “Our stamp program plays a key role in reminding all Canadians of the importance and value of their Canadian Forces. It’s a responsibility we take quite seriously.”

The stamps were created to help bring public awareness to the role that the Canadian Navy has played over the past 100 years. “These stamps are visible, practical reminders that our country is served, in both war and peace, by the men and women of the naval service who safeguard Canada and its values,” says Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden, Chief of the Maritime Staff.

The Naval Service Act brought the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) into existence on May 4, 1910. HMCS Niobe, purchased from Great Britain, reached Halifax Harbour on October 21, 1910 – an arrival that signalled the Canadian Navy was a reality. When the First World War broke out, the RCN had less than 350 sailors and two warships. By the end of the Second World War, it had grown into one of the world’s greatest naval forces, with roughly 100,000 men and women and a fleet of 365 warships.

HMCS Halifax is the first of the Canadian Patrol Frigates built by Saint John Shipbuilding Ltd. in Saint John, New Brunswick. Since entering service in 1994, HMCS Halifax has served in military operations around the world – most recently, a humanitarian mission to Haiti following an earthquake in that country.

In front page graphic Minister John Baird, Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden and CPO2 Cheryl Bush unveil the centennial stamps at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

Photo taken by MCpl Roy MacLellan