Customs and Traditions of the Canadian Navy

George F. McElroy was a freelance reviewer living in Oakville, Ontario.

Lieutenant (N) Arbuckle joined the Navy in 1974 and served at sea on minesweeper and destroyer duties for several years before being posted to Venture, the Naval Officer Training Centre, as Standards Officer. It was during that posting that this book was written. He was awarded the Maritime Commander’s Commendation and is now employed in the Combined Support Division of Fleet School, Halifax.

Publication of this volume coincides with the seventy-fifth anniversary of Canada’s Senior Service. For most of those 75 years, this service was proudly known as the Royal Canadian Navy. In his preface, the author states: “Since 1967, when the armed forces were unified, it has become increasingly tenuous to rely on word of mouth to maintain an awareness of naval customs and traditions among the officers and men who now serve in the Canadian Navy. This book has been written to ensure that the Senior Service maintains its unique identity.’

There is no doubt that Lieutenant Arbuckle has achieved his objective. The book traces naval customs and traditions back to medieval times when “navy” meant “all English shipping and seamen.’ Its contents include such naval practices and ceremonies as hand and ship salutes, Piping the Side, badges and insignia, flags, ship launchings, religious services, Divisions and Evening Quarters, Fleet Reviews, Paving Off, Crossing the Line, and many others. It provides detailed diagrams of two important ceremonies practiced today: the Presentation of Colours and the Tattoo, Retreat and Sunset Ceremony.

The book is well illustrated with drawings, photographs, and diagrams, and the history and background of the various traditions and customs are explained with interesting bits of naval lore and entertaining anecdotes. Examples of a few of the items covered are: “Nail the Colours to the Mast”; the Hammock; the First Woman in the Navy (?); Some Old Beliefs and Superstitions; Warming the Bell; Dead Horse Ceremony; the Jaunty; and the Luck Coin in Ships. Also included are a brief historical account of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships and their forebears, the Barber Pole Brigade, and the Battle of the Atlantic.

Recommended as a reference volume as well as for general reading.