From the Provincial Marine at Amherstburg in 1796 to HMCS Hunter on the Detroit River today. This page gathers the area's naval history, its ships and shipbuilding, and the people from here who served. Every statement has a source. Where sources disagree, both are shown. Where we could not find something, we say so.
This page links to the chronology, the honour roll, uniforms at sea and the navy flags and insignia. It does not repeat them. People who died in service are on the honour roll. The roll below lists people who served, from public records, with service facts only.
A 30-second montage of archival film and photographs about the navy and Windsor, with added ambient music. The corvette and the sailors training are U.S. Navy and U.S. newsreel film; they are not identified as Windsor ships or Windsor sailors. Captions on screen name each source. Music: “Dreams Become Real” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Credits and rights
Before Confederation: the Provincial Marine and 1812
From 1796 to 1813 the Amherstburg Navy Yard was "the British Naval station for Lakes Erie and Huron". Parks Canada lists the King's ships built there, including the General Hunter, Queen Charlotte, Lady Prevost and Detroit.1 The chronology has the full story of the yard, Fort Malden and the capture of Detroit in 1812: 1796 to 1815.
On 10 September 1813 the British squadron "sailed forth from its base in Amherstburg" and met the American fleet at Put-in-Bay. All six British vessels, among them Detroit, Queen Charlotte, Lady Prevost and General Hunter, were captured. The Canadian Encyclopedia gives British losses of 41 dead, 94 wounded and 306 captured.2 The British burned the Amherstburg yard on 22 September 1813.1
Two of those ships still have names in today's navy. Windsor's reserve division is named after "a British vessel that served on the Great Lakes in the War of 1812".3 The Charlottetown division, HMCS Queen Charlotte, "was named after a Provincial Marine Corvette of the same name built at Amherstburg in 1809 for service on Lake Erie."4
The Battle of Lake Erie, engraving in Ballou's Pictorial, 2 February 1856. The Commons record identifies the British ships Little Belt, Lady Prevost, Detroit, Chippeway, Queen Charlotte and Hunter. Public domain. Source filePostcard: the site of the British ship yards of 1812, Amherstburg. Photogelatine Engraving Co. SWODA 2733 via Internet Archive. Public domain. Item recordNavy Yard Park, Amherstburg, the site of the yard, 1 June 2025. Crisco 1492, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source fileNavy Yard Park, Amherstburg, 1 June 2025. Crisco 1492, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source fileMemorial to officers and seamen of 1812, Amherstburg. SWODA 1532. Public domain. Already credited on the chronology.Monument to Great Lakes sailors on Bois Blanc (Bob-Lo) Island, erected in 1909, photographed about 1922. SWODA 1539 via Internet Archive. Public domain. Shown for the Great Lakes sailing tradition, not a war memorial. Item record
Walter Hose, father of the Naval Reserve
Rear-Admiral Walter Hose (2 October 1875 to 22 June 1965) became the first Chief of the Naval Staff of the Royal Canadian Navy. Veterans Affairs Canada's memorial inventory credits him with saving the RCN from government cutbacks and founding the Naval Reserve. After he retired, "he retired to Windsor, Ontario and became a fixture at HMCS Hunter".5
He was buried with full naval honours in Heavenly Rest Cemetery. A 100-man honour guard came from HMCS Hunter and RCSCC Agamemnon, and at his request the six pallbearers were Chief Petty Officers from Hunter. A monument beside his grave was dedicated on 22 June 2014. Members of Hunter and local naval groups hold a service there every 22 June.5The inventory places the monument at 5005 Howard Avenue, LaSalle, while its text calls the cemetery "Heavenly Rest Cemetery in Windsor". In 1952, aged 77, he presented the Great Lakes regatta prizes to Hunter's winning team (see below).6 The Windsor branch of the Royal Canadian Naval Association is named for him.7
Walter Hose (left) with J.L. Ralston and Col Georges Vanier, Canadian delegation to the London Naval Conference, 21 January 1930. Agence Rol, Bibliothèque nationale de France (btv1b53227408w). Public domain. Source fileRear-Admiral Walter Hose, retired, presents the Cock-o'-the-Walk cup to Wren Lida Kapuciak, the youngest member of HMCS Hunter's team, Great Lakes Naval Regatta, Hamilton, 1952. RCN photo DL-101, The Crowsnest, October 1952, p. 14. Crown copyright expired. Cropped from the page.
More photographs of Hose, from the Komagata Maru standoff in Vancouver in 1914 to his last years in Windsor:
Capt. Walter J. Hose (third from left, in naval uniform) on board the Komagata Maru in English Bay, Vancouver, 1914, with Inspector Reid and H.H. Stevens. Photographer unknown; Library and Archives Canada copy on Wikimedia Commons. Public domain in Canada (photograph taken before 1949). Source fileRear-Admiral Walter Hose, founder of the naval reserve, is named in the caption with Vice-Admiral E.R. Mainguy and Rear-Admiral K.F. Adams at the opening of HMCS Queen's first permanent home, Regina, 4 June 1955. Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Aug 1955, PDF page 22. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Source file (PDF page 22)Rear-Admiral Walter Hose (nearest the camera) with Ontario Premier Leslie Frost when naval historical objects were presented to the province, 1960 (photo COND-5761). Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Jul 1960, PDF page 12. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Source file (PDF page 12)Rear-Admiral Walter Hose (third from left) with NOAC president A.P. Gregory, Vice-Admiral H.S. Rayner and C.H. Willis at the Naval Officers' Association of Canada board meeting, Ottawa, November 1962 (photo O-14652). Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Dec 1962, PDF page 20. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Source file (PDF page 20)
HMCS Hunter, 1939 to today
The Naval Reserve Division at Windsor "was established in March 1940 and formally commissioned on November 1, 1941 as HMCS Hunter".3 The official lineage says it was commissioned as a tender to HMCS Stadacona on 1 November 1941 and became an independent shore establishment on 1 September 1942.8
Sources differ on the start. The Royal Canadian Navy gives March 1940.3 A Naval Reserve Association history gives Lt Jordon H. Marshall as commanding officer of a Windsor division from 8 November 1939.9 Both are shown; this desk has not settled it.
In 1949 the navy's own magazine recalled that "the Windsor division was commissioned at the old Toledo Scales plant early in 1940", and that Harry Donald Bondy, later a Chief ERA who served in the corvette Agassiz, was one of the first men to sign on.10 The Martin Marketorium at 960 Ouellette Avenue, built in 1929, became HMCS Hunter in 1944.11 The RCN history says a second building, Hunter II, opened during the war and the two were combined in 1944.3
Because Windsor is a border city, Hunter "trained a large contingent of Polish-American volunteers who eventually transferred to the Polish Navy".3 A 2015 navy release said the building "originally housed and trained newly enlisted sailors", who spent "an average of three to six months in Hunter" before going to a ship.12 The War Chest's roll below includes men who enlisted there, such as Gordon Potts in December 1940 and Tommy Simpson, DSM.
Later firsts at Hunter: in 1981 Cdr Marilyn O'Hearn became the first woman to command a Naval Reserve Division. In 1965 Hunter hosted Walter Hose's funeral. Its motto is "Ready when required", and it holds 13 battle honours.3 The lineage says Hunter perpetuates earlier Royal Navy ships of the name.8
Today.Hunter is a Naval Reserve division. The RCN says it moved in fall 2014 to a new building at the foot of Mill Street in Sandwich Town.3 The company lowered the flag on the old Ouellette Avenue building for the last time on 14 February 2015; the new building was designed for 250 people.12Dates for the move differ: fall 2014 (RCN), 14 February 2015 for the old building's closing (Naval Today and For Posterity's Sake), and 3 May 2015 (Wikipedia, secondary).1314 Its sailors train on the river with partners; the 2018 picture below shows a small-boat exercise with HMCS Prevost, Windsor Police and the Canadian Coast Guard.
WWII recruiting totals for Hunter: not found in a source we could read. A figure of about 4,000 is repeated online, but the article we traced is behind a paywall, so it is not used here.
Ouellette Avenue looking north from Erie Street, postmarked 1937. The white building north of the Masonic Temple is the Martin Marketorium, which became HMCS Hunter in 1944. F.H. Leslie Ltd. SWODA 1702. Public domain. Source fileOuellette Avenue at Erie Street, March 1951, with the HMCS Hunter building. Windsor Police Department collection, SWODA 2251 via Internet Archive. Public domain. Item recordThe former HMCS Hunter building, Ouellette Avenue, 2025. Chris Woodrich, CC BY-SA 4.0. Already credited on the uniforms page.HMCS Hunter Naval Reserve basketball team, Windsor, about 1945. Tony Techko Collection, SWODA 657. CC0. Source fileHMCS Hunter's building at the foot of Mill Street, Sandwich Town, 14 September 2018. HamOnt, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source fileHMCS Hunter personnel in a small-boat exercise with HMCS Prevost, Windsor Police Service and a Canadian Coast Guard inshore rescue boat, 11 August 2018. HamOnt, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source file
Tenders. Secondary sources list craft attached to Hunter for river and lake training, including the Fairmile HMCS Wolf (PTC 762), assigned from 1949 to 1956.14 This desk has not confirmed the full list from a primary source.
Fairmile motor launch ML Q062, later HMCS Wolf (PTC 762). Government of Canada photo, 1941 or 1942, via For Posterity's Sake. Public domain. Source file
Wartime shipbuilding at Windsor
The Canadian Bridge Company of Windsor built ships during the Second World War: tugs for the Royal Navy, the RCN oilers Dundalk and Dundurn, and the tugs Riverton, Maxwell and Clifton.15 A second list gives the RCN tugs as Riverton (W47), Maxwellton (W46) and Clifton (W36), 1944.16One source says Maxwell, the other Maxwellton. The second also suggests the yard may have been between Sandwich and Ojibway, while ship registers used on the chronology place it in Walkerville. Not settled.
Dundalk was launched on 4 July 1943 and Dundurn on 18 September 1943; both were commissioned in November 1943 (secondary source).17The Commons photograph record below dates the Dundurn launch to 20 September 1943, two days after the date in the secondary source. The Clifton story, with a cleared photograph, is in the chronology: HMCS Clifton.
The launch of HMCS Dundurn at the Canadian Bridge Company, Windsor, 1943 (dated 20 September 1943 on the file record). National Film Board / Library and Archives Canada. Public domain. Source fileHMCS Clifton (W36), built at Windsor in 1944. From the collection of Wilfred Bowen, RCNVR. Courtesy of For Posterity's Sake (written permission, 10 Nov 2026). Not under an open licence.
Ships of Windsor and Essex County
Thirteen profiles, in date order: ships built here, ships named for this area, the stone frigate on the river, and ships with a sourced Windsor-Essex crew link. Each figure comes from the source cited beside it. A blank is marked "Not in source" rather than filled from memory. Specifications for the 1812 ships come from a secondary source and are labelled.
The Battle of Lake Erie in Ballou's Pictorial, 1856; the Commons record names Hunter among the British ships shown. Public domain. Source file
Captured 10 September 18132; wrecked at Southampton, Ontario, in 1816, per the secondary source18
Windsor-Essex link. Built at the Amherstburg yard.1 HMCS Hunter in Windsor is named after "a British vessel that served on the Great Lakes in the War of 1812".3The RCN does not say which vessel; a link to this brig is likely but not stated.
Battle of Lake Erie, after the painting by W.H. Powell (Perry changing ships), print published by Johnson & Miles, 1877. Library of Congress LCCN 2007683561. Public domain. Source file
Provincial Marine, 1810 to 1813
Queen Charlotte
Type
Ship-sloop, called a corvette by the Governor General's register194
Windsor-Essex link. The last and largest ship built at the Amherstburg yard before the British burned it on 22 September 1813.1"Largest" is from the secondary source.20
HMCS Hunter, foot of Mill Street, 14 September 2018. HamOnt, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source file
Naval Reserve Division, 1941 to today
HMCS Hunter
Type
Naval Reserve Division (a shore establishment, or "stone frigate")3
Atlantic 1941-44, Gulf of St. Lawrence 1942-44, Normandy 1944, English Channel 1944-4521
Fate
Paid off 6 July 1945 at Sorel; broken up at Hamilton, 194621
Windsor-Essex link. Donald Taylor, born in Windsor in 1923, served in her; his obituary says she escorted the first wave at Omaha Beach.22That detail is from the obituary.
HMCS Haida, museum ship at Hamilton, 27 July 2025. Qviri, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source file
Paid off 11 October 1963; museum ship at Hamilton since 30 August 200323
Windsor-Essex link. Gordon Potts, who enlisted at Hunter, served in her in the Second World War,24 and Roy Donovan, who joined at Hunter, served in her as an Able Seaman on her first Korea tour.25
HMCS Fort Erie (312) as a Prestonian-class ocean escort, between 1956 and 1965. Official Department of National Defence / Royal Canadian Navy photograph. Pennant 312 is visible on the hull. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Copy via For Posterity's Sake. Source
River-class frigate, 1944 to 1965
HMCS Fort Erie (K670)
Class
River-class frigate; rebuilt as a Prestonian-class ocean escort26
Paid off 26 March 1965; broken up at La Spezia, Italy, 196626
Windsor-Essex link. George D. Kelvin, born in Windsor in 1926, of Kingsville, served in her in the war;27 Ralph Roberts served in her later.28
HMCS Portage (169) passing under the Jacques Cartier Bridge, Montreal. Official Department of National Defence / Royal Canadian Navy photograph, taken during her years as a training ship, 1949 to 1958. Pennant 169 is visible on the hull. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Copy via For Posterity's Sake. Source
Windsor-Essex link. She visited Windsor in June 1949 and took Hunter people on a cruise.30 Ralph Roberts served in her.28
HMCS Border Cities (J344) during the Second World War. Official Department of National Defence / Royal Canadian Navy photograph. Pennant J344 is visible on the bow. Public domain (Crown, pre-1949). Copy via For Posterity's Sake. Source
Paid off 15 January 1946; scrapped at Victoria, 194831
Windsor-Essex link. Named for Windsor in all but name: she was "alternatively named for Windsor, Ontario, which name was already being worn by another Allied ship".31 Patrick Ryall of Windsor, later Hunter's Executive Officer, served in her.32
The launch of HMCS Dundurn at the Canadian Bridge Company, Windsor, 1943. NFB / LAC. Public domain. Source file
Carried fuel oil to Atlantic escort bases (secondary)17
Fate
Naval auxiliaries until 1982 and 1993 (secondary)17
Windsor-Essex link. Built on the Detroit River at Windsor.1516
HMCS Clifton (W36). From the collection of Wilfred Bowen, RCNVR; courtesy of Abbie Gourgon and For Posterity's Sake (written permission, 10 Nov 2026). Not under an open licence.
Free French Navy as Langlade, from January 1943; tender to Hunter, 1949 to 19563435
Fate
Bought in 1964 and used as a breakwater on the north shore of Lake Erie; destroyed by ice in the 1970s34
Windsor-Essex link.Hunter's training launch on the Detroit River. Nauticapedia says she is "said to have still sported a Cross of Lorraine" when she arrived.35FPS says she was re-acquired in September 1949 and became Wolf in 1954; Nauticapedia gives 1949 to 1956 at Hunter.
HMCS Windsor in Halifax Harbour, 27 February 2014. Verne Equinox, CC BY-SA 3.0. Source file
Victoria-class submarine, 2001 to today
HMCS Windsor (SSK 877)
Class
Victoria-class (ex-Upholder) submarine; former HMS Unicorn36
"Silent Pride" (RCN); "To be determined" (DHH)3637
Status
In service
Windsor-Essex link. Named for the City of Windsor; her badge uses "the lion supporter of the Arms of the City of Windsor".37 She is the only RCN ship to carry the name.36There have not been two HMCS Windsors. The wartime "Windsor" that forced the name Border Cities was another Allied ship, not an RCN one.31
Names that look local but are not confirmed
Kingsville (W19), a wartime Ville-class tug, shares the town's name. We found no source saying she was named for Kingsville, Ontario.
HMS Leamington, a Town-class destroyer that served under RCN control. We found nothing tying the name to Leamington, Ontario.
Did you know?
1Windsor's HMCS Hunter holds 13 battle honours, perpetuated from Royal Navy ships of the name.3
2HMCS Border Cities was named for Windsor because another Allied ship already had the name.31
3The Windsor-built tug Clifton had a welded hull; her sister Heatherton's was riveted.33
4Hunter's launch Wolf served with the Free French as Langlade before coming to Windsor.34
5Hunter trained a large contingent of Polish-American volunteers for the Polish Navy.3
6In 1981 Cdr Marilyn O'Hearn of Hunter became the first woman to command a Naval Reserve Division.3
7The submarine HMCS Windsor's badge uses the lion from the city's coat of arms.37
8Charlottetown's HMCS Queen Charlotte is named for a corvette built at Amherstburg in 1809.4
Timeline: the navy in Windsor and Essex County
1796The Amherstburg Navy Yard becomes the British naval station for Lakes Erie and Huron.1
1807General Hunter launched at Amherstburg (secondary).18
1809Queen Charlotte built at Amherstburg for Lake Erie.4
10 Sep 1813The squadron sails from Amherstburg; all six ships are captured at the Battle of Lake Erie.2
22 Sep 1813The British burn the Amherstburg yard.1
Mar 1940Windsor naval reserve division established (another source says November 1939).39
14 Feb 2015Flag lowered at the Ouellette Avenue building; Hunter is on Mill Street.12
7 May 2023Naval Monument Plaza dedicated, Battle of the Atlantic Sunday.7
The postwar reserve: regattas, Wrens and cadets
The navy's magazine, The Crowsnest, reported on Hunter almost every month after 1948. These are some of its items, each from the issue cited.
Navy Week opened at Hunter on 18 October 1948, with Mayor Reaume among the guests.40
The minesweeper HMCS Portage visited Windsor in June 1949, berthing at the government dock and taking Hunter personnel on a cruise.30
At the Great Lakes Naval Regatta in Toronto on Labour Day weekend 1949, Hunter took the Cock-of-the-Walk trophy. Ordinary Seaman Chris Whitfield, "the youngest member of the Windsor crew", received it from Vice-Admiral H.T.W. Grant.38
Lt-Cdr William Rodney Aylwin, RCN(R), Hunter's staff officer since April 1949, died suddenly in January 1950.41
Sub-Lieutenant Marshall was "the first Hunter cadet to receive his commission" from the University Naval Training Division.42
In 1950 Hunter lost the regatta trophy to Montreal's Donnacona, but won the rifle shooting and the tug-of-war.43
The Hunter contingent marched in Detroit's 250th anniversary parade in July 1951.44
At Windsor during the 1951 royal tour, Princess Elizabeth inspected a Navy-Army Royal Guard commanded by Lt T.A. Tarleton, Hunter's gunnery officer. (The magazine's photo is credited to the Windsor Star and is not reproduced here.)45
With an average of 83 per cent, the Wrens won Hunter's divisional proficiency trophy for January and February 1952. Lt P.J. Ryall presented it to Wren Grace Knapper, with Lt (W) Gladys Tunk, the Wren divisional officer.39
In 1952 Hunter entertained 100 officers and men from the U.S. Navy training ship PCE 880. In 1953 the magazine pictured Mayor Arthur J. Reaume aboard the same ship with Hunter officers.4647
At Hamilton in 1952, "for the second year in a row", Hunter took Cock-o'-the-Walk honours at the Great Lakes regatta.6 At Kingston in 1953 the headline was "Cock of the Walk Four Times in Five". The team included Wrens Leola MacDonald, Ruth Small and Marion Malpass, Sub-Lt (W) A.M. Moore and PO Robert Bondy.48
Ordinary Seaman Chris Whitfield of HMCS Hunter receives the Cock-of-the-Walk trophy from Vice-Admiral H.T.W. Grant, Toronto, 1949. The Crowsnest, October 1949, p. 23. RCN photo; Crown copyright expired. Cropped from the page.The HMCS Hunter contingent in Detroit's 250th anniversary parade, July 1951. RCN photo Z-6467, The Crowsnest, September 1951, p. 23. Crown copyright expired. Cropped from the page.Lt P.J. Ryall presents the proficiency trophy to Wren Grace Knapper, with Lt (W) Gladys Tunk, HMCS Hunter, 1952. The Crowsnest, May 1952, p. 24. Crown copyright expired. Cropped from the page.HMCS Hunter's winning team at the Great Lakes Naval Regatta, Kingston, 1953. RCN photo O-5794, The Crowsnest, October 1953, p. 27. Crown copyright expired. Cropped from the page.
Korea and the Cold War
Sailors from Windsor and Essex County served in Canadian ships during the Korean War. From public records:
Ralph Roberts, RCN 1950 to 1971, Korea Medal; ships included Crescent, Iroquois, Nootka and Magnificent. See his War Chest profile and the chronology.49
Chuck Milks, named Charles Lawrence Milks in his funeral notice, Royal Canadian Navy and later the RCAF, including time in Korea: see his profile and the chronology.4951
Roy Donovan joined at Hunter and served as an Able Seaman in HMCS Haida on her first Korea tour. He later served in submarines.25
Steven Izsak, Petty Officer 1950 to 1956, two Korea tours in Sioux and Huron.50
Jack Knowler, in Nootka during the Korean War, and Earl McWhinney of Amherstburg, a Korean War naval veteran. See the roll.
Korea and the Cold War, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force
Charles Lawrence "Chuck" Milks
Chuck Milks in a Royal Canadian Navy white uniform, in a framed photograph later kept by the family. Another sailor is visible at the left and is not named. Courtesy of Karyn Anderson.Chuck Milks in later life, in a blazer with a poppy and service medals. Courtesy of the Milks family / Town of LaSalle Local Veterans. Used with the family's written permission, 9 November 2026.
Known as Chuck, and named Charles Lawrence Milks in his funeral notice. The notice's heading gives his years as 1930 to 2022, and the notice says he was born in Maidstone Township and went to Roseland Public School and W.D. Lowe High School. The Town of LaSalle local veterans page says he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy in February 1948, held the rank of leading seaman, spent 18 months in Korea, most of that tour in active war zones, and left the navy in February 1953. It says he then enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1954, served until 1969, reached the rank of sergeant, and that much of that career was in the Northwest Territories with Air Defence Command (the town page spells it Air Defense Command). The funeral notice instead says he left the navy in 1958 before joining the air force, while also saying he then served 15 more years and retired from the military in 1969, which fits the length of the town's 1954 to 1969 air force dates better than a 1958 start. Neither account names a ship or an air-force unit, and a service file has not been seen. The funeral notice dates his death to 26 April 2022 and said a burial at sea would be conducted by the Royal Canadian Navy in Halifax. The town page says he was given a burial at sea there. The notice also says that after leaving the military he worked in security at Chrysler Canada and later as a bailiff.
In the Cold War, local sailors served in the carriers Magnificent and Bonaventure, in destroyer escorts, as divers and in submarines (see the roll). The carrier picture below is already on the chronology.
HMCS Bonaventure (CVL 22) at sea, 20 June 1961. U.S. Navy photo, National Museum of Naval Aviation. Public domain. Already credited on the chronology.
The Gulf War, Afghanistan and later deployments: we did not find a public source naming a Windsor-Essex sailor in these deployments. Naval Monument Plaza was updated in 2016 to 2018 to honour those who served in the Cold War and Afghanistan.7 Families can send names for checking.
The roll of those who served
How this roll was madeThese 84 names come from published obituaries and service notes collected by For Posterity's Sake (a volunteer RCN history site, which reprints Windsor Star notices among others) and from The Crowsnest. Only service facts and the local link given in the source are shown. Family details are left out. A name here is not a claim that the list is complete. People who died in service are on the honour roll, not repeated here. Corrections and new names are welcome.
Charles Curley's name is recorded from the veteran's own public posts, a published newspaper caption, and the editor's knowledge. Ships, years of service, and trade are not given in those sources, so they are not listed here. See his War Chest profile. The other names in this table are from the Town of LaSalle's Local Veterans pages, which are stories submitted by veterans and families.
Name
Service, as recorded
Ships and stations named
Local link, as recorded
Source
Charles Curley
Retired master sailor; colour guard, Royal Canadian Naval Association, Windsor, from 2019
Most of these photographs are from The Crowsnest, the RCN's own magazine, now in the public domain. Each Crowsnest person is named in the original caption, and the name, rank and ship match the roll. Where the caption does not say which person is which, we say so. The photograph of Ralph Roberts is a later-life portrait, courtesy of the Roberts family. The photograph of Charles Curley is from a public post on his Facebook profile. Small photos in the roll above link here.
Ralph Roberts in later life, in his Royal Canadian Legion beret, blazer and medals. Courtesy of the Roberts family.Charles Curley, left, in the ceremonial uniform of the Royal Canadian Naval Association, Windsor. The cap tally reads R.C.N.A. WINDSOR, and the name badge reads CURLEY. Posted publicly on his Facebook profile on 10 November 2023. The other people in the photograph are not named here. Photo: Charles Curley, via Facebook.Captain J.C. Pratt (third from left), commanding the Second Canadian Escort Squadron in HMCS Assiniboine, with Rear-Admiral Kirn, USN, and Canadian destroyer captains aboard the carrier Hornet, 1959. Official U.S. Navy photo, printed in Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, May 1959, PDF page 20. Public domain (U.S. government work). Source file (PDF page 20)The hobby shop in HMCS Haida during her first Korea tour. AB R.A. Donovan is one of the sailors named in the caption; it lists them clockwise, so we do not say which one he is. Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Jul 1953, PDF page 28. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Source file (PDF page 28)A sing-song in HMCS Nootka, 1952 (photo NK-1140). AB Earl McWhinney is named in the caption. Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Jul 1952, PDF page 31. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Source file (PDF page 31)Clearance divers of HMCS Cape Scott, 1964 (photo HS-73956). Ldg. Sea. David Denomey is on the left, per the caption. Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Jan 1964, PDF page 4. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Source file (PDF page 4)PO V.S. Rickert and CPO W.C. Donald at a HMCS Hunter blood donor clinic, 1961. Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Dec 1961, PDF page 19. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Source file (PDF page 19)The 34th Petty Officers' Leadership Course at HMCS Cornwallis, 1952 (photo DB-1911). PO Ernest Spiers is named in the rear row. Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Nov 1952, PDF page 12. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Source file (PDF page 12)HMCS Hunter's regatta team with its trophies, 1951 (photo 0-2021-1). The caption names Lieut. W.J. Waldron, Lieut. P.J. Ryall and Ord. Sea. Robert Bondy among the team. Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Oct 1951, PDF page 13. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Source file (PDF page 13)
Official Admiralty photographs
Three Admiralty official photographs name Windsor sailors. The first is a gun-crew group; the caption names Leading Seaman Henry Shanfield, of Windsor, in the bottom row, and does not point to a single face. The other two are from the HMCS Niobe sports day at Greenock, Scotland, on 11 June 1943.
Forward gun crews of HMCS Annan, 1945. The official caption names Leading Seaman Henry Shanfield, of Windsor, in the bottom row of the gun crew. It does not point to a single face. Admiralty official photograph. Imperial War Museums, A 27881. Public domain (UK Crown copyright expired). Source recordStoker L. Laporte of Windsor wins the 880 yards, Greenock, 11 June 1943. The official caption reads: "Stoker L Laporte, of Windsor, Ontario winning the 880 yards." Photographed at the HMCS Niobe sports day, Greenock, Scotland. Lt S. J. Beadell, Royal Navy official photographer. Imperial War Museums, A 17267. Public domain (UK Crown copyright expired). Source recordStoker Heelam of Windsor in the three-legged race, Greenock, 11 June 1943. The official caption says the three-legged race was "won by Stoker Heelam (Windsor, Ontario) and Stoker McDougal (Prince Edward Island) nearest the camera." Same HMCS Niobe sports day at Greenock as the 880 yards photograph. Lt S. J. Beadell, Royal Navy official photographer. Imperial War Museums, A 17268. Public domain (UK Crown copyright expired). Source record
Named in The Crowsnest, 1948 to 1953
Hunter people named in the issues cited above: Chief ERA Harry Donald Bondy; OS Chris Whitfield; Lt-Cdr W.R. Aylwin; Sub-Lt Marshall (first UNTD commission); Lt T.A. Tarleton; Cdr W.A. Wilkinson (commanding officer); Lt P.J. Ryall; Lt (W) Gladys Tunk; Wrens Grace Knapper, Lida Kapuciak, Leola MacDonald, Ruth Small and Marion Malpass; Sub-Lt (W) A.M. Moore; PO Robert Bondy; Lt Harry Rowlings (staff officer, 1953).1038414245394748
Photographs of the Hunter people named above. New ones first, then photos already on this page:
Cdr W.A. Wilkinson, commanding officer of HMCS Hunter (left), presents the gunnery trophy to Ldg. Sea. William Bear, 1951. Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Apr 1951, PDF page 23. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Source file (PDF page 23)Commanding officers of the naval divisions in conference, 1952 (photo O-2119-8). Cdr W.A. Wilkinson of Hunter is named in the caption. Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Jan 1952, PDF page 16. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Source file (PDF page 16)Lieut. Harry Rowlings, staff officer at Hunter (left), with Windsor Mayor Arthur Reaume, Lt H.H. Sullivan, USN, and Lt-Cdr G.C. Wilson aboard the U.S. Navy's PCE 880 at Windsor, 1953. Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Aug 1953, PDF page 19. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Source file (PDF page 19)
Naval Monument Plaza's centennial plaque names the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS) among the services in which "men and women from Windsor and Essex County" volunteered.7 By early 1952 Hunter had a Wren division with its own officer.39 Deborah Arnason, born in Windsor, joined Hunter in 1973 and served 25 years in the Naval Reserve (see the roll). The number of WRCNS members from Windsor-Essex in the Second World War is not found. For WRCNS uniforms and insignia see uniforms and insignia.
The Merchant Navy
Merchant mariners from Windsor who died at sea are on the chronology and the honour roll. Survivors in this roll who also sailed in merchant ships include Earl Gilboe, and DEMS gunners such as Jake Burnett served naval guns aboard merchant ships.
Medals and awards
The medals named in the roll, shown from museum and collector photographs. These are examples of each medal, not the medals of the people named.
The Distinguished Service Medal (George VI). Windsor's Tommy Simpson, a radar operator who enlisted at HMCS Hunter, received it in 1945. The citation, as reproduced by Nauticapedia, reads: "For gallantry, resolution and skill whilst serving in H.M. Ships Conn, Rupert, Redmills, Fitzroy, Byron, Grindall and Keats and H.M. Canadian Ships La Hulloise, Strathadam and Thetford Mines in successful anti-U-boat warfare." Photo: Hsq7278, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source fileThe Atlantic Star, for service in the Battle of the Atlantic, 1939 to 1945. Photo: Auckland War Memorial Museum, CC BY 4.0. Source fileThe Korea Medal, Canadian version, which Ralph Roberts and other Korea veterans on the roll received. Photo: Hsq7278, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source file
Those who did not come home
The honour roll lists, with CVWM records, Windsor-area naval dead of the Second World War: AB Charles Brannagan Dowell (St. Croix), Stoker Stanley Lewandowski (Athabaskan), OS Walter Brozovich (Clayoquot) and AB Frederick Francis Monroe Taylor (Ottawa), and merchant mariners including Frank Taylor (Victolite). The chronology, section 12 gives their stories and a check of the Hunter plaque against the CVWM.
Naval Monument Plaza carries two plaques headed "HMCS HUNTER PERSONNEL WW II", with 50 names. They are shown here as Veterans Affairs Canada's crowd-sourced inventory transcribes them, including its errors (for example "JACKGUES" and "SILK MAJES E.", which the chronology matches to James Ernest Silk). Ranks are as transcribed.7
LDG SMN ACTON JOSEPH W.J. · L CDR ANDERSON WILLIAM J. · L STWD ATTWOOD ALBERT J. · STO. 2 BELANGER ALEXANDER R. · CODER BELL JOSEPH G. · LDG SMN BROWN DAVID H. · OS BROZOVICH WALTER · O TEL BRUSH JOHN C. · AB BUCHESKI WILLIAM · OS CAMPBELL WOODROW W. · AB CARDER WILFRED W. · LDG STO CARNAGHAN ALFRED P. · AB CATHRINE ROBERT T. · PATLMN CRAIG HENRY R. · AB DOWELL CHARLES B. · LDG SMN FOURNIER JOHN A. · AB GILBOE ARTHUR F. · SIG GRAHAM ALVIN J. · OA 4 HOFFMAN MARTIN J. · STO 1 HORLEY WALLACE C. · OS HUMPHRIES LESTER E. · AB IRWIN WILLIAM C. · ERA 4 JACKGUES CARLTON J. · ELECT JOHNSTON BEVERLEY · AB JORDAN DONALD · AB KING KALMON K.J. · LDG SMN KNIGHT HERBERT R. · AB LANE ARTHUR D. · AB LEROY CHARLES E. · STO 2 LEWANDOSKI STANLEY S. · STO 2 LOVE JOHN F. · STWD LUCAS WILLIAM E. · STO 2 MACDONALD ALEXANDER · STO 1 MACGREGOR DUNCAN · AB MACKENZIE ALEXANDER · AB MCPHERSON CLIFFORD A. · CODER MILLS ARCHIE W. · STO PO MYLES ORVILLE W. · AB PHILLIPS JOHN D. · STO 1 BOSTELNIC WILLIAM M. · STO PO RENAUD MAURICE J. · AB ROLLET THEODORE F.C. · STO 1 SENNETT JOHN P. · LDG SMN SILK MAJES E. · AB SINCLAIR ERIC W. · AB SORREL WILLIAM W. · L CDR STRAFFORD JOHN H. · AB TAYLOR FREDERICK F.M. · OS TRENHOLM FRANK R. · S LT(E) TUKE DONALD W.
A plaque name that matches a surname in the roll above (for example Gilboe) is not a claim that they were related. The plaza also lists RCN ships and merchant ships lost in the Battle of the Atlantic; those are national lists and do not mean the crews were local.7
Memorials
Naval Monument Plaza, Riverfront Trail, Windsor. Erected in 1996 by the RCNA Admiral Hose Branch and dedicated on 4 May 1997. Plaques for the navy's centennial were added in 2010; it was restored and rededicated on 6 May 2018; four granite memory panels were installed in May 2021; and the plaza was dedicated on 7 May 2023, Battle of the Atlantic Sunday.7
Rear-Admiral Walter Hose monument, Heavenly Rest Cemetery, dedicated 22 June 2014.5
Amherstburg Navy Yard: Navy Yard Park and the cairn at 268 Dalhousie Street (see the chronology).
Patches and insignia
Official ship badges for HMCS Hunter, HMCS Windsor and other locally named ships are not shown here. A Commons copy of the Hunter badge was taken from a badge-collector site, and its public-domain claim is doubtful. The official Windsor badge is Crown material without an open licence. No cleared close-up of a cap tally or a navy shoulder flash was found. The flags and ensigns below are the navy insignia already cleared on the patches and insignia page. They are types, not flags from a Windsor ship. Rank badges are on that page as well.
White Ensign, 1911 to 1965, the naval ensign worn at the stern. Public-domain drawing, via Wikimedia Commons. Source fileA Royal Canadian Navy White Ensign from before 1965, displayed at the Glenbow Museum, Calgary. Not from a Windsor ship. Daderot, CC0. Source fileCanadian Blue Ensign, 1921 to 1957 pattern, the naval jack worn at the bow. Public-domain drawing, via Wikimedia Commons. Source fileCanadian Naval Ensign, 2013 to today, the same design as the naval jack of 1968 to 2013. Government of Canada design; public-domain drawing, via Wikimedia Commons. Source file
HMCS Hunter badge: not shown. The public-domain claim on a Commons copy is doubtful. See the patches page note and the Hunter section.
HMCS Windsor badge: not shown. The official lineage describes it as using the lion supporter of the Arms of the City of Windsor, but the image is Crown material without an open licence. See the ship profile.
HMCS Clifton and other local ship badges, cap tallies and trade badges: no cleared image found.
Wartime posters
Cleared Naval Service and Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve recruiting posters from the First World War, plus Second World War posters about ships, submarines and the Merchant Navy. A First World War Victory Bonds poster is included, and a photograph of a local Victory Bond drive in Ford City. No Second World War Royal Canadian Navy recruiting poster was found under an open licence.
"Give us the Ships, We'll Finish the Subs!", 1944. Alex Colville, issued by the Wartime Information Board, Ottawa. A wartime industrial poster, not a recruiting poster. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Resized. Source file"They're Smashing Them Up... With My Ship!", Second World War. Signed Lucas. A wartime industrial poster showing a Canadian ship and a submarine. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Resized. Source fileNaval Service of Canada recruiting poster, 1915, showing HMCS Rainbow. Artist not named. Library of Congress. Public domain. Resized. Source fileRoyal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve recruiting poster, Montreal, 1915. Printed by The Mortimer Co. Limited. The RNCVR supplied men to the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Navy. Public domain. Resized. Source file"The Merchant Service is Silent Too! Don't Talk About Cargoes or Ship Sailings." Second World War, Wartime Information Board. Artist not named. A home-front caution poster about the Merchant Navy, not a recruiting poster. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Resized. Source file"If Ye Break Faith, We Shall Not Sleep. Buy Victory Bonds." First World War. Frank Lucien Nicolet, Department of National Defence, Ottawa. Public domain. Already used on the chronology page; resized copy on file, no new crop. Source fileVictory Bond drive, Luke Road, Ford City, circa 1943. A photograph of the local gathering and its campaign banner, not a standalone poster. Photographer unidentified. Walkerville Times Collection, donated by Frank Storey. University of Windsor, Leddy Library / SWODA. Public domain. Item record
War art
Official Canadian war art of the navy from the Beaverbrook Collection of War Art at the Canadian War Museum. The Arthur Lismer paintings are First World War works and are in the public domain. The Alex Colville paintings are official Second World War Canadian War Records works; Crown copyright has expired. Official corvette paintings by Tom Wood are also ex-Crown copyright, but no freely licensed digital file was found (the Canadian War Museum asks for a request to use its scans), so they are not shown. None of these works depicts a Windsor ship.
Convoy in Bedford Basin, Arthur Lismer, First World War. Merchant ships forming up near Halifax for a trans-Atlantic convoy. Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, Canadian War Museum, 19710261-0344. Public domain. Resized. Source file
HMCS Grilse on Convoy Duty, Arthur Lismer, First World War. Grilse was a converted yacht used as a patrol ship. Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, Canadian War Museum. Public domain. Resized. Source fileMinesweepers, Halifax, Arthur Lismer, First World War. Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, Canadian War Museum, 19710261-0342. Public domain. Resized. Source fileLanding Craft Assault Off Southern France, Alex Colville, official war art, 1944. The Canadian War Museum identifies the craft in the foreground by a maple leaf, and says they are probably from HMCS Prince David. Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, 19710261-1679. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Resized. Source fileHis Majesty's Canadian Ship Prince Henry in Corsica, Alex Colville, official war art, Second World War. Beaverbrook Collection of War Art, Canadian War Museum, 19710261-1685. Public domain (Crown copyright expired). Resized. Source file
What we could not find
Official ship badges for HMCS Hunter, HMCS Windsor, HMCS Clifton and other locally named ships, and a cleared close-up of a cap tally or navy shoulder flash. The badges are described, not shown; see Patches and insignia.
A Second World War Royal Canadian Navy recruiting poster under an open licence. First World War Naval Service and RNCVR posters are shown instead, with wartime ship and Merchant Navy posters.
A freely licensed digital file of Tom Wood's official corvette paintings. Those official works are ex-Crown copyright and are in the Beaverbrook Collection, but the Canadian War Museum asks for a request to use its scans, and no Wikimedia Commons copy was found, so they are not shown.
Total enlistments at HMCS Hunter in the Second World War. A figure of about 4,000 circulates, but we could not read the source.
Exact dates for the start of the Windsor division (8 November 1939 or March 1940) and for the move to Mill Street (fall 2014 to May 2015).
A cleared photograph of HMCS Border Cities, and her other Windsor-area crew beyond Patrick Ryall.
CVWM links for most of the 50 Hunter plaque names. The chronology's matrix covers them; this page does not repeat it.
Whether the wartime tug Kingsville was named for Kingsville, Ontario.
The number of WRCNS members from Windsor-Essex in the Second World War.
Named Windsor-Essex sailors in the Gulf War, Afghanistan or recent deployments.
The full list of Hunter's training tenders from a primary source.
The Windsor Star archive, which would add many names, was not searchable for free.
Sources
Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Amherstburg Navy Yard National Historic Site, pc.gc.ca
Royal Canadian Navy, "HMCS Hunter", ships' histories, canada.ca
Governor General of Canada, Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges, "HMCS Queen Charlotte", gg.ca
Veterans Affairs Canada, National Inventory of Canadian Military Memorials, "Rear-Admiral Walter Hose, CBE, DSCM, RCN Monument" (crowd-sourced inventory), veterans.gc.ca
Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Vol. 4 No. 12, Oct 1952, Great Lakes Naval Regatta at Hamilton, pp. 14 to 15 (photo DL-101) (King's Printer; Crown copyright expired). File: Wikimedia Commons
Veterans Affairs Canada, National Inventory of Canadian Military Memorials, "Naval Monument Plaza", Windsor (crowd-sourced inventory; transcription errors are possible), veterans.gc.ca
DND Directorate of History and Heritage, official lineage, HMCS Hunter, canada.ca
Naval Reserve Association, "NRD Origins" (PDF), as read for this desk on 11 Nov 2026; gives Lt Jordon H. Marshall as Windsor division CO from 8 Nov 1939
Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Vol. 1 No. 4, Feb 1949, profile of Chief ERA Harry Donald Bondy, p. 7 (King's Printer; Crown copyright expired). File: Wikimedia Commons
University of Windsor, Leddy Library, Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive (SWODA), item 1702, swoda.uwindsor.ca
Naval Today, "HMCS Hunter Lowers the Flag on Hunter Building", 27 Feb 2015, navaltoday.com
For Posterity's Sake, "HMCS Hunter" naval reserve division page, forposterityssake.ca
Wikipedia, "HMCS Hunter" (secondary; used only where marked), en.wikipedia.org
Royal Canadian Navy, "HMCS Portage", ships' histories, canada.ca
Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Vol. 1 No. 10, Aug 1949, HMCS Portage visit to Windsor, pp. 22 to 23 (King's Printer; Crown copyright expired). File: Wikimedia Commons
Royal Canadian Navy, "HMCS Border Cities", ships' histories, canada.ca
For Posterity's Sake, obituary of Patrick John Michael Ryall, forposterityssake.ca
Royal Canadian Navy, "HMCS Windsor", ships' histories, canada.ca
DND Directorate of History and Heritage, official lineage, HMCS Windsor, canada.ca
Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Vol. 1 No. 12, Oct 1949, Great Lakes Naval Regatta, pp. 23, 26, 28 (King's Printer; Crown copyright expired). File: Wikimedia Commons
Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Vol. 4 No. 7, May 1952, Wrens win Hunter's proficiency trophy, p. 24 (King's Printer; Crown copyright expired). File: Wikimedia Commons
Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Vol. 1 No. 2, Dec 1948, Navy Week at Hunter, p. 26 (King's Printer; Crown copyright expired). File: Wikimedia Commons
Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Vol. 2 No. 5, Mar 1950, obituary of Lt-Cdr W.R. Aylwin, pp. 16, 21 (King's Printer; Crown copyright expired). File: Wikimedia Commons
Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Vol. 2 No. 7, May 1950, first Hunter UNTD cadet commissioned, p. 15 (King's Printer; Crown copyright expired). File: Wikimedia Commons
Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Vol. 2 No. 12, Oct 1950, Great Lakes Naval Regatta, p. 27 (King's Printer; Crown copyright expired). File: Wikimedia Commons
Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Vol. 3 No. 11, Sep 1951, Hunter in Detroit's 250th anniversary parade, p. 23 (photo Z-6467) (King's Printer; Crown copyright expired). File: Wikimedia Commons
Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Vol. 4 No. 2, Dec 1951, royal tour pictures, p. 21 (King's Printer; Crown copyright expired). File: Wikimedia Commons
Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Vol. 4 No. 11, Sep 1952, USN PCE 880 at Windsor, regatta training, p. 24 (King's Printer; Crown copyright expired). File: Wikimedia Commons
Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Vol. 5 No. 10, Aug 1953, PCE 880 visit with Mayor Reaume, p. 19 (King's Printer; Crown copyright expired). File: Wikimedia Commons
Royal Canadian Navy, The Crowsnest, Vol. 5 No. 12, Oct 1953, Great Lakes Naval Regatta at Kingston, p. 27 (photo O-5794) (King's Printer; Crown copyright expired). File: Wikimedia Commons
Cremation Society of Windsor and Essex County / Families First Funeral Home, "Obituary of Chuck Milks," cremationsociety.ca, retrieved 11 November 2026. Names him Charles Lawrence Milks; heading gives the years 1930 to 2022; death dated Tuesday, 26 April 2022; born in Maidstone Township; Roseland Public School and W.D. Lowe High School; joined the Royal Canadian Navy at 18, including service in Korea; says he left the navy in 1958 and joined the RCAF, then served 15 more years and retired from the military in 1969; later work in security at Chrysler Canada and as a bailiff; said a burial at sea would be conducted by the Royal Canadian Navy in Halifax. A family funeral notice, not a service file. This is a different person from Private Charles Edward Milks on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial (service number B/114091, died 1943).
All photographs on this page are public domain, openly licensed or used with written permission, as stated in each caption and on the credits page.
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