Halifax and the Royal Canadian Navy by John Boileau

Halifax and the Royal Canadian Navy by John Boileau

On May 4, 1910, the Liberal government of Sir Wilfrid Laurier passed the Naval Service Act, which created the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). Ever since, the RCN and the city of Halifax-a strategic Canadian port on the Atlantic-have been partners. During the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic, Halifax was a major centre of operations for the RCN, which was tasked with the crucial missions of escorting merchant ships and hunting German U-Boats not far off Halifax's coast. But the relationship with the city of Halifax was not without turmoil: at the conclusion of the war the pent-up frustrations of sailors boiled over into the V-E Day riots.

Part of the popular Images of Our Past series, Halifax and the RCN marks the centennial of the Royal Canadian Navy's founding in 1910. Author John Boileau's superbly researched narrative is supplemented with over 150 historical photos of the sailors, ships, and shore establishments that defined the RCN. An accessible and lively photographic history, Halifax and the RCN is a worthy tribute to the Royal Canadian Navy and its home port.

John Boileau is the popular author of a dozen nonfiction books about history. Hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles, book reviews, and opinion pieces have been written by him. He was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 for his services to Nova Scotia's history and heritage. Boileau was a colonel in the Canadian Army for 37 years before retiring in 1999. He holds the rank of Honourary Colonel of The Halifax Rifles and is a graduate of the University of New Brunswick.