Financial District in Toronto, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
The Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 28, 2022
1. The Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve Marker
The adjacent plaque was the first created by the Toronto Historical Board, and was installed in 1969 on an earlier building on this site. It marks the first place in Toronto where citizens were recruited and trained by the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR). During the Second World War, the RCNVRs citizen sailors became the backbone of the Canadian Navy, the third largest among the Allied Forces. Through the Korean War and into the present, reservists from Toronto have continued to serve their country. The original plaque was restored to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Navy.
[original plaque]
in April, 1923
The Toronto Half Company
of
The Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
which later became HMCS York
was formed under the command of
Lieutenant Gordon B. Jackson, RCNVR
Toronto Historical Board
1
Erected 2010 by Heritage Toronto.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Patriots & Patriotism • War, Korean • War, World II • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Toronto Heritage series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1923.
Location. 43° 38.939′
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Toronto and on the Golden Horseshoe. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Ruperts Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Canadian Bank of Commerce Building (within shouting distance of this marker); The First Methodist Church in Toronto (within shouting distance of this marker); The National Club (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); The Canada First Movement (about 90 meters away); The Dominion Bank Building (about 120 meters away); Founding of the Empire Club (about 150 meters away); Hiram Piper Building (about 150 meters away); Toronto-Dominion Centre / Le Centre Toronto-Dominion (about 150 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Toronto.
Also see . . .
1. Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (19231945).
In 1923, the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) was stood up and under the command of Rear-Admiral Walter Hose who authorized the creation of NRDs in every major Canadian city. The new naval reserve establishment formed a robust reserve force building popular support amongst Canadians for the fledgling(Submitted on March 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)Canadian Navy. By the end of the war, Canada possessed the third-largest navy in the world, with a complement of nearly 100,000. Most of these men and women were members of the RCNVR.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 28, 20222. Toronto Half Company - RCNVR
(original plaque)(located beside the newer Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve marker • Toronto Historical Board #1)
2. HMCS York.
HMCS York is a Royal Canadian Navy Reserve Division (NRD) located in Toronto, Ontario. The unit was established in 1942 to replace the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve Half Company created in 1923. During World War II, it was a premiere naval recruiting depot in the British Commonwealth through which over 17,000 personnel passed during the years of the war. HMCS York was named after the original name of the city of Toronto and the first British commercial craft on Lake Ontario.(Submitted on March 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Royal Canadian Navy.
When the Second World War broke out, the RCN was the first Canadian military force into action, and it formed the mainstay of the Canadian effort for the first two years of the war. The corvette navy of the RCNVR and the Battle of the Atlantic against the German U-boats are remembered as the major contribution of the RCN, but that was not nearly the sum of the navys accomplishments.(Submitted on March 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)In 1941, with the fate of Britain uncertain and the US not yet committed to joining the war, the growing competence of the RCN and the possible requirement to defend home waters prompted the building of a strong national navy.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 28, 20223. Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve Marker(s)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 28, 2022
4. Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve Marker(s)
Credits. This page was last revised on May 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 462 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
