HILLMAN WWII GALLERY
HMCS PRINCE ROBERT
CAUGHT IN THE NET IIIn our ongoing search of the InterNet we have found the following interesting information and websites which we feel will be of interest to our readers:
Visit our monthly newsletter
WAR YEARS: MOTES & QUOTES
Where you can read this month's edition
and peruse the back issues in our archives
HMS Belfast, a cruiser moored on the River Thames and within easy walking distance of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. She was launched in March 1938 and served throughout the Second World War, playing a leading part in the destruction of the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst at the Battle of North Cape, the Normandy Landings and in the Korean War.
HMS Belfast in the Far East, 1945 - 1947
The atomic bombs had exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese had surrendered before HMS Belfast arrived at Sydney, but there was much work to be done rescuing the emaciated survivors of the Japanese prison camps. HMS Belfast was engaged in ferrying the sick and dying between Shanghai and Hong Kong. To the freed British prisoners, the sight of the warships proudly flying the White Ensign would remain an enduring memory.The missions of mercy were completed by January 1946, but HMS Belfast remained in the Far East performing a peace-keeping role during a period of general unrest in South-East Asia and the East Indies. She eventually returned to Portsmouth on 15 October 1947, where she paid off into reserve.
The goal of the Naval Museum of Manitoba is to promote the history of Canada's Navy, especially as it pertains to those Manitobans who have served with the Navy. The Naval Museum captures a moment in history, remembering the lifestyle, sense of duty and patriotism of Canadian sailors during times of peace and war. In creating this archive, many Manitobans have served their community by donating artifacts, time and energy to a successful effort.
Ratings providing the entertainment for young internees at Shanghai (IWM neg A30854)
Navy White Ensign
Canadian Navy Official NumbersIn order to keep track of its personnel the Royal Canadian Navy introduced a numbering system for all its enlisted personnel. Officers were tracked using a file number system. Below is a scan of an identification card carried by a sailor who sailed in Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships during WW2..
RCN ID Card
Maritime Command Museum, Halifax, Nova Scotia: features exhibits, artifacts, photographs and historical documents from the Royal Canadian Navy.
RCN Petty Officer Epaulets
Naval Museum of Manitoba ~ 1 Navy Way, Winnipeg, MB R3C 4J7
Our story is one of courage and endurance; the Canadian War Museum's purpose is dedicated to both education and remembrance.
World War II: The Canadian Navy
By Brian Lee Massey"At the outbreak of World War II the Canadian Navy was in a sorry state of affars; its entire strength consisting of a mere 13 ships and some 3500 personnel including reserves. After initiating a rapid expansion program the Navy by the end of the war would be the third largest in the world with over 900 ships. The majority of the Canadian Navy was to be engaged in what has become known as the battle of the Atlantic, Fighting off German U-boats to protect the convoys of ships which were so vital to the survival of Britian. The role of the Canadian Navy in World War II was of the utmost importance and its significance in the achievement of victory for the allies can not be exaggerated. The cost of victory was however to be a high one with 24 ships lost and the deaths of 2024 Canadian sailors."
Visit this site to see a partial list of ships which served in the Canadian Navy in World War II:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~canmil/ww2/ww2ship.htm
NATIONAL REGISTRY OF PUBLIC ARCHIVES
http://www.hmc.gov.uk/enq/nra.htmQuality House
Quality Court
Chancery Lane
London WC2A 1HPTel 0171 242 1198
Fax 0171 831 3550
Email nra@hmc.gov.uk
HISTORY OF THE HMS BELFAST
ROYAL & DOMINION NAVIES in WORLD WAR 2
Summer 1945
BOB BAXTER’S BOMBER COMMANDI am now in the process of compiling a database which I hope will eventually log the service history of every aircraft that flew with Bomber Command, each airman that flew in it, every raid in which it was involved, any published photograph of the individual aircraft, along with the details of the ultimate end of the aircraft and final resting place or memorial location of every aircrew member that made the ultimate sacrifice.
Bob Baxter
Check out their Veterans Links
Battles ~ Documents ~ Speeches
ONLINE PHOTO GALLERY
Royal Canadian Navy Ships Badges
Canadian Heroes
http://www.CdnHeroes.ca
A Dedication to the Men and Women Who Have Put Their Lives On The Line To Keep Our Country The True North Strong and Free
Join me in paying respect to all of our Unsung Military Heroes, who shared a passion for freedom and invested it in Canada. Every family has at least one.~~ Pat Fowler
This is the TEXT of the official Japanese surrender, signed in Tokyo Bay on the deck of the USS Missouri, September 2, 1945.
Instrument of Surrender We, acting by command and in behalf of the Emperor of Japan, the Japanese Government and the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, hereby accept the provision set forth in the declaration issued by the heads of the Governments of the United States, China and Great Britain on 26 July 1945, at Potsdam, and subsequently adhered to by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which four powers are hereafter referred to as the Allied Powers.
We hereby proclaim the unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers of the Japanese Imperial General headquarters and of all Japanese armed forces and all armed forces under Japanese control wherever situated.
We hereby command all Japanese forces wherever situated and the Japanese people to cease hostilities forthwith, to preserve and save from damage all ships, aircraft, and military and civil property and to comply with all requirements which may be imposed by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers or by agencies of the Japanese Government at his direction.
We hereby command the Japanese General Headquarters to issue at once orders to the Commanders of all Japanese forces and all forces under Japanese control wherever situated to surrender unconditionally themselves and all forces under their control.
We hereby command all civil, military and naval officials to obey and enforce all proclamations, orders and directives deemed by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers to be proper to effectuate this surrender and issued by him or under his authority and we direct all such officials to remain at their posts and to continue to perform their non-combatant duties unless specifically relieved by him or under his authority.
We hereby undertake for the Emperor, the Japanese Government and their successors to carry out the provision of the Potsdam Declaration in good faith, and to issue whatever orders and take whatever action may be required by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers or by any other designated representative of the Allied Powers for the purpose of giving effect to that Declaration.
We hereby command the Japanese Imperial Government and the Japanese Imperial general headquarters at once to liberate all allied prisoners of war and civilian internees now under Japanese control and to provide for their protection, care, maintenance and immediate transportation to places as directed.
The authority of the Emperor and the Japanese Government to rule the state shall be subject to the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers who will take such steps as he deems proper to effectuate these terms of surrender.
Steam ahead to PRINCE ROBERT 10: CAUGHT IN THE NET III
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