Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve

Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve
Personnel of the RNCVR outside the Provincial Legislature, Victoria, British Columbia, 1914.
Active	1914–1923
Country	Canada
Type	Military reserve force
Role	Naval
Part of	Royal Naval Reserve
Garrison/HQ	Victoria, British Columbia – No. 1 Half Company Vancouver, British Columbia – No 2 (Vancouver) Company

The Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR) was a naval reserve that was established in Canada in May 1914 and existed until 1923. Initially divided into three subdivisions stretching across the nation, the RNCVR could serve either with the Royal Canadian Navy or the Royal Navy during wartime. During the First World War, an Overseas Division was created and by the end of the war, over 8,000 men served either in Canadian service or abroad. Following the war, the reservists were demobilized and Canada's volunteer reserve was reorganized into the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve.

In 1910, Canada created the Royal Canadian Navy with the Naval Service Act. The act also authorized the creation of a naval reserve and a naval volunteer force. On 14 May 1914, under the provisions of Naval Service Act, the RNCVR was established with an initial authorized strength 1,200 of officers and ratings. The men who enrolled as volunteers, agreed to serve in wartime, either with the Royal Canadian Navy or the British Royal Navy. The service was to be patterned on the Royal Navy Reserve, with volunteers drawn from seasoned seafarers. As initially created, the RNCVR consisted of three geographic commands, or subdivisions:

Within each subdivision, companies of 100 men would be formed, initially to be organized in the larger cities and then in smaller locales. The decision to create the RNCVR was criticized by the Opposition in the House of Commons, with some claiming that it was a pipeline for strengthening the British Royal Navy rather than Canada's service. The RNCVR program was estimated to cost $200,000. However, any effort to create the companies was left to interested individuals and no active recruitment to the RNCVR was performed by the Royal Canadian Navy in the beginning.

Volunteers enrolled for three-year terms and could renew their terms for additional three-year periods up to the age of 45. Volunteers trained for 21 days per year of the equivalent in military drills. The British Admiralty provided instructional officers for training in seamanship, company and field drill, torpedo and electrical instruction, engineer and stokehold work, signaling, wireless telegraphy and first aid. Those volunteers who were seamen or fisherman in their civilian careers were to receive training at sea, while those who lived near to the sea would do some of their training at sea and those who lived inland would receive their training at their company's headquarters.