HMCS ''York'' is a

Royal Canadian Navy Reserve The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

Division (NRD) located in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. Dubbed a

stone frigate A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land. "Stone frigate" is an informal term that has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the French in 1803–04. ...

, HMCS ''York'' is a land-based naval establishment for part-time sailors as well as a local recruitment centre for the

Canadian Naval Reserve The Naval Reserve (NAVRES, french: link=no, Réserve navale) is the Primary Reserve component of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The primary mission of the NAVRES is to force generate sailors and teams for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operations, inc ...

History

The unit was established in 1942 to replace the

Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve The Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) was a naval reserve force of the Royal Canadian Navy, which replaced the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR). Foundation The RCNVR was created in 1923. The organization was established ...

Half Company created in 1923. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, it was a premiere naval recruiting depot in the

British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...

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. ''York'' is home to the Canadian Forces Sailing Association's Toronto establishment.

Athletics

During the Second World War, Toronto HMCS ''York'' fielded a football team in the

Ontario Rugby Football Union The Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) was an early amateur Canadian football league comprising teams in the Canadian province of Ontario. The ORFU was founded on Saturday, January 6, 1883 and in 1903 became the first major competition to adopt th ...

(ORFU). Some of the notable players and coaches associated with the team were: Royal Copeland, Steve Karrys, Bob Stewart and the coach Teddy Morris.

Facilities

Although located on the

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border ...

shoreline, York has no facilities for naval ships. Rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIB) are deployed at the division, but the mooring facilities to the south of HMCS ''York'' belong to Toronto's branch of the Canadian Forces Sailing Association, th

ational Yacht Club, and Alexandra Yacht Club, and are for pleasure craft and such working vessels as serve the clubs. Prior to 1947, the division was located at two other locations: 1395 Lake Shore Boulevard West: 1926–1959 * home to Sea Cadet Corps and the Navy League of Canada (RCSCC Vanguard merged with RCSCC Haida, Ark Royal and the Navy League Wrenettes Corps in 1958) until 1959 * sold Rameses Shrine Temple which remained here until 1983 when it became home to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 344

Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day ...

Automotive Building The Automotive Building is a heritage building at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, containing event and conference space. In the 1920s, as a result of burgeoning interest in automobiles, additional exhibition space for automotive exhi ...

: 1942–1947 HMCS ''York'' moved to its current location in 1959.

Band

HMCS ''York'' parades one of the five

Canadian Forces Naval Reserve The Naval Reserve (NAVRES, french: link=no, Réserve navale) is the Primary Reserve component of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The primary mission of the NAVRES is to force generate sailors and teams for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operations, in ...

Ship's Bands in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The band is a professional brass and reed band with approximately 30 members. Their primary operational and training period is from September to May. The band is composed of the following assets: *Brass quintet *Jazz combos *Big Band *Concert Band *Parade Band *Soloists It was formed in 1939 from the a Naval School of Music that was established at HMCS ''York'' by Lieutenant Commander Alfred Zeally (who is today regarded as the "Father of the Royal Canadian Navy bands"). A notable director of the band includes Robert Hartford Plunkett, who served as the band director in its early years as an official reserve band.

Badge

Description: Azure a white rose of York rayonne Or. HMCS York - panoramio

Significance: HMCS ''York'' was named after the original name of the City of Toronto and the first British commercial craft on Lake Ontario. The badge design was designed by the Admiralty who granted its use as the ship's badge for York.

Personnel

HMCS ''York'' serves as a

Naval Reserve Division This is a list of Canadian Naval Reserve divisions, shore based reserve training facilities of the Royal Canadian Navy. Christening bells According to naval custom, the children of the ship's company baptized can also have their names inscribed ...

with more than 350 full-time and part-time naval personnel. The current Commanding Officer is Commander Paul Smith, MSM, CD. Lodger units at HMCS ''York'': * Naval Reserve air squadron, VC 920: 1953–1963. * Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps ''Vanguard

1958–present. * 618 "Queen City"

Royal Canadian Air Cadets The Royal Canadian Air Cadets (french: Cadets de l'Aviation royale du Canada) is a Canadian national youth program for young individuals aged 12 to 18. Under the authority of the National Defence Act, the program is administered by the Canadian F ...

Squadro

January 10, 1956 – present.

Notable former members

Leading Seaman Leading seaman is a junior non-commissioned rank or rate in navies, particularly those of the Commonwealth. When it is used by NATO nations, leading seaman has the rank code of OR-4. It is often equivalent to the army and air force rank of c ...

Robert Binder Leading Seaman Robert Teodor Binder (27 June 1989 – 22 June 2010), of Mississauga, Ontario, was a member of the Canadian Forces Naval Reserve who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Bravery on 26 November 2010. The citation to his award no ...

, recipient of the Medal of Bravery. * Lieutenant(N) Chris Devita , recipient of the Medal of Bravery. * Captain(N) Peter C. Newman , author of non-fiction Canadiana (mainly in the field of business) and former editor of

The Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

and

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian persp ...

References

External links

HMCS ''York''
{{DEFAULTSORT:York Canadian Forces Naval Reserve Canadian Forces bases in Ontario Naval installations of Canada Organizations based in Toronto Military units and formations of Canada in World War II Military installations established in 1942 1942 establishments in Ontario