Great War Project | Royal Victoria Yacht Club

The RVYC WWI Honour Roll was prepared by Ben Temple in 1919 to commemorate the club members who served in the 1914-18 war. This work of art hangs in the “fireplace corner” of the Main Lounge.

Members who served in WWI

Since 2014 the RVYC Curatorial Committee has prepared biographies for many of them as shown below. This involved much diligent research using all available sources related to service in the Great War and the members’ private lives. This project is basically completed, but biographies will be added if new information comes to light. RVYC recognizes there are people missing from the original honour roll, and there are members who served but joined RVYC after 1919.

The Curatorial Committee needs your help. If you have any information that would help tell the stories of members who served, please contact curatorial@rvyc.ca.

Royal Victoria Yacht Club in the Great War

"A Century of Sailing" by the late Terry Reksten was published in 1992 for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club. In these excerpts from the book, members who served in WW1 are featured. Also noted is the effect the war was having on the yacht club activities.

RVYC in the Great War The Great War Project - WWI Biographies

Signal Flags on the Roll of Honour

The Roll of Honour created by Ben Temple in 1919 includes a drawing of the signal flags that are translated as "England expects that every man will do his duty." This was a signal sent by Vice Admiral of the Royal Navy, Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, from his flagship HMS Victory as the Battle of Trafalgar was about to commence on 21 October 1805.