Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve

The Naval Reserve was established in 1900 with the government paying for the expenses of men who came to St. John's for 28 days of training on board HMS Calypso. The vessel was to have been berthed at Argentia, but Sir Cavendish Boyle, the governor, suggested that most people, crew and citizens alike, would appreciate having the ship docked in St. John's.[1] After their training, the men were to be available for service for five years. Similar Reserves were formed in other countries and colonies of the British Empire.

A plaque listing the names of the members of the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve who died during World War I and have no known grave.

When World War I began Walter Edward Davidson, the governor of Newfoundland, committed to increasing the Reserve to 1000 men, and to do so relaxed some of the age and health requirements for joining. In less than a year that number was exceeded. Unlike the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, which served as an intact unit, the men of the Naval Reserve were dispersed throughout the Royal Navy.[3] A list of those who served with the Naval Reserve between 1914 and 1918 is available on-line.[4] The members of the Naval Reserve are represented by a sailor holding a spyglass on the west wing of the Newfoundland National War Memorial in St. John's. Members of the Reserve who died during the war are honoured at the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial in France. [5] Sir Winston Churchill remarked that the Newfoundlanders were "the best small boat men in the world".[3]