During the Second World War many Royal Canadian Navy ships had mascots. They ranged in a variety of dogs and cats, one ship was rumoured to have a pet pig. For many of the young sailors, away from home these fury shipmates brought a sense of normalcy, a sense of home to them. You might […]
“Crest is for Teeth, Ship’s Have Badges” and Other Poor Naval Grammar
As an author and historian of the Royal Canadian Navy I have experienced many examples of poor Naval grammar. One of my biggest pet peeves comes from the use of the word “crest,” when referring to a ship’s badge. When I hear this despicable word used, I explain “crest is for teeth, our ship’s have […]
First and last photos of HMCS TRENTONIAN
These two photos of HMCS TRENTONIAN tell an amazing story. They are the first and last photos of this historic Battle of Atlantic corvette. The first picture of TRENTONIAN was taken just before her commissioning on 1 December 1943, the Flower class corvette was newly built at Kingston, Ontario. She is finishing her acceptance trials […]
A Personal Milestone at The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
Last night was an incredible milestone for me, as I spoke at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax. This world class museum located on the waterfront of Halifax is considered one of the foremost maritime museums in the world and has earned this reputation from the quality of the work that the wonderful […]
Sudbury Has Strong Ties to the Royal Canadian Navy
This Saturday, 11 July 2015, I have been invited by the Sudbury Chapters store on Kingsway to sign copies of my books, White Ensign Flying and Warships of the Bay of Quinte. When I travel around this country many ask, why should we be interested in the Canadian Navy? For many Canadians believe there is […]
The Historical Tragedy of Lac Manitoba Capsizing in the St. Lawrence River
Yesterday there was a tragedy on the St. Lawrence River at Cornwall, Ontario. While towing a large barge to the north span of the international bridge a tug boat and a landing craft capsized and sank in the river. Fortunately there was no loss of life and only the skipper of the landing craft received […]
White Ensign Flying -Reviews
White Ensign Flying has been reviewed in several national and international magazines and journals. Below is a list of the various professional reviews to be published. REVIEWS The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord -Canadian Nautical Research Society -“Ships lend themselves to biographical studies as readily as people. Roger Litwiller’s White Ensign Flying, a scholarly but highly readable […]
Warships of the Bay of Quinte -Reviews
Warships Of The Bay Of Quinte Dundurn Press April 2011 This is the story of six of Canadas Warships HMCS NAPANEE, HMCS BELLEVILLE, HMCS HALLOWELL, HMCS TRENTONIAN, HMCS QUINTE (I), and the HMCS QUINTE (II). These histories give a unique account of the small ships that have been the backbone of the Canadian Navy during […]
Just Tell The Story -The Best Advice I Ever Received
White Ensign Flying started as a research project to tell the history of HMCS TRENTONIAN to the cadets of the Navy League Corps named for the ship, NLCC Trentonian in Trenton. I was very disappointed by the lack of published material on this WWII corvette. So I started to dig, beginning with the local archives […]
Finding the Perfect Place to Write
My most recent book, White Ensign Flying -The Story of HMCS TRENTONIAN has taken me on a twelve year journey of research, exploration and personal growth. When I started this project I was a single father with my three children living with me full time. This limited the amount of time I could spend on […]