​Royal Canadian Navy Service Ledger Sheets, 1910 to 1941

This database includes personnel records of those who served in the Royal Canadian Navy and the Naval Reserve between 1910 and 1918. It also includes some records about people who enlisted between 1919 and 1941, and some who served in the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve.

Search the Royal Canadian Navy Service Ledger Sheets, 1910 to 1941

Search tips

  • Name: Start with just a name if you know it.
    • Try various spellings or use the * wild card character (for example, Alex* for Alexander, Alexandre).
  • Dates: Enter a year of birth or range of years if you know them.
  • Service number: Enter the number if you know it.
    • Enter numbers only; do not include letters such as "ON" or "VR".

About the records

The Navy and the Reserve were called multiple names over time. The Naval Services of Canada was established in 1910, then changed its name to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1911. The Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR) was established in May 1914 and changed to the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) in 1923. The reservists were part-time citizen sailors assigned to protect Canada's coasts and to help train naval officers.

This database includes over 16,000 personnel records on ledger sheets from 1910 to 1941. These records were once referred to as "Navy Pay Ledger Sheets," although they rarely have information about pay. These records are about officers, cadets and non-commissioned sailors who served in the Royal Canadian Navy, the Naval Reserve and the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve.

The records are fairly complete from 1910 to 1918. Only some of the records for those who served between 1919 and 1941 are included. It is not known why there are no ledger sheets for some people.

Most of the ledger sheets contain the following details:

  • date and place of birth
  • occupation at enlistment
  • physical description
  • name and address of next-of-kin
  • dates of service
  • ships and shore-based establishments where the person served
  • medal entitlements

Service numbers

Many people transferred between the Navy and the Naval Reserve, so they have two service numbers and two ledger sheets. The service number is also the ledger sheet number. Some service numbers start with letters, the most common being:

  • OFF (officer)
  • N or ON (regular service number)
  • VR (volunteer reserve)
  • X (outside Canada, such as the British Royal Navy or the Newfoundland Naval Reserve)

The ledger sheets are arranged numerically by service number:

Record Group 150, Accession 1992-93/170, volumes 1 to 27

  • Volumes 1 to 12: N-1 to N-61999
  • Volumes 13 to 26: VR-1 to VR-7500
  • Volume 27: VR1-19 to OFF VR-100

Other places to look

Before 1918

Library and Archives Canada holds other service files for the Royal Canadian Navy and for the Royal Naval Air Service during the First World War. These files are more administrative and financial than the ledger sheets, containing enrolment applications, discharge or demobilization forms and separation allowances.

These records are listed in Finding Aid 24-167. To search for a name within the finding aid,

These records are not digitized. Include these details from the database entry when completing the copy or retrieval form:

  • name
  • reference number: RG24, 1992-93/169
  • box number and the file number

After 1918

Use these resources to find files for people who continued to serve after 1918:

Published documents

There are also published lists of Naval officers and vessels. These are particularly good for tracking navy personnel after 1918.

Access the records

These records are not digitized. You have several options to access them:

Include these details from the database entry when completing the copy or retrieval form:

  • person's name
  • name of the collection (Navy service ledger sheets)
  • reference number: RG 150 1992-93/170
  • volume number and service number

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