Walter Hose | The Canadian Encyclopedia

Article

Walter Hose

Walter Hose, naval officer (b at sea 2 Oct 1875; d at Windsor, Ont 22 June 1965). After 21 years in the Royal Navy, Hose transferred to the Canadian navy in 1912. Until 1917 he commanded the RAINBOW on the Pacific coast, then the trade defence forces on the Atlantic coast in 1917-18.

Hose, Walter

Walter Hose, naval officer (b at sea 2 Oct 1875; d at Windsor, Ont 22 June 1965). After 21 years in the Royal Navy, Hose transferred to the Canadian navy in 1912. Until 1917 he commanded the RAINBOW on the Pacific coast, then the trade defence forces on the Atlantic coast in 1917-18. In 1921 he became director of the Naval Service (chief of the naval staff after 1928), an appointment he held until his retirement in 1934. Cuts in defence spending in 1922 and 1933 threatened the navy's survival, but Hose saved the service through determined leadership and by developing the naval reserves founded under his direction in 1923.