Media Advisory - Provincial plaque memorializes Admiral Sir Charles Edmund
Kingsmill

TORONTO, May 12 /CNW/ -

    
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    Date:        Saturday, May 15, 2010 at 1:30 p.m.
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    Location:    Emmanuel Anglican Cemetery, Portland
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    Directions:  From Highway 401 East, take Exit 623 for Highway 15 towards
                 Smiths Falls/ Ottawa. The cemetery is located along this
                 road, approximately 1.6 kilometres south of Portland (near
                 Big Rideau Lake Road). From Highway 417 West, take Exit 145
                 for Highway 7 towards Toronto. Merge onto Highway 7, and
                 then turn left onto Highway 15. The cemetery is located
                 along this road, approximately 1.6 kilometres south of
                 Portland (near Big Rideau Lake Road).
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    Photo        Unveiling of a provincial plaque
    opportunity:
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    Contact:     Liane Nowosielski
                 Marketing and Communications Specialist
                 Telephone: [phone]
                 E-mail: [email protected]
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Join the Ontario Heritage Trust and the Canadian Navy for the unveiling of a provincial plaque commemorating Canadian Navy founder Admiral Sir Charles Edmund Kingsmill (1855-1935).

In the early 20th century, Britain looked for naval assistance from its self-governing colonies to address increased international rivalry. Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier selected Charles Edmund Kingsmill of Guelph, Ontario, whose success in the Royal Navy was well known, to take command of the Canadian government's civil fleet. In 1909, Kingsmill produced a plan for a modest Canadian naval service, and Laurier's government quickly established the new Canadian Navy in 1910. Kingsmill became the first director of the naval service and served until his retirement in 1920.

Kingsmill worked to strengthen the navy's coastal commands and intelligence-gathering organizations. The Canadian Navy was thus able to effectively participate in the defence of shipping in the western Atlantic when German submarines crossed the ocean in the summer and fall of 1918. Throughout his tenure, Kingsmill emphasized the training of young Canadian officer cadets. His legacy was a corps of professional officers who would later lead Canada's large naval efforts of the Second World War and the early Cold War.

The Ontario Heritage Trust's Provincial Plaque Program commemorates significant people, places and events in Ontario's history. Since 1953, over 1,200 provincial plaques have been unveiled.

    
                         Aussi disponible en français
    

For further information: Liane Nowosielski, Marketing and Communications Specialist, Telephone: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]