For Posterity's Sake         

A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project

In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar 

REID, John Maxwell (Max) - Born and raised in a succession of remote northern Ontario communities, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy in 1943 at the age of 17 and served in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans in Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships ( DEMS ) Commissioned from the lower deck after the war, he met Helen, a member of the WRNS in Portsmouth and they were married in 1949. His service in the RCN, aboard 9 ships and a few shore appointments, included command of HMCS Lanark and Terra Nova. He retired from the Regular Navy in 1974 but continued with the Naval Reserve in Hamilton, Ottawa and as a Convoy Commodore to complete almost 45 years of naval service. From 1977 until 1997 he worked with the Department of Foreign Affairs & International Trade promoting Canadian aerospace and defence products around the world. Upon retirement he devoted himself to community projects, historical research and volunteer work, particularly at the Canadian War Museum. He died on the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar and, at his request, there will be no memorial service. Donations to the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated by Helen and the boys, Carl and Mark, who would also like to express their gratitude to the staff of the Ottawa General Hospital. (The Ottawa Citizen 29 Oct 2005)