DeWolf Road was dedicated to Vice Admiral Harry DeWolf by the Canada Lands Company on January 16, 2008, as part of their redevelopment of Edmonton’s former Canadian Forces Base (Griesbach Barracks).
Vice Admiral DeWolf won a near legendary reputation for skill and daring as a Canadian destroyer captain in the operations which preceded D-Day in 1944. His name is linked in naval history with HMCS Haida, the Tribal class destroyer he commanded during a series of night actions in the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay.
DeWolf was born in Nova Scotia in 1903 and graduated from the Royal Naval College of Canada, Halifax, in 1921. Early in the Second World War he commanded the Canadian destroyer St Laurent and took part in the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk. Later, while on anti-submarine patrol in the North Atlantic, his vessel rescued 859 survivors from the torpedoed liner SS Arandora Star. DeWolf was awarded a Distinguished Service Order and a Distinguished Service Cross for his actions against German destroyers in 1944. He was also Mentioned in Despatches four times and he was decorated by the American, French and Norwegian governments for his wartime exploits.
In 1952, DeWolf became chairman of the Canadian Joint Staff in Washington and was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral. In 1956 he became Chief of Naval Staff of the Royal Canadian Navy. At the time of his retirement in 1960 DeWolf was Canada's most decorated naval officer.
The Vice Admiral Harry DeWolf plaque was unveiled on June 6, 2010.