The Rear-Admiral Walter Hose, CBE, DSCM, RCN Monument was erected next to his gravesite and dedicated on 22 June 2014 – the 49th anniversary of his death.
Rear-Admiral (RAdm) Walter Hose, the quintessential sailor and gentleman, born at sea on the Indian Ocean, was a true man of the sea. He rose through the ranks to become the first Chief of the Naval Staff in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). Known as a tenacious and staunch supporter of the Navy, he is credited with not only saving the RCN, but also with founding the Naval Reserve.
After RAdm Walter Hose won his final battle in office and managed to save the RCN from demise due to government cut-backs, he retired to Windsor, Ontario and became a fixture at HMCS Hunter, Naval Reserve Division and at a local High School Cadet Corps named in his honour.
Rear-Admiral Hose passed away on 22 June 1965. The Royal Canadian Navy bade farewell to one of its former great leaders. He was buried with full naval honours in Heavenly Rest Cemetery in Windsor. Admirals and Commodores representing the largest gathering of top-ranking naval personnel ever seen in Windsor, were in attendance. More than 150 naval officers and sailors, including naval drummers and a 24-man armed escort / firing party were flown in from Halifax. The casket draped in the Canadian flag and bearing his cap and sword was borne atop a ceremonial gun carriage along the main street of Windsor escorted by Admirals and Commodores, the 24-man escort, the HMCS Hunter naval band and HMCS Stadacona naval band drum line slow-marched past the Windsor/Essex County War Memorial and a 100-man Honour Guard from HMCS Hunter and RCSCC Agamemnon. At Rear-Admiral Hose’s request, the six pallbearers were Chief Petty Officers from HMCS Hunter.
From 1965 to 2009 Rear-Admiral Hose’s gravesite was largely forgotten until preparations were underway to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the RCN in 2010. In 2009, the Command Team at Hunter and the Royal Canadian Naval Association Admiral Hose Branch Windsor looked to improve the Admiral’s non-descript gravesite. As a result, next to the gravesite, a new black granite memorial was erected in honour of Rear-Admiral Walter Hose through the efforts of HMCS Hunter, the Royal Canadian Naval Association Windsor Branch, the Navy League of Canada Windsor Branch and Heavenly Rest Cemetery.
To continue the memory of Rear-Admiral Hose, members of HMCS Hunter, the Royal Canadian Naval Association (RCNA), the Navy League, the Royal Canadian Legion and local Veterans’ Organization conduct a memorial service at his gravesite on June 22nd each year. In addition, since 1 January 2011, the RCNA Windsor hosts a New Years’ Day Levee Toast to Rear-Admiral Walter Hose at his gravesite, a tradition that continues to this day.
Rear-Admiral Walter Hose was recognized by Parks Canada and the Royal Canadian Navy in a Hometown Hero ceremony on 22 June 2019 at his gravesite in Heavenly Rest Ceremony. The event was attended by members of the Hose family, the Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Command Chief Petty Officer, the Mayor of Windsor, local dignitaries, the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve Band, members of Naval Reserve Divisions - HMCS Hunter, HMCS Star, HMCS York, and members of local Veteran’s organizations including the Royal Canadian Naval Association Admiral Hose Branch Windsor, the Navy League, and the Royal Canadian Legion.
