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 WELLAND, Robert Philip,
Rear Admiral, RCN. Died 28 May, 2010, in White Rock, B.C., after a brief illness.
Born in Oxbow, Saskatchewan 7 March 1918. Father of Michael, Tony, Christopher
and Gill (Christauria). Stephanie, their mother, predeceased him, as did his
companion Margot Hanington. He is survived by two sisters, Greta (Mrs. Allan
Torrie) and Pamela (Mrs Alan Abercrombie), his grandchildren, his sister-in-law
Helma Campbell, and by many nieces, nephews and step-children. He grew up in
McCreary and Dauphin, Manitoba. He joined the Navy at age 18 as an officer cadet
and spent the next 4 years at sea with the British Navy. In 1940 he joined the
destroyer, HMCS St Laurent participating in the evacuations from Dunkerque.
Always in destroyers during World War II he became captain of HMCS Assiniboine
at age 25, and was captain of HMCS Haida (now a museum in Hamilton, ON) for the
last year of the war. He commanded the destroyer HMCS Athabaskan in Korea for
the first year of that war. In peacetime he commanded the cruiser HMCS Ontario,
the Naval Air Station, HMCS Shearwater, founded the Officer training
establishment HMCS Venture and commanded the Canadian sea-going fleet during the
Cuban Missile crisis in 1962 from the aircraft carrier, HMCS Bonaventure. He
became a specialist in anti-submarine warfare during World War II and was active
in the development of new ships and equipment throughout his 30-year career. He
retired in 1966 as a Rear Admiral, having become Vice Chief of Naval Staff.
After his retirement from the Navy, he entered the aircraft related industry. He
was a director of the Canadian Air Industry Association and president of his own
air traffic control company for many years. He maintained naval connections
serving as Honorary Chairman of the Navy League and participated in the Naval
Officers Associations. Donations may be made to the Naval Benevolent Society.
The funeral will be celebrated on Friday, June 4th at Victory Memorial Park
Funeral Chapel, 14831-28 Avenue, Surrey, B.C. at 1 p.m.
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