Archana Cini, Lookout Newspaper

  • CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum unveils a permanent display honouring the late Commander (Ret’d) Peter Godwin Chance.
  • The exhibit features his medals, uniform, and artifacts, celebrating a career that spanned from the – Battle of the Atlantic to the Korean War.
  • The ceremonial paddle passed to his grandson Damon symbolizes remembrance, legacy, and family pride through generations.

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We remember Commander (Cdr) (retired) Peter Godwin Chance. The life, legacy, and service of the late Cdr Chance now have a permanent home at the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum.

On Oct 15, family members, friends, Defence team members and representative of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Naval Association of Vancouver Island (NAVI) gathered at the museum for the unveiling of a new, permanent display dedicated to the celebrated naval officer that includes Cdr Chance’s medals, uniform, and other personal effects. The artifacts have now been added to the Peter Godwin Chance Gallery, first named in his honour on his 101st birthday in 2021.

Cdr Chance, who passed away at the age of 103 on April 9, 2024, was one of the last surviving Canadian officers to have served in the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest campaign of the Second World War. He took part in the Dunkirk evacuations, D-Day landings, and the evacuation of Singapore, serving aboard 13 ships over the course of his naval military career. Cdr Chance also survived the 1944 sinking of His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Skeena in the North Atlantic and combat during the Korean War aboard HMCS Cayuga.

Born in Ottawa, he served from 1938 to his retirement in 1969, when his sense of duty shifted into public life. After his retirement, Cdr Chance volunteered with the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Society, Saanich Peninsula Hospital, the British Columbia (B.C.) Maritime Museum, Naval Association of Canada, Royal Canadian Legion (RCL), Air Force Veterans, and more. He also co-founded the Maritime Awards Society of Canada, which provides maritime students with postgraduate scholarships.

The display was formally opened with a ribbon-cutting led by Damon Chance, Cdr Chance’s grandson. The event also included audience addresses from Captain(Navy) Kevin Whiteside, Commander of CFB Esquimalt, and Cdr Chance’s sons, Tim and Simon Chance. Among the medals and artifacts gleaming in their cases also stood one valuable moment: the presentation of the late Cdr Chance’s ceremonial paddle from Simon Chance to Damon Chance. First presented to Cdr Chance on his 100th birthday, Damon’s acceptance of the paddle on Oct 15 represented the passing of history and honour from grandfather to son to grandson.

Alongside November’s season of remembrance, the paddle served as a reminder that courage and memory are carried not only through uniform, but also through family stories shared and retold through generations.