The International Sailors’ Society of Canada’s roots stem from the British Sailors’ Society which started out in London in 1818. It was started by a sailor turned preacher, George Charles Smith, pastor of the Octagon Baptist Church in Penzance who became concerned about what he saw happening to sailors in England following the end of the Napoleonic wars which pitched London’s docks into a period of decline. On March 18th, 1818 he called a public meeting at the City of London Tavern and the charity was born.
In 1862 the Society was incorporated in London. The Society’s history can be traced as it expanded throughout the British Empire to serve the needs of the British Seafarers operating around the world.
The British Sailors’ Society associated itself with the Port of Vancouver in 1907 when, at the request of the Ministerial Association of Vancouver, the society sent out Mr. Wheeler to work amongst sailors and loggers. Operations in Toronto began in 1909.
The first building, with 32 bedrooms, opened at Main and Alexander in 1908 in Vancouver and in 1912 a larger building was rented on Powell Street.
In 1920 property at 500 Alexander Street was purchased and the first meeting of the “Vancouver Sailors’ Home” was held at the new premises in 1923. This building served the visiting sailors for 31 years.
Up to the end of the Second World War, the work of the British Sailor’s Society in Canada was largely financed and maintained from the United Kingdom. Immediately following the war it became apparent that because of currency regulations it was no longer possible for this work to be financed from the United Kingdom, and it was then that the British Sailor’s Society (Canada) headquartered in Toronto, became trustees of the properties in Canada.
On July 26 1949 the Society received a Dominion Charter and became “The British Sailors’ Society of Canada,” an autonomous duly registered Canadian charity. It was registered at that time as a Non-Denominational society serving the needs and welfare of seafarers of all races in Canada.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh became the Honourary President of the British Sailors Society of Canada in 1952 and remained as such until his passing in 2021.
A new larger building was purchased at 1301 Robson Street in 1954. There were 32 rooms and modern facilities for the exclusive use of domestic and foreign seafarers of all creeds and nationalities. The services offered included an entertainment and dining area, a study area and a chapel.
By the 1960s the Society in Canada was operating Seamans’ hostels in most of the major Canadian Ports and oversaw operations in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. They provided ship visits, accommodation and or canteen facilities, library and writing facilities, social programming and spiritual counselling.
In 1965 the name was changed from the “Vancouver Sailors Home” to the “Vancouver Mariners Club (International)” and was overseen by the British Sailors’ Society (Pacific).
When the parent Society in the United Kingdom celebrated its 150th Anniversary in 1968, it was operating some 60 residential and non-residential clubs for seafarers throughout Great Britain, as well as in Holland, Belgium, Germany, Aden. Ghana, Maylasia (now Indonesia), New Zealand, Australia, Jamaica and Canada.
In 1968 talks began between the three societies offering services for the well-being of seafarers visiting Vancouver. They were the non-denominational British Sailors’ Society, the Anglican Missions to Seaman and the Catholic Apostleship of the Sea (Stella Maris) and in 1969 agreement between the three groups was reached. The new name of the combined group was “The Seafarers’ Society of British Columbia” with operations run out of the 1301 Robson Street address. Unfortunately this agreement was short-lived and the three groups parted ways after a few years to run their respective operations.
The last move of the Society’s Hostel facilities in Vancouver occurred in 1974 when the premises on 1014 Howe Street were purchased, remaining under the name “Vancouver Mariners Club (International)”, but by 1976 the building was up for sale. This was largely due to changes in the marine industry and as a result, there was little need for the provision of accommodation. In addition, many of the services that had been offered by the British Sailors Society of Canada were now being met by church-based outreach, such as the Mission to Seafarers (Anglican) and the Stella Maris (Roman Catholic) as well as a number of non-denominational groups offering services to seafarers in ports around Canada.
Modern Technology has had a major effect on the shipping industry with smaller crews and shorter port stays leaving little or no time for the seafarer to get ashore and visit a centre. Thus, in many ports, the service providers are going to the seafarer by operating mobile clubs. The driver can pull up to the ship and seafarers can come in to make phone calls, mail a letter, gather reading material, enjoy a refreshment and visit with the staff.
In the early 1990’s the Vancouver-based British Sailors Society led the way in putting forward a name change, from the “British Sailors’ Society Canada” to the “International Sailors Society Canada” and the Executive Secretary at the time, Ms Sue Hanby, led the way by working with the sister societies in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
In 1992 the name was officially changed to the “International Sailors’ Society Canada”.
The mission of the present-day International Sailors Society of Canada (ISSC) is largely unchanged from its historical beginnings, in that we are still committed to the welfare of Seafarers and this is reflected in our Mission statement. The difference is that the needs of sailors worldwide has changed, and as such, instead of providing services directly as we did in the past, we now work with the Seafarer Centres across Canada, providing financial assistance in the form of grants, scholarships to nautical students and awards to volunteers.
Written July 2024.