**Original title:** Victoria BC HMS Shearwater Navy Pets Dog Pimple Cat Nancy Ship RPPC Postcard H83 **Rewritten title:** Victoria British Columbia HMS Shearwater Navy Ship With Pets Dog Pimple And Cat Nancy Real Photo Postcard

This postcard documents the burial of "Nancy" the cat and "Pimple" the dog, pets associated with HMCS Shearwater, at Esquimalt, British Columbia. The explicit date of Nancy's death, August 20, 1908, places this event firmly in the early 20th century. HMCS Shearwater was a Canadian Naval Auxiliary Vessel, a schooner commissioned in 1907, primarily serving on Canada's Pacific Coast from its base in Esquimalt.

The formal commemoration of these pets, complete with individual grave markers and a detailed poem, reflects a growing sentiment in the late 19th and early 20th centuries recognizing companion animals as integral family members. Esquimalt has historically served as a critical naval port and base for both the Royal Navy and later the Royal Canadian Navy, making it a significant location for the burial of naval mascots or pets belonging to ship's personnel, as evidenced by the poem's references to "The Shearwater's Pets" and nautical farewells.