Betrayed: Scandal, Politics, and Canadian Naval Leadership

In January 1944, Vice Admiral Percy Walker Nelles was fired from his position as head of the Royal Canadian Navy. Betrayed reveals the true story behind the dismissal: a divisive power struggle between two elite groups within the RCN pitted the navy’s regular officers against a small group of self-appointed spokesmen for the voluntary naval reserve. Threats of public scandal, mass insurrection, and political intimidation caused one of the worst breakdowns ever in Canadian civil-military relations. This fascinating investigation into the machinations of a divided navy tackles important questions of military professionalism, leadership, and identity.