Gun Shield Graffiti in the Battle of the North Atlantic

A feast of colorful artwork adorns the walls of a Second World War-era officers club in the North Atlantic city of St. John's -- cartoons painted onto ship gun shields that convey stories of courage and cowardice, resolve and resilience, triumph and tragedy.

The Sea-Going Officers' Club (now known as the Crow's Nest Officers' Club) opened its doors in 1942. It served as a war-time retreat where allied naval and merchant officers from the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States could unwind, share stories of victory and loss, and have a home-cooked meal.

The Crow's Nest has survived as both a cozy meeting place and a vibrant time capsule of the war years. Gun shield art, or gun shield graffiti, are informal badges designed by those aboard warships and merchant navy vessels and painted on a ship's forward gun shield. The often-irreverent artwork includes references to an event, an attribute of the ship, or its namesake community. Most gun shields were destroyed as ships were scrapped or sold at war's end. In some cases, however, smaller versions were painted and presented by ship's crews, during the war, to the Crow's Nest.

The stories behind gun shield graffiti, collected for the first time in this book, are as varied and intriguing as the images themselves.

The collection at the Crow's Nest is specifically included in the designation of the club as a National Historic Site by the Government of Canada.