Commander, executive officer, writer, husband, father, grandfather — these are just a few of the titles Peter Godwin Chance has held throughout his long and interesting life.
Chance, 91, began his life in Ottawa in 1920. Born to a British family who had immigrated to Canada before the First World War, he was an active young boy who was interested in many different activities including swimming, ice skating, and sailing.
After graduation from secondary school, Chance joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1938 — a short while before the Second World War began. As the reality of war became more evident, the troops were rallied and Chance was called to duty on September 3, 1939. In 1940, he was transferred from the reserves to the permanent force and from then Chance spent more than 30 years serving with the forces and worked in many capacities and positions.
Chance began his naval career on HMCS St. Laurent which was one of the ships that helped to escort the first Atlantic convoy to Britain. After that, Chance saw further action in North Atlantic convoys and D-Day operations in the English Channel and off the French Coast. Chance also served on naval ships in the North Sea, the South Atlantic, and Indian Ocean and served in the Yellow Sea during the Korean War.
Chance’s long career with the navy saw him on 13 different ships from cruisers and frigates to destroyers and aircraft carriers. His training in positions such as specialist in navigation, aircraft control, and having attained his ‘A’ pilots license made him a major asset to the forces and allowed him to not only experience naval life at sea, but also to serve on shore in various capacities and in various countries. In 1944, he met and married his first wife, Margaret (Peggy) Parker, who worked as a leading telegraphist in Derry, Ireland. Later that year, when they found out they were expecting, Peggy left Ireland and traveled to Canada with 1,700 other war brides.
In the subsequent years, the two had four children (two boys and two girls) and moved around between continents following Chance’s career.
“All that young life was a challenge, but it never did phase us,” remarked Chance on his and Peggy’s life back then.
After 32 years with the forces, Chance retired in 1969 and the family moved back to Chance’s roots in Ontario.
Chance began a new career as executive officer to the dean at Osgoode Hall Law School of York University and worked there for five years before retiring and moving west with Peggy and their youngest daughter. They spent their first summer — the summer of 1974 — on the Saanich Peninsula in a temporary home, and finally settled in Gordon Head where they lived for many years. Chance had moved to Victoria in hopes of finding a similar position to the one he held at York University but instead ended up becoming a founding member of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in British Columbia.
During this time, Chance also got involved in various organizations including Maritime Awards Society of Canada, the Royal Canadian Legion, and the Naval Officers Association of Canada. In 1987, with Peggy suffering from health concerns and children long grown and gone, Chance and his wife moved back to the Peninsula and settled in Sidney.
In the years following, Peggy’s health deteriorated and she passed away in late 1999. It was then Chance decided to finish something he had long been working on. Almost a decade before, he put an idea into motion to begin writing a memoir. In 1991, he began penning his autobiography A Sailor’s Life, Before It’s Too Late. It took 10 years, (in which he married his second wife, Helen Sagmoen) for him to finish his book and it finally went to print in 2001.
The book chronicles his life from 1920 to 2001 and covers every adventure and experience he and his family had.
“It has been a good life in many, many ways and I just wanted to get it all down on record,” Chance said smiling.
Now, Chance keeps up his busy lifestyle by participating in multiple volunteer associations. He is a charter member of the Naval Officers Association, a trustee of the Maritime Museum and he keeps involved in the community by being a member of the Sidney Ratepayers Association and frequently writing letters to the editor on various community issues.
Chance also spends time volunteering at Saanich Peninsula Hospital, enjoys puttering in his garden and bird watching.