Robert G. Halford was born in Winnipeg in 1923. At the age of 20 he joined the Canadian Merchant Navy. After training at St. Margaret's Sea Training School at Hubbards, Nova Scotia, he was assigned to the SS Green Hill Park in 1944. He completed two voyages serving as Ordinary Seaman (OS) and Able Seaman (AB). From 1945-1946 he served on SS Nemiskam Park as an AB and on the SS Kootenay Park as AM and Bosun, in the Pacific, Indian and South Atlantic Oceans. From 1947 he followed a career as a newspaper and trade magazine writer, editor, and publisher until his retirement in 1988. After six years of research, Halford published "The Unknown Navy: Canada's World War Two Merchant Navy"; in 1995.

The fonds consists of records related to Robert G. Halford's research for his publication "The Unknown Navy: Canada's World War Two Merchant Navy". Records include correspondence and interview excerpts with crew members of merchant marine vessels, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, and research notes.

The fonds has been divided into two series (see below).