The Naval Association of Canada has granted the Maritime Museum of BC $5,000 to support the purchase of museum-quality artefact storage supplies that will ensure the preservation of the naval ships badges and naval uniform collections.
Most of the ships badges in the Museum’s collection relate to Royal Canadian Naval ships of the Second World War. The uniform collection consists of different types of uniforms with varying ranks, including the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS), the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR), and the post-unification naval uniforms, among others. There are also some uniforms from the Royal Navy. These uniforms are important to preserve as they tell the stories of important naval figures who served, such as Admiral J.C. Hibbard, Lieutenant Grace Brodie, and Captain James “Chummy” Prentice, among others, whose uniforms we have in our collections.
“We are really grateful for this funding from the Naval Association,” said Brittany Vis, Executive Director of the Museum. “Funds such us these provide support to purchase the supplies necessary to preserve collection items so they can be accessible to current and future generations. We thank the Naval Association for their generosity in providing such support for these parts of the collection.”
Over the next year, the Maritime Museum of BC will catalogue, photograph, and ensure proper storage of the ship badges and the uniform collections, and will make these records available to the public through their online catalogue.
