COURSEULLES-SUR-MER, France, April 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Juno Beach Centre Association (JBCA) has acquired two significant artifacts from HMCS Alberni—the ship’s bell and original builder’s plate—ensuring their preservation and public display at Canada’s Second World War museum and memorial in Normandy.
Recovered from a private collection in the United Kingdom, these artifacts have now been brought into stewardship at the Juno Beach Centre (JBC), where they will be conserved, studied, and shared with visitors from around the world.
HMCS Alberni, a Royal Canadian Navy corvette, served in both the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of Normandy before being torpedoed and sunk in August 1944. Fifty-nine members of her crew were lost. Today, the wreck of Alberni rests beneath the English Channel as a war grave.
“These artifacts are not simply historical objects—they are powerful, tangible connections to the sailors who served and sacrificed aboard HMCS Alberni,” said Alexander Fitzgerald-Black, Executive Director. “By bringing them into the care of the Juno Beach Centre, we are ensuring that their story is preserved with dignity and shared with future generations.”
The acquisition reflects JBCA’s broader commitment to the respectful treatment of naval heritage. The Association is an advocate for the protection of sunken Canadian warships as war graves and has welcomed recent international efforts to safeguard similar sites.
The Juno Beach Centre plans to integrate the artifacts into future exhibitions and educational programming, offering visitors a deeper understanding of Canada’s naval role in the Second World War and the human stories behind it.
The Juno Beach Centre Association, the Canadian charitable arm of the museum, is seeking donations to support the acquisition, conservation, and exhibition of the artifacts, as well as the development of a digital exhibition featuring 3D scans that will allow audiences around the world to explore them. This work will be undertaken in collaboration with the HMCS Alberni Memorial and Museum.
“The Juno Beach Centre’s acquisition of the Ship’s Bell has greatly added to preserving the history of HMCS Alberni and strengthens the honour which her crew so rightly deserve,” said Lewis Bartholomew, Executive Director of the HMCS Alberni Memorial and Museum. “We look forward to working with the Juno Beach Centre to tell the story of the brave and heroic men and women who liberated Europe from Nazi occupation, especially the sailors of the Alberni.”
Battle of the Atlantic Sunday, observed on the first Sunday of May (May 3, 2026), marks 81 years since the end of Canada’s longest continuous Second World War campaign (1939–1945). As the ranks of Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Merchant Navy veterans continue to diminish, the urgency of preserving this legacy grows ever more pressing.
ABOUT THE JUNO BEACH CENTRE
The Juno Beach Centre was established in 2003 as a permanent memorial to all Canadians who contributed to the Allied victory in the Second World War, and to preserve this legacy for future generations through education. Located in Normandy, France, the Centre pays homage to the nearly 45,000 Canadians who died during the war, including 5,500 in the Battle of Normandy and 381 on D-Day. More than 20 years and 1.5 million visitors later, the Centre has been designated a site of national historic significance to Canada. It is owned and governed by the Juno Beach Centre Association, a registered charity based in Quebec and Ontario. To learn more, please visit www.junobeach.org.
Juno Beach Centre Association Charitable Registration no. 891257149 RR 0001
ABOUT THE HMCS ALBERNI MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM
The HMCS ALBERNI Memorial and Museum (HAMM), located in Courtenay, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island, is an official Canadian Veterans memorial dedicated to all crewmen who served on the Alberni from the time she left her build port in Esquimalt, BC, until she disappeared beneath the waves just south of the Isle of Wight on 21 August, 1944 at 11:45 am. It is governed by The Alberni Project Society, a registered charity in Canada. For more information or to make a donation, please visit www.alberniproject.org.
The Alberni Project Society Charitable Registration no. 820205631 RR 0001.
Media Contact
Alexander Fitzgerald-Black, Executive Director
Juno Beach Centre Association
alex@junobeach.org
647-297-5341
Lewis Bartholomew, Executive Director
The Alberni Project Society
mrbarth@alberniproject.org
