On August 21st, I was honoured to be invited to speak at a ceremony in Courtenay to observe the 80th anniversary of the sinking of the Canadian corvette HMCS Alberni which was hit by a U-Boat torpedo south of the Isle of Wight IN 1944, resulting in the loss of 59 mariners many of whom were only 19. I joined MLA Ronna-Rae Leonard, Deputy Commander of the Canadian Pacific Fleet Sam Patchell and family members of survivors and those lost at sea. The name of each lost mariner was read aloud and a bell tolled for each. A few hours before the Courtenay ceremony, a Memorial Bench and Canadian Maple Tree were unveiled on the cliffs of the Isle of Wight overlooking the ocean where the wreck of the Alberni rests. The HMCS Alberni Museum and Memorial is located at 625 Cliffe Avenue in Courtenay. It was founded by local resident Lewis Bartholomew in 2000 and represents the largest archive and knowledge base of the ship. Thank you to Lewis and supporters of this important Museum and Memorial for keeping the memory of these brave Canadians alive.
