Vancouver Island Military Museum - Rutherford Mall Nanaimo

[Flugel Horn]

The Vancouver Island Military Museum is located in North Nanaimo Town Centre Mall in Nanaimo (formerly Rutherford Mall in Colvilletown).

This is a wonderful storefront setting that houses a fine and valuable collection of military memorabilia. There is also a book room for doing research. There are vets who volunteer to be interpretors at the museum, and one of the guys told me that only 1/3 of their total artifacts are on display.

I visited the museum today, having last been inside approx 5 years ago. I was happy to see a new room added, for more displays.

For anyone interested in learning more about what Canada has done re military and to gain a better understanding of the local history connection, you should visit this museum. It's well worth your time.

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From their website:
http://www.nanaimo.ark.com/~vimm/

Hours of Operation

• Monday to Saturday
  10:00 a.m. to 04:00 p.m.
• Closed Sundays and
  Statutory Holidays
• Entrance Fee: Donation box

Funding

• The Vancouver Island Military Museum acknowledges the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia.
• The Vancouver Island Military Museum is and all-volunteer non-profit organization.
• Please help us support our military history with a donation. Income tax receipts will be issued.

...Great, now I need to revise my philanthropy-budget yet again.... I keep running into good local organizations to donate to. Good problem to have.


I realized that this place is a valuable holder of memorabilia and history, not just for Nanaimo, but for Canada. I had a lot of "wow" moments while visiting.

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The new room:




the founder (thank you, sir)



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Wow, if you like detail models, check this out in-person.




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Collection of different types of Spitfires




Wonderful large model of HMS Ajax




And to cap-off the new room tour:

[Flugel Horn]

Probably the feature part of the VIMM is their "Victoria Cross Room", where there is a picture and the citation write-up for all of the 95 "Canadian" VC winners.
- It is sometimes tough to know what a "Canadian" is, in the early years of the VC, when people were born in the UK, and emigrated to Canada before or after serving.
- Canadian VC's cover the Crimean War (our first VC), the India Mutiny, the Boer War, and Great War and WWII.
See this page for more history on the Canadian VC winners:
http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/VC_...recipients.htm

Well known Nanaimo artist Sam Lu has done portraits of all the Canadian VC winners in this gallery, quite an impressive accomplishment. You can usually find Sam Lu at Woodgrove Mall selling and sketching animal portraits (he's done some of our family animals...but I digress).


The VC room at the VI Military Museum:








Cy Peck, VC. Well known BC figure. Even had a car-ferry named after him....



General George Pearkes, VC. Another well known island figure.



Smokey Smith, VC. Before he died a few years ago, he was the last surviving Canadian VC winner.



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A look down the hallway at some more displays



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Not a VC winner, but a local hero nonetheless:
- Air Vice-Marshall Ray Collishaw

[Flugel Horn]

The medal room at the VIMM:

- lots of personal medal collections, hung on the wall for each person:

While I was there, one couple came in to see a relative's medals that were on display.





Right-Honourable Lester Pearson has some medals on display here:


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Photograph of Nanaimo Military Camp, during WWII



Susie Cowley print of the Nanaimo Military camp




Crest of the HMCS Nanaimo

[Flugel Horn]

Ney family medals, on display:




Frank's medals:
"F/Lt. Frank J. Ney RAF - RCAF 1939-1945"


Close-up of Frank J. Ney's medals




Major Bill Ney (Frank's brother)




Captain Frank A. Ney, MC (Frank's father)


- a close up of Frank Sr.'s Military Cross (on left) and other medals:




Major Frederick Ney, D.S.O., MC (Frank's uncle)

[Harewoodian]

Thanks for taking the photos Flugal Horn,I must make it there soon.

[Foxglove]

Those are really cool photos. I got a quick peak at the museum when I was in Rutherford yesterday. Didn't get a chance to go in though because it closed by the time I had finished running my errands. But it looks pretty neat. I will most definitely go in the next time I am out there. I always enjoyed looking at stuff like that.

[Geoff]

" formerly Rutherford Mall in Colvilletown ". Did that area used to be called Colvilletown? I've been in that museum many years ago when Rutherford Mall was actually known as such instead of Nanaimo North Town Centre. An interesting place, and some interesting pictures.

[Flugel Horn]

" formerly Rutherford Mall in Colvilletown ". Did that area used to be called Colvilletown? .

That's my sarcastic humour. Colvilletown is the old name for Nanaimo......or at least one of the old names. I figured if I was going to use an old name for the mall, I should also use an old name for the city, just to be goofy.

[Geoff]

Oh ok, I see. Didn't know about Nanaimo formerly being known as Colvilletown. Just learned something. Got no problem with the goofiness, and going old school on names.

[Geoff]

Nice photos you took there, Flugel Horn. I just had a closer look at them. The Ney family ones were very interesting. Not sure if I'll make it there to see that museum next week when I come up, but a future visit there isn't out of the question. You're definitely quite a generous contributor to the forum with the pictures, as I have seen several other good ones you have taken too. Keep it up with the good pictures.