A new (Fall 2023) website for the British Columbia Military Museums Assn.
BCMMA – Home (weebly.com)
Here are my own comments and links. In case of any disagreement with what is shown, the BCMMA web site shall take priority as it is now the OFFICIAL site. At the moment that site only covers military museums in the B.C. Lower Mainland.
Here are most of the military museums in British Columbia. Many are operated by volunteers and are affiliated with a military unit, ship or base. As well there are clubs etc. that work to preserve military history.
Official names may vary slightly and will be corrected as I go along.
Vancouver area (B.C. Lower Mainland as locals call it)
- 12 Service Battalion Museum – No web site yet. The museum in in the Armoury located at 5500 No. 4 Road, Richmond, B.C. Monument vehicles (M62 Wrecker, M135CDN W/W, CJ-7 Jeep, M100CDN trailer). New Old Stock Triumph 1957 TRW army motorcycle inside. Contact museum via Curator Colin MacGregor Stevens seaforth72 at gmail.com
- Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Museum – Monument vehicle “LAV” outside. Displays throughout the building, especially around the parade square.
- The Royal Westminster Regiment Museum – TEMPORARILY CLOSED FALL 2023
- 15th Field Artillery Regiment RCA Museum and Archives Highlights include Bofors 40 mm Anti-Aircraft Gun, WWII 25 Pounder field guns, limber and CMP Gun Tractor.
- 6th Field RCE Museum – 1513 Forbes Ave, North Vancouver, BC V7M 2Y4 Phone: (604) 822-0488 – TEMPORARILY CLOSED
- HMCS Discovery Museum – No web site yet.
- RELATED TYPES OF GROUPS
- Western Command Military Vehicle Historical Society – A club of collectors of ex-military vintage vehicles. Web site is out of date.
- Vancouver Maritime Museum – Some naval content.
- Vancouver Police Museum – Police, not military but has some interesting firearms.
- New Westminster Police Museum – No web site. Administered under the New Westminster Museum and Archives.
Fraser Valley
- Chilliwack Military Museum, Chilliwack, B.C.
- Canadian Museum of Flight, Langley, B.C. Collection includes an almost unique WWII Handley-Page Hampden bomber, CF-104D, Vampire, Tracker (“Firecat” conversion), Harvard etc.
- International Movie Services (IMS), Aldergrove, B.C.
- CMEC (Canadian Military Education Centre) – No physical home, not really a museum but preserves military history and is mainly collectors displaying items. Has a presencn Facebook.
Kelowna
- Okanagan Military Museum, Kelowna, B.C. This includes the collection of the B.C Dragoons and their Whizbang Association. Highlights include a restored WWI German 7.7 mm Field Gun and small arms collection including a WWI German M.G. 08/15 captured by 2 CMR (a predecessor unit of the BCDs) in the Battle of Amiens.
- KF Centre for Excellence, Kelowna, B.C. Collection includes a restored Mosquito VR796 and a Hawker Tempest Mk. II MW 376and a 1944 C-47 “Dakota” (which they call a DC-3)
Victoria Area
- The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s) Regimental Museum
- 5th (British Columbia) Artillery Regiment Museum and Archives
- CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum
- Ashton Armoury Museum
- Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site
- B.C. Aviation Museum– Located at Victoria’s Airport
