The bell is from the H.M.C.S. Quesnel, which was the first corvette launched from the Victoria Machinery Depot shipyards at Esquimalt in November 1940. The Canadian Navy named their ships after communities across Canada and the people of Quesnel adopted the crew. The Red Cross and Women's Auxiliary sent them cigarettes and care packages, just as they did to all the local men and women in the services. The corvette was decommissioned in 1945 and its bell was presented to the town. For a period it was housed in the local high school and was rung at basketball games to boost moral. After the senior boys basketball team became the regional champions in 1955, their rivals from Prince George kidnapped the bell in an attempt to jinx them. It was recovered and eventually was donated to the museum where it is part of a display of the community's military history.
H.M.C.S. Quesnel Bell
