It is common for the Naval Museum of Alberta to receive inquiries regarding donations from family members of veterans across Canada and abroad. Given the number of men and women who served in during wartime, it is not surprising that there are still many interesting artifacts and stories coming to the museum from across Canada and around the world. Sometimes donors offer items to the Museum that are significant to Canadian naval history but are not necessarily related to the Alberta naval story, as was the case in a recent acquisition; the story of Leading Stores Assistant (L/SA) John Thomas “Jack” Hembroff, though even in this case there was a Calgary connection.

The museum was contacted by Jack’s daughter, who was originally from Calgary and now lives in Oshawa, Ontario. She had “a few items” that belonged to her father and stated in an email that she had no one to leave them to. Though she doubted the museum would be interested in the items, she thought she would inquire.The items were, as it turned out, of great interest to the museum. Not only did the collection include records and photographs related to Jack Hembroff’s wartime service but included his record of service from the 2^nd (Res.) Bn. Calgary Highlanders Regiment in which Jack had served from September 1940 until March 1941 until, as it stated on the record, he “left the district”. This may be when he moved to Regina (he was born in Moose Jaw and had extended family there), to take a position at the F.W. Woolworths store as assistant manager, and where, in 1943, he enlisted in the RCNVR at HMCS Queen. After initial training at HMCS Queen, Jack continued training at HMCS York, Cornwallis, and Stadacona, after which Jack was shipped to HMCS Niobe in Scotland where he was posted to HMCS Loch Alvie (former HMS Loch Alvie) as a leading supply Assistant.

The collection includes images of Loch Alvie and her ship’s company, in which Jack Hembroff is identified. In addition to his service and training records, there was correspondence between Jack and the F.W. Woolworth Company, Toronto Offices. The company had taken a great interest in Jack, and it appears, all its employees who had joined the war effort. Records include personal correspondence between Jack and H.J. Cook of the Toronto Office that includes references to Jack’s good character and stating that there would be a place for him in the company when he returned. Among the records was also a greeting card that Woolworths sent to all its employees who had enlisted. These items represent a wartime connection between those who served and their pre-war employers.

At the end of the European war, a Naval Message queried whether Jack desired discharge, as he was determined eligible to be spared from the navy to return to the F.W. Woolworth Company. According to other correspondence between Jack and the Woolworths head office, Jack had no desire to volunteer for the war in the Pacific. Jack was demobilized in November of 1945 at HMCS Donnacona, then returned to Regina and to Woolworths.

One of the more interesting articles in the Hembroff Collection was a 78 r.p.m. “recorded message from your man in service”. During the war, Pepsi-Cola would send travelling recording booths to military camps and bases so that servicemen could record “audio letters” to their families and loved ones. The record is still in its original brown envelope, which is rare, and is addressed to Mrs. W. Hembroff, River Park, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
  
The record can still be played so that one can listen to the voices of the men in service during the war. This is the first time such a recording has been received by the Naval Museum of Alberta and is a unique and historically valuable artifact. The museum intends to make a digital copy of the recording and retain the record in its collections.