When a ship is broken up for scrap, not all the parts find their way to the melting furnace. In the case of HMCS Crusader, paid off in 1960, the ship’s bell ended up on board HMCS Haida, the floating Naval Museum in Toronto Harbour. But that was to be just a temporary home … the bell now lies in permanent residence in St. Paul’s High School in Winnipeg.

St. Paul’s has had a long and glorious association with Canada’s Navy. Two hundred and sixty-eight St. Paul’s Crusaders, the name given to St. Paul’s sports teams and students by legendary Winnipeg columnist, Vince Leah, served in the Canadian Navy during the Second World War and of these, five gave their lives. St. Paul’s patronage of the Royal Canadian Navy included the sponsorship of a Sea Cadet Corps, Crusader, on the premises of the High School. It was mandatory that boarders at the high school be members of the ship’s company. It was from the ranks of this corps that many Crusaders chose to serve in the Royal Canadian Navy.

Through the cooperation of the Department of National Defence, the Crusader’s Bell has been given to the care and custody of St. Paul’s High School, allowing the school to continue its proud association with the Canadian Navy.

In conjunction with the installation of the ship’s bell at St. Paul’s, a permanent memorial to HMCS Crusader and Crusader Sea Cadet Corps has been established to endow the education of deserving young men as they pursue their education at St. Paul’s. An eligible Sea Cadet or Naval descendant accepted as a student at St. Paul’s School, would be the primary choice as recipient of any award from this fund.