Portuguese Cove, Nova Scotia
Brian Lapierre is a long time volunteer with the Naval Museum of Halifax and the Submariners Association of Canada – East Coast Branch.
He began volunteering with the Naval Museum of Halifax in 2010. As somebody with experience with Oberon Class submarines, he quickly stepped in as the submarine expert for the museum. One of his initial roles was to identify, photograph and catalogue the extensive collection of submarine related artifacts held by the museum. These efforts resulted in him being one the primary architects of the submariner’s exhibit at the museum, titled “Diving Now! Diving Now! Submarines in the Service of Canada.” The museum’s director has noted the importance of this exhibit as a pilgrimage for submariners to learn but also reflect on their service. He is also lead for the “Submariner’s Name Tag” project, which is presently gathering name tags from current and former submariners. This provides a personal legacy to Canadians who sailed on submarines and will allow Veterans and their families to not only see their own tags, but those of friends who were aboard.
Mr. Lapierre has been the secretary of Submariners Association of Canada – East Coast Branch since 2018. Beyond the typical administrative tasks, he has sought to ensure the Canadian submariner database is up-to-date and comprehensive. The database contains a brief biography, dates of service, and submarines sailed on for all of Canada’s submariners.
He is also a regular contributor to the “For Posterity’s Sake” website. He has contributed photographs but has also helped locating where sailors are buried which is posted on the website and has also proven useful for the Last Post Fund.