Canadian Military History Gateway
www.cmhg-phmc.gc.ca
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Glossary
Select a letter to browse an alphabetical listing of terms and definitions.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
Originally raised in 1873 as a heavily-armed mounted constabulary in the Canadian prairies. Contingents of the RCMP served as provost within the armed forces during the World Wars.
Royal Canadian Navy (RCN)
Existing from 1910 until the 1968 unification of the armed forces. The Royal Canadian Navy, quite modest in peacetime, is expanded in wartime.
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps (RCOC)
Authorized on July 1, 1903 as the Ordnance Stores Corps, it was redesignated as the Canadian Ordnance Corps in 1907 and the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps in 1919.
Royal Canadian Postal Corps (RCPC)
Organized in 1911.
Royal Flying Corps / Royal Naval Air Service
Both these organizations formed the air arm of the British forces and were fused into the Royal Air Force in April 1918. As Canada did not yet have its own air force, thousands of Canadians attracted to war in the skies enlisted in the British services from 1914. In 1916, the formation of Canadian reserve squadrons was approved by Britain as ‘Royal Flying Corps, Canada’. In early 1917, 20 squadrons were organized at airfields in the Toronto area at Long Branch, Camp Borden and Deseronto to provide training for pilots and aircraft maintenance servicemen.
With the entry of the United States into the war, it was decided to move the Royal Flying Corps’ Canadian Training Squadrons to Texas where the climate allowed year round training and would also include training for apprentice American pilots. The move occurred from November 1917. In Europe, a high proportion of Canadians in the Royal Flying Corps became lauded aces: Billy Bishop had the highest score in the British Empire with 72 downed German planes, Ray Colishaw (in the Royal Naval Air Service) was third in the Empire with 60 victories, D.R. MacLaren had 54, Billy Barker 53. Twelve Canadian aces in all had over 20 enemy planes downed each, an amazing record.
See also: Canadian Air Force, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force
With the entry of the United States into the war, it was decided to move the Royal Flying Corps’ Canadian Training Squadrons to Texas where the climate allowed year round training and would also include training for apprentice American pilots. The move occurred from November 1917. In Europe, a high proportion of Canadians in the Royal Flying Corps became lauded aces: Billy Bishop had the highest score in the British Empire with 72 downed German planes, Ray Colishaw (in the Royal Naval Air Service) was third in the Empire with 60 victories, D.R. MacLaren had 54, Billy Barker 53. Twelve Canadian aces in all had over 20 enemy planes downed each, an amazing record.
See also: Canadian Air Force, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force
