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 Military College (RMC)
Canada’s military college for training officers since 1876, on an outstanding site at Kingston, on the shores of Lake Ontario. Reputed to provide an excellent military and engineering education. Initirally, RMC was the only engineering school in Canada. Unfortunately, candidates from French Canada were almost totally excluded until recently, as they were required to be fluent in English. Anglophone candidates had no language prerequirements. This had negative effects on command structures, which were addressed after the Second World War with the opening of CMR at saint-Jean. Today, RMC is a fully bilingual institution where one can obtain a complete university education in English or French.
See also: CMR, Royal Roads Military College, Cadet
See also: CMR, Royal Roads Military College, Cadet
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy had an enormous, if often unrecognized, role in the geostrategic and geopolitical security of Canada from the 1760s to the 1940s. It was an unseen force that protected our shores and also acted at a deterrent to would-be invaders. The advent of the Royal Canadian Navy from 1910, while helpful as an auxiliary force, could not replace the might of the Royal Navy’s large warships. Often simply nicknamed RN, the Royal Navy is the "senior service" of Great Britain. It rose to dominance of the seas in the 18th century and enjoyed total hegemony in naval power from the time of its outstanding victory at Trafalgar in 1805, to the early 20th century when challenged by the Imperial German high seas fleet. The Royal Navy remained dominant until the rise of the United States Navy as the supreme naval power during the Second World War.
Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (RCA)
The oldest of Canada's permanent (or regular) army units, the first two batteries were formed on October 20, 1871, and posted at Québec and Kingston. It went by various titles until it was named the Regiment of Canadian Artillery in 1883. Its Royal prefix was granted in 1893 when the regiment was reorganized into field and garrison batteries. The Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, created in 1905 from the regular field batteries, was an integral part of the regiment. The oldest Canadian militia artillery unit still in existence (and 3rd oldest in the British Commonwealth) is the 3rd (New Brunswick) Medium Battery first raised as the Loyal Company of St. Johns Artillery in 1793.
Royal Roads Military College
Originated in 1942 as the Royal Canadian Naval College, it became a tri-service college after the Second World War and was renamed the Royal Roads Military College in 1968. The college was closed in 1995.
See also: Royal Military College
See also: Royal Military College
