Army Cadet Motto
"ACER ACERPORI"
"As the Maple, so the Sapling"
The Early History
The Royal Canadian Army Cadets (RCAC) can trace back their history to the creation of Drill Associations in 1861, predating confederation by 6 years. Great Britain had also formed cadets in 1860. These associations were linked to local schools. The American Civil War and the threat of the Fenian Raids motivated their creation in Upper and Lower Canada. These early cadet units, called drill associations, mark the beginning of the Canadian Cadet Movement, one of the country's oldest youth programs.
Trinity College Volunteer Rifle Company was formed June 1, 1861 in Port Hope, Ontario. Bishop’s College Drill Association was formed in Lennoxville, Que on December 6, 1861. Another fourteen of the early cadet corps called "Drill Associations" or "Rifle Companies" stood up in Ontario and Quebec. Canada's oldest continually serving cadet corps is No. 2 Bishop's College School Cadet Corps in Lennoxville, Quebec, its roots firmly in the previous drill association.
These early "drill associations" accepted members ranging in age from 13 to 60. The distinction between high school cadets and the adult militia became clear in 1879, when authorization was given to form 74 "Association for Drill in Educational Institutions". Young men over 14 years of age where invited to participate and would not be employed in active service.
These associations included:
* 34 in Ontario
* 24 in Quebec
* 13 in the Maritime provinces
* 2 in Manitoba
* 1 in British Columbia.
Public Support
An increased support, motivated in part by the Northwest Campaign during the Riel Rebellion of 1885, increased the issue of uniforms, weapons and other equipment to schools providing military training.
By 1887, the name cadet corps was recognized as designating the associations providing the training to boys over the age of 12.
Strathcona Trust
In 1910, Sir Donald Alexander Smith—Lord Strathcona—the Canadian High Commissioner to Britain, deposited in trust with the Dominion Government the sum of $500,000, bearing annual interest of 4%, to develop citizenship and patriotism in cadets through physical training, rifle shooting, and military drill. He is remembered today with the Strathcona Medal.
The World Wars
Forty thousand former army cadets and several thousand former sea cadets served in His Majesty's forces during World War One. By the end of the war there were 64,000 boys enrolled in Army Cadet corps across Canada.
During the twenty years following World War One, cadet training came to a standstill. Many corps survived these hard times, but the Depression and the lack of public interest caused the cancellation of the uniform grant for Army Cadets in 1931 and the instructional grant for 12 and 13 year olds in 1934. In Alberta, only a couple of corps functioned beyond 1934. This was clearly some of the darkest days for cadet corps.
The beginning of World War Two brought a renewed public interest in cadet training. An astounding amount of cadet corps were formed in high schools across the country.
During and after World War Two, you could find a cadet corps that paraded a female platoon or company. But these unofficial female cadets could never lawfully be trained, kitted, fed or transported and were not allowed to attend summer camp. Despite that, the girls proudly wore their uniform and trained as best as they could primarily in school corps.
The Post-War Years
In recognition of the significant contribution of former cadets to the war effort, His Majesty King George VI conferred the title royal to the cadet program, creating the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, the Royal Canadian Army Cadets, and the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. It is estimated that nearly 230,000 former sea, army and air cadets served in His Majesty's forces during World War Two.
After World War Two, quotas were imposed reducing Canada's total cadet force to about 75,000 members. Many of the closed corps, those with membership restricted to boys in one particular school, were disbanded; some of them became open corps, training in militia armouries or in Legion halls; others, like many corps sponsored by the Navy League, acquired their own buildings.
The Korean War stimulated growth among open corps in the early 1950s. Many school corps moved to armouries and drill halls. After 1954, Korea veterans staffed the Area Cadet Offices that began to manage these corps and the summer camps that trained them.
Unification of the Canadian Forces
Following the unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, a number of changes occurred in the Cadet world:
* Sea and Air Cadets came more fully under the control of the Canadian Forces in order to standardize the three Cadet organizations;
* A directorate of cadets was established in Ottawa to set policy and co-ordinate the activities of the Sea, Army and Air cadets;
* The Army Cadet League of Canada was formed in 1971 in order to give the Army cadets a civilian voice comparable to that of the Navy League and the Air Cadet League;
* Sea Cadet officers became commissioned members of the Canadian Forces. Before this date, sea cadet officers were created by means of a warrant from the Navy League of Canada; and
* The Cadet Services of Canada was superseded by the Cadet Instructor List, which was later redesigned the Cadet Instructor Cadre.
Girls in the Cadet Program
Girls have participated unofficially in cadet training almost from the beginning. Shortly after the Highland Cadet Corps was stood up at the Guelph Grammar School in 1882, a female cadet company called the Daughters of the Regiment, was also raised.
On the 30 July 1975, parliament amended the relevant legislation by changing the word boys to persons, therefore permitting girls to become members of the Royal Canadian Sea, Army, and Air Cadets. At long last, girls could finally do everything the boys had been doing for so many years. The biggest change was at the camp level. What had been for so many decades an exclusively male environment changed dramatically at Vernon, Ipperwash, Valcartier, Argonaut and Banff. In short time the girls adapted.
2004 - 125th Anniversary
2004 marked the 125th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets. The Army Cadet League of Canada purchased and issued a 125th Anniversary pin to be worn by all 25,000+ army cadets across the country. Canada Post honoured the cadets with a stamp of it's own unveiled in Ottawa in March 2004. Many parade honouring the century and a quarter of cadets occurred across Canada, there were Freedom of the City parades in Vernon, Oromocto and Calgary as well as other locations. The original Royal Banner was laid up in Vernon during the final battalion parade on August 19 at the ACSTC, and the new Royal Banner was paraded in front of 1500 cadets and 2000 members of the audience.
The Royal Canadian Army Cadets (RCAC) can trace back their history to the creation of Drill Associations in 1861, predating confederation by 6 years. Great Britain had also formed cadets in 1860. These associations were linked to local schools. The American Civil War and the threat of the Fenian Raids motivated their creation in Upper and Lower Canada. These early cadet units, called drill associations, mark the beginning of the Canadian Cadet Movement, one of the country's oldest youth programs.
Trinity College Volunteer Rifle Company was formed June 1, 1861 in Port Hope, Ontario. Bishop’s College Drill Association was formed in Lennoxville, Que on December 6, 1861. Another fourteen of the early cadet corps called "Drill Associations" or "Rifle Companies" stood up in Ontario and Quebec. Canada's oldest continually serving cadet corps is No. 2 Bishop's College School Cadet Corps in Lennoxville, Quebec, its roots firmly in the previous drill association.
These early "drill associations" accepted members ranging in age from 13 to 60. The distinction between high school cadets and the adult militia became clear in 1879, when authorization was given to form 74 "Association for Drill in Educational Institutions". Young men over 14 years of age where invited to participate and would not be employed in active service.
These associations included:
* 34 in Ontario
* 24 in Quebec
* 13 in the Maritime provinces
* 2 in Manitoba
* 1 in British Columbia.
Public Support
An increased support, motivated in part by the Northwest Campaign during the Riel Rebellion of 1885, increased the issue of uniforms, weapons and other equipment to schools providing military training.
By 1887, the name cadet corps was recognized as designating the associations providing the training to boys over the age of 12.
Strathcona Trust
In 1910, Sir Donald Alexander Smith—Lord Strathcona—the Canadian High Commissioner to Britain, deposited in trust with the Dominion Government the sum of $500,000, bearing annual interest of 4%, to develop citizenship and patriotism in cadets through physical training, rifle shooting, and military drill. He is remembered today with the Strathcona Medal.
The World Wars
Forty thousand former army cadets and several thousand former sea cadets served in His Majesty's forces during World War One. By the end of the war there were 64,000 boys enrolled in Army Cadet corps across Canada.
During the twenty years following World War One, cadet training came to a standstill. Many corps survived these hard times, but the Depression and the lack of public interest caused the cancellation of the uniform grant for Army Cadets in 1931 and the instructional grant for 12 and 13 year olds in 1934. In Alberta, only a couple of corps functioned beyond 1934. This was clearly some of the darkest days for cadet corps.
The beginning of World War Two brought a renewed public interest in cadet training. An astounding amount of cadet corps were formed in high schools across the country.
During and after World War Two, you could find a cadet corps that paraded a female platoon or company. But these unofficial female cadets could never lawfully be trained, kitted, fed or transported and were not allowed to attend summer camp. Despite that, the girls proudly wore their uniform and trained as best as they could primarily in school corps.
The Post-War Years
In recognition of the significant contribution of former cadets to the war effort, His Majesty King George VI conferred the title royal to the cadet program, creating the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, the Royal Canadian Army Cadets, and the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. It is estimated that nearly 230,000 former sea, army and air cadets served in His Majesty's forces during World War Two.
After World War Two, quotas were imposed reducing Canada's total cadet force to about 75,000 members. Many of the closed corps, those with membership restricted to boys in one particular school, were disbanded; some of them became open corps, training in militia armouries or in Legion halls; others, like many corps sponsored by the Navy League, acquired their own buildings.
The Korean War stimulated growth among open corps in the early 1950s. Many school corps moved to armouries and drill halls. After 1954, Korea veterans staffed the Area Cadet Offices that began to manage these corps and the summer camps that trained them.
Unification of the Canadian Forces
Following the unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, a number of changes occurred in the Cadet world:
* Sea and Air Cadets came more fully under the control of the Canadian Forces in order to standardize the three Cadet organizations;
* A directorate of cadets was established in Ottawa to set policy and co-ordinate the activities of the Sea, Army and Air cadets;
* The Army Cadet League of Canada was formed in 1971 in order to give the Army cadets a civilian voice comparable to that of the Navy League and the Air Cadet League;
* Sea Cadet officers became commissioned members of the Canadian Forces. Before this date, sea cadet officers were created by means of a warrant from the Navy League of Canada; and
* The Cadet Services of Canada was superseded by the Cadet Instructor List, which was later redesigned the Cadet Instructor Cadre.
Girls in the Cadet Program
Girls have participated unofficially in cadet training almost from the beginning. Shortly after the Highland Cadet Corps was stood up at the Guelph Grammar School in 1882, a female cadet company called the Daughters of the Regiment, was also raised.
On the 30 July 1975, parliament amended the relevant legislation by changing the word boys to persons, therefore permitting girls to become members of the Royal Canadian Sea, Army, and Air Cadets. At long last, girls could finally do everything the boys had been doing for so many years. The biggest change was at the camp level. What had been for so many decades an exclusively male environment changed dramatically at Vernon, Ipperwash, Valcartier, Argonaut and Banff. In short time the girls adapted.
2004 - 125th Anniversary
2004 marked the 125th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets. The Army Cadet League of Canada purchased and issued a 125th Anniversary pin to be worn by all 25,000+ army cadets across the country. Canada Post honoured the cadets with a stamp of it's own unveiled in Ottawa in March 2004. Many parade honouring the century and a quarter of cadets occurred across Canada, there were Freedom of the City parades in Vernon, Oromocto and Calgary as well as other locations. The original Royal Banner was laid up in Vernon during the final battalion parade on August 19 at the ACSTC, and the new Royal Banner was paraded in front of 1500 cadets and 2000 members of the audience.