Military | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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  • Article

    The Royal Canadian Dragoons

    The Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD) is the senior of three regular armoured regiments in the Canadian Army. The regiment was established in 1883 as a cavalry unit. Since then, it has served in major conflicts at home and overseas, including the North-West Rebellion, Boer War, First and Second World Wars and, more recently, the war in Afghanistan. The Dragoons have also served in peace operations in Egypt, Cyprus, Somalia and the Balkans. The regiment has been based at CFB Petawawa, Ontario, since 1987. It is currently part of 2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, 4th Canadian Division. A detached squadron serves at CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/Dragoons/Dragoons_1891.jpg The Royal Canadian Dragoons

  • Article

    The Battle of York

    A crushing defeat for the British in the War of 1812, the sacking of York began on the morning of 27 April 1813. At dawn, a flotilla of 16 American ships under Commodore Isaac Chauncey made its way to the capital of Upper Canada, York [Toronto]. Landing to the west, the Americans suppressed the small group of warriors defending the shore, while knocking out the town's meagre batteries. The American force of approximately 1,700 men easily assumed control. With the fort poorly defended by an undersized garrison of 700 soldiers and backed by an unenthusiastic (indeed, almost wholly absent) militia, the British general, Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe, retreated. He left behind two local militia officers to negotiate the terms of surrender.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/SirIsaacBrockShip.jpg The Battle of York

  • Article

    Seven Years’ War (Plain-Language Summary)

    The Seven Years’ War (1756–63) was the first global war. In North America, Britain and France fought each other with the help of Indigenous allies. At the end of the war, France gave Canada (Quebec) and Ile Royale (Cape Breton) to Britain, among other territories. This is the reason that Canada has a British monarch but three founding peoples — French, British and Indigenous. (This article is a plain-language summary of the Seven Years’ War. If you are interested in reading about this topic in more depth, please see our full-length entry Seven Years’ War.)

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/JamesWolfe/Benjamin_West_DeathofGeneralWolfe.jpg Seven Years’ War (Plain-Language Summary)

  • Article

    The “Van Doos” and the Great War

    As the only combatant unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) whose official language was French, the 22nd (French Canadian) Infantry Battalion, commonly referred to as the “Van Doos” (from vingt-deux, meaning twenty-two in French), was subject to more scrutiny than most Canadian units in the First World War.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/11751af0-ec83-4753-8f2b-bb38ed576b7f.jpg The “Van Doos” and the Great War

  • Article

    The War of 1812 (Plain-Language Summary)

    The War of 1812 was fought between Britain and the United States between 1812 and 1814. The war ended in a stalemate but had many lasting effects in Canada. It guaranteed Canada’s independence from the United States. It also gave Canadians their first experience working together as a community and helped develop a sense of nationhood. (This article is a plain-language summary of the War of 1812. If you are interested in reading about this topic in more depth, please see our full-length entry War of 1812.)

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/d60240b0-5df1-48c0-bd0f-e3c0fbc67705.jpg The War of 1812 (Plain-Language Summary)

  • Article

    The Wars

    Timothy Findley’s 1977 novel about the mental and physical destruction of a young Canadian soldier in the First World War won the Governor General’s Literary Award for English Language Fiction. It is widely regarded as one of the country’s definitive historical war novels. It has been called “one of the most remarkable novels of war ever published” and “the finest historical novel ever written by a Canadian.” The Globe and Mail referred to The Wars as “the great Canadian novel about the First World War.”

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/60246c70-8d6a-4c61-af84-72e302c3363a.jpg The Wars

  • Editorial

    Alexander Dunn at the Battle of Balaclava

    The following article is an editorial written by The Canadian Encyclopedia staff. Editorials are not usually updated.

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    https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Alexander Dunn at the Battle of Balaclava

  • Article

    Then and Now: Commemorating Lundy's Lane

    ​On 25 July 2014, Canada marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Lundy’s Lane, one of the bloodiest battles of the War of 1812. The first milestone commemoration was held in 1914, when, just days before the start of the First World War, crowds of people gathered to celebrate 100 years of peace.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/297de7ae-f50e-4b6b-ab5b-103f73d1ebe1.jpg Then and Now: Commemorating Lundy's Lane

  • Article

    Toronto Feature: Armouries

    This article is from our Toronto Feature series. Features from past programs are not updated.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/7f6cdea8-59d5-4f74-82e5-c9516d10bcdb.jpg Toronto Feature: Armouries

  • Article

    Toronto Feature: Fort York

    This article is from our Toronto Feature series. Features from past programs are not updated.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/342717cc-5eef-45bd-93f9-737ea5b09a60.jpg Toronto Feature: Fort York

  • Macleans

    Troops Move Into East Timor

    The two Huey helicopters carrying Maj. Alain Gauthier and platoon commanders from Canada's Royal 22nd Regiment drifted low over the coastal flats of southern East Timor. Below, the giant leaves of banana trees swayed gently in what passes for breeze in the torpid tropical heat.This article was originally published in Maclean's Magazine on November 8, 1999

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    https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Troops Move Into East Timor

  • Article

    Troupes de la Marine

    The Troupes de la Marine (also known as the Compagnies franches de la Marine) were French regular infantry soldiers under the control of the Ministère de la Marine. Their key purpose was to defend France’s overseas colonial possessions, including New-France. These soldiers can be considered Canada’s first permanent regular army.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/c006216k.jpg Troupes de la Marine

  • Article

    U-boat Operations in Canadian Waters

    U-boat operations threatened Canada's sovereignty in the First and Second World Wars. German submarines (Unterseeboote) operated in Canadian (and American) waters during both world wars, targeting merchant vessels sailing alone or in convoy. Dozens of merchant ships were lost due to enemy action, as well as several Canadian warships, and hundreds lost their lives.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/U-Boats/survivors-HMCS-Esquimalt.jpg U-boat Operations in Canadian Waters

  • Article

    UFOs in Canada

    For 45 years, the Canadian government investigated unidentified flying objects (UFOs). Several of its departments and agencies collected sighting reports of UFOs in Canadian airspace from 1950 to 1995. These investigations started during the Cold War, spurred by fears of Soviet incursions. What began as a military question eventually became a scientific one. From the start, however, the government was reluctant to study this topic. It devoted few resources to it, believing UFOs to be natural phenomena or the products of “delusional” minds. By contrast, many Canadian citizens were eager for information about UFOs. Citizens started their own investigations and petitioned the government for action. In 1995, due to budget cuts, the government stopped collecting reports altogether. For their part, citizen enthusiasts have continued to investigate UFOs.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/single_use_images/Michalak_sketch.jpg UFOs in Canada

  • Article

    Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces

    On 1 February 1968, the Canadian Forces Reorganization Act (Bill C-243) came into effect, and the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force ceased to exist as separate entities. The three previously separate armed services were combined into a unified Canadian Armed Forces. Liberal Minister of Defence Paul Hellyer drove the change. Its merits were widely debated before and after the Act came into effect. By 2014, many of the changes introduced by unification had been reversed. 

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/CAF/canadian-forces-badge-600.png Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces