Royal Roads Military College
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Royal Roads Military College |
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| Motto | Truth, Duty, Valour |
| Established | 1940 |
| Type | Military college |
| Chancellor | MND |
| Principal | N/A |
| Staff | N/A |
| Undergraduates | N/A |
| Location | Victoria, British Columbia, BC, Canada |
| Campus | Hatley Park |
| Closed | 1995 |
| Website | rrmc.ca |
Royal Roads Military College (RRMC) was a Canadian military college (1940 to 1995) located in Hatley Park, near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The facility is currently being used as the campus for Royal Roads University, a public university that offers applied and professional programs. The centrepiece of the campus is Hatley Castle, constructed in the early part of the 20th century by B.C. coal baron James Dunsmuir for his wife, Laura.
The gentlemen cadets of RRMC were not only required to excel in their respective academic fields, but to achieve the standard in the three other components as well, the Second Language Training component, Physical Fitness component and the Military component. Failure in any of these four components resulted in the cadet not being awarded the coveted RRMC degree.
In February of 1994, after the end of the Cold War and under the pressure of massive spending cuts from the Government of Canada, the Department of National Defence announced that it was would be closing Royal Roads Military College, along with the Le collège militaire royal (CMR) in St-Jean Sur Richelieu. CMR however was retained as an educational institution for lady and gentlemen cadets, as a preparatory college for certain cadets before proceeding to the Royal Military College Kingston. The final graduating class of RRMC proudly marched off the parade square in May of 1995, signifying the historical close and the end of many years of proud college tradition at Hatley Park.
Hatley Park / Former Royal Roads Military College was declared a National Historic Site of Canada in 1995 in order to commemorate the Dunsmuir family (1908-1937) and RRMC (1940-1995). The site was plaqued in 2000 as a superb Canadian example of an Edwardian park, with gardens, which remains practically intact.
On June 21, 1995, after negotiations with the Department of National Defence and the Government of British Columbia, the British Columbian Government passed the Royal Roads University Act, creating Royal Roads University. The campus is currently leased from the federal government under a $1, 50-year lease agreement with Royal Roads University which was announced in 2001. The Department of National Defence leases approximately 55 hectares of land for the campus to Royal Roads University, and has entered into a five-year Renewable Management Agreement with the University for the maintenance of the remaining 175 hectares of property owned by the Department of National Defence.
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[edit] History
| Year | Significance |
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| The Royal Canadian Naval College in Halifax, Nova Scotia was closed in 1921. | |
| 1921 | The Canadian Government purchased the land for Royal Roads to reestablish the Naval college |
| 1940 |
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| 1942 | The Royal Canadian Naval College was established |
| 1946 | The institution was transformed into the combined Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force College |
| 1947 | The institution was renamed the Canadian Services College Royal Roads, to reflect the new tri-service nature. The name was later changed to its final name of Royal Roads Military College. |
| 1948 |
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| 1949 | The RMC Club commemorated the fallen from the Second World War on two bronze plaques located on the flanking plinths of the Arch. Names of cadets lost in Korea, through peacekeeping and other operations were added as required. |
| 1950 | The Old Brigade, alumni celebrating 50 + years since they entered one of the military colleges, are inducted. |
| 1952 | CMR was established in order to conduct tri-service cadet training within the Canadian Forces. |
| 1975 | The Royal Roads Military College Degrees Act was passed by the Government of British Columbia, allowing the college to grant degrees. |
| 1984 | The first female cadet enrolled at RRMC creating a slight shift culturally in the Canadian Military Colleges, as well as in the CF as a whole. |
| 1995 |
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[edit] Facilities
| Building | Year | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Hatley Castle | 1900s | administrative centre of Royal Roads University |
| Mews Conference Centre | 1912 | stables and garage later converted to classrooms, dormitory, social centre and conference centre |
| Cedar Building | 1900s | The original Tudor-style dairy and cattle barns were converted into laboratories and classrooms for physics and oceanography. The building was refurbished in 1998 into research and computer laboratories |
| Arbutus Building | academic classrooms, administrative offices, a computer lab, and a canteen | |
| Gate House | (or White House) an administrative centre | |
| Millward Building | 1991 | Offices, dormitories, named for former Commandant Millward (Air Force) of Royal Roads Military College. |
| Nixon Building | 1955 | classrooms, dormitories named after the former Commanding Officer Nixon of the Royal Naval College of Canada. |
| Grant Building | 1943 | main academic building, laboratories, cafeteria, and offices named for first Commanding Officer of HMCS Royal Roads, Captain John Moreau Grant |
| Boat House | 1989 | boat house |
| dock | 1990 | dock |
| sports complex | 1942 - 1957 | gymnasium, weight room, fitness studio, squash courts, outdoor tennis courts |
[edit] Royal Roads Military College Museum
Hatley Castle is home to the Royal Roads Military College Museum.
The museum is located in Hatley Castle, on the campus of the Royal Roads University and former campus of the Royal Roads Military College of Canada. The Museum mandate is to collect, conserve, research and display material relating to the history of the Royal Roads Military College, its former cadets and its site.
The Royal Roads Military College Museum is a member of the Canadian Museums Association and the Organization of Military Museums of Canada Inc. The Royal Roads Museum is an accredited museum within the Canadian Forces Museum System. [3] The museum has formed a cooperating association of friends of the museum to assist with projects. [4]
[edit] Trivia
- The beautiful campus of Royal Roads was used as the mansion for the popular "X-Men" movies.[1]
- Alex Trebek of Jeopardy fame attended Royal Roads for a brief time, but left before completing his first year.
