Commodore William Truelove, Commandant RMC and Chief Warrant Officer Tony Slack, College Chief Warrant Officer are shown with the RMC flag on National Flag of Canada Day – February 15th
RMC Flag set for display in Manitoba
Article & photo by: Lieutenant Cynthia Kent, Royal Military College of Canada – Public Affairs Officer
The flag of the Royal Military College of Canada will soon be on display in the heart of the prairies as part of a flag exhibit in a Manitoba museum.
Settlers Rails and Trails Inc is a brand new museum located in Argyle, Manitoba. It was incorporated as a non-profit organization in November of 2010. The flag collection was established to recognize the variety of flags that exist in Canada and ranges from historical flags to commemorative flags.
RMC was asked to supply a flag for the collection. Chief Warrant Officer Tony Slack, College Chief Warrant Officer, made the arrangements to make it happen.
“We are pleased to contribute to the Settlers Rails and Trails museum’s collection of Canadian flags,” said CWO Slack. “The Royal Military College of Canada is a national institution and has been a part of Canadian culture for 135 years. We are proud of our flag’s role in the development of our National Flag and of the tens of thousands of young Canadians who have been developed into great leaders under its watch.”
Although the exact origin of the RMC flag is unknown, it dates back at least to the post First World War period. What many people outside of RMC don’t know is the RMC flag was the inspiration for the Canadian Flag.
Dr. G.F.G (George) Stanley, then the Dean of Arts at RMC, suggested a design for a national flag based on the RMC College flag. He proposed replacing the RMC badge with either three maple leaves or a single red maple leaf.
The latter design, with some minor modification, was accepted by Parliament in December 1964. On February 15th, 1965 it became the National Flag of Canada.