Royal Roads Military College
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| Image:Rrmccrest.gif
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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 Canadian Government first purchased the land for Royal Roads, in order to try to re-establish the Royal Canadian Naval College which had been closed in Halifax in 1921. In 1940 the Naval Training Establishment at Royal Roads was changed and commissioned to HMCS Royal Roads. During this time, the military began to convert the auxiliary buildings on the Hatley estate such as the Mews stables and garage into classroom space. A new building called the Grant Building located behind Hatley Castle was built in order to provide a mess hall and dormitories, as well as classrooms and laboratories. In 1942 the Royal Canadian Naval College was established, which was subsequently transformed into a the combined Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force College in 1946, and was again changed in 1947 when it became known as the Canadian Services College Royal Roads, in order to reflect the new tri-service nature of the institution. The name was later changed to its final name of Royal Roads Military College. The Royal Roads Military College Degrees Act was passed on June 25th, 1975 by the Government of British Columbia, allowing the college to grant degrees. 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 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.
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 a educational institution for lady and gentlemen cadets, as a prepatory college for certain cadets before proceding 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 was quickly declared a National Historic Site in order to commemorate the Dunsmuir family (1908-1937) and RRMC (1940-1995). 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 hectared 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.
[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.
