Vanguard Magazine

24 JUNE/JULY 2024 www.vanguardcanada.com R C A F H I S T O RY The accompanying notes to this appen- dix further indicated that "this scheme of organization may be enlarged without in- terfering with Administrations, Control or Operations to any sized Air Force." While the Canadian Air Force in England in 1919 would end up being very short- lived, Mulock's paper laid the foundation for a discussion of "airpower" in Canada. And, although the path has been somewhat tortuous in getting there, we have achieved that in the RCAF of today, which has a uni- fied command system and that is simulta- neously operationally flexible, allowing for the employment of forces in support of land or naval operations, in support of coalition forces and / or in support of unique air de- fence or air sovereignty missions. Mulock would surely recognize both the organization construct and components of today's RCAF. He would understand the divisional and wing structure from his own 1917 proposal. And although he might not have understood the precise technolo- gy of the future, he would have recognized the functions provided by those technolo- gies; his kite balloon establishment being replaced by a space division and space wing for largely the same purposes. He would appreciate that the RCAF provides aircraft to support the naval and land forces while also independently carrying out other op- erations involving lines of action quite un- connected with either. The functions he noted in his own ap- pendix as the Construction Company and No. 1 Aircraft Depot are embedded pri- marily in 2 Wing Bagotville and he would certainly understand the function of the current No. 2 Canadian Air Division and its training mandate. In terms of fighter, trainer, transport and search and rescue and tactical land and / or maritime avia- tion support, all of these lines of operation would be familiar to Mulock. Perhaps, giv- en his own personal experiences as a Group commander at the end of the First World War, the only thing missing from the cur- rent functions is the lack of a strategic bombing / attack capability although one might argue that the recently announced acquisition of an armed Remotely Piloted Air System might be able to perform this very function. And more importantly, he would also fully recognize the professionalism, skills and dedication of the men and women in today's RCAF. He would even recognize the current motto of the RCAF "Sic Itur Ad Astra" / "Such is the pathway to the stars". Colonel Redford H. Mulock was defi- nitely a visionary, and he would be proud of the current RCAF and its capabilities. In his own era, as early as 1915, Mulock had been Mentioned in Dispatches (MID) for gallantry or otherwise commendable service as a fighter pilot. He was both the first Canadian ace to destroy five enemy aircraft, as well as the first RNAS pilot to achieve that distinction. For his outstand- ing performance, in June 1916, Mulock was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). After the war, for his over- all outstanding wartime service, he was appointed as a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), the only Canadian airman to receive that honour. When Mulock left the military, he became involved in the peacetime aircraft industry. Nevertheless, he re-enrolled in the RCAF Reserve ris- ing to the rank of Air Commodore, later becoming an Honourary Aide-de-Camp to two Governors-General. "Red" Mulock died in Montreal on January 23, 1961. He was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame on June 10, 2010. Terry Leversedge is a retired senior RCAF officer, published author and amateur historian. His career in military aerospace engineering encompassed a wide number of positions at both field units and within the headquarters of the RCAF, before he retired as a Brigadier General aer 35 years of service. Current RCAF Organizational Construct

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