Vanguard Magazine

R C A F H I S T O RY 22 JUNE/JULY 2024 www.vanguardcanada.com A Reflection on I t was preceded by the misnamed Canadian Aviation Corps (actu- ally just one aircraft, two pilots and one mechanic), by Canadians serving in the British Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) in the First World War, by the short-lived Canadian Air Force in Eng- land in 1919, and by the home-based Ca- nadian Air Force of 1920-24. As early as 1917, then Lieutenant-Col- onel Redford (LCol) "Red" Henry Mu- lock, the first Canadian ace in the First World War and later the highest-ranking Canadian airman of that war, had nearly convinced the Minister of Militia that an B Y B G E N ( R E T ' D ) T E R R E N C E L E V E R S E D G E 100 YEARS OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE pendent Canadian Air Force. On May 30, when the Cabinet delivered its judgment on the future of Canadian military avia- tion, there was disappointment; nothing was to be done in this regard. Mulock and the others involved were discouraged but this was not to be the end of Mulock's efforts in trying to form an independent Air Service for Canada. Mu- lock had finished the war as a distinguished airman with the newly formed Royal Air Force. In this new service, he had been tasked with forming the No. 27 Group, a special force consisting of two wings of huge four-engine Handley Page V1500 bombers, designed to strike deep into Germany from bases in the UK. By No- vember, Mulock had his squadrons ready to bomb Berlin, but the war ended and 27 Group stood down. In March 1919, Colonel Mulock, now the provisional commander of the new Canadian Air Force in England, provided another recommendation paper to the Ca- nadian government on a post-war "Aerial Expansion – With Particular Reference to Canada." Mulock's covering paper was four pages and included two appendices, which provided the suggested organiza- tional construct and the potential expenses involved. His paper covered two primary aspects: the control and regulation of all aviation by legislation and the provision and operation of aircraft for naval, military and other government services. AS WE REFLECT ON 100 YEARS OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE (RCAF), IT IS IMPORTANT ALSO TO REMEMBER THAT IT HAS BEEN ONLY ONE OF SEVERAL AIR FORCES IN CANADA. independent Canadian air force should be formed. Mulock's writings on the formation of an independent Canadian Air Force revealed his vision, intelligence and a ready grasp of the problems inherent in the formation of a Canadian flying service. His arguments were based on technical knowledge, op- erational experience, and sound judgment. Mulock carefully outlined a proposed composition for basic flying units, using as his model the organization of the RFC, rather than that of his own service, the RNAS. With force and clarity, he empha- sized that the key to an understanding of the organization was the principle of spe- cialization of function. The distinct tasks of fighting, reconnaissance, photography, artillery co-operation, bombing, close support of ground forces, and balloon ob- servation required distinct units, distinct tactics and training, and specialized air- craft. By these functions, squadrons would be grouped into a brigade, consisting of two wings. Mulock argued for the creation of at least a full brigade of at least eight squadrons together with an air staff, supply and equipment detachments, plus a kite balloon establishment that together made up the range of functions to be carried out by a Canadian RFC-like air brigade. On May 17, 1917, LCol Mulock made a presentation to the Canadian Cabinet with his proposal along with other administra- tive details for the formation of an inde-

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