Royal Canadian Legion
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|
| Abbreviation | RCL |
|---|---|
| Motto |
"Memoriam eorum retinebimus" (Latin) "We Will Remember Them" |
| Formation | November 25, 1925 |
| Type | Ex-service organisation |
| Legal status | Nonprofit Organization |
| Headquarters | Dominion Command |
| Location |
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Region served
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Worldwide |
|
Membership (2013)
|
284,056 |
|
Grand Patron
|
David Johnston |
|
Honourary Grand President
|
Larry Murray |
|
Dominion President
|
Tom Eagles |
| Affiliations | Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League |
| Slogan | ″There is strength and power in numbers″ |
| Website | www |
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Formerly called
|
Canadian Legion |
The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization (veterans' organization) founded in 1925. Membership includes people who have served as military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, Royal Canadian Air, Army and Sea Cadets, direct relatives of members and also affiliated members. Membership is now also open to the general public.
In Canada, several veterans' organizations emerged during World War I. The Great War Veterans Association, founded in 1917 by Lillian Bilsky Freiman, was the first national organization for veterans, and by 1919 it was the largest veterans' organization in Canada. Following World War I, 15 different organizations existed to aid returning veterans in Canada. Field Marshal Earl Haig, founder of the British Empire Service League (now known as the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League), visited Canada in 1925 and urged the organizations to merge. In the same year, the Dominion Veterans Alliance was created to unite these organizations.
In November 1925, the Canadian Legion was founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as the Canadian Legion of the British Empire Services League. The Canadian Legion of the British Empire Services League was incorporated by a special act of parliament the following year. The Legion grew steadily through the 1930s and then expanded rapidly following World War II. In 1960, Elizabeth II granted The Legion royal patronage and it became The Royal Canadian Legion.
On 10 November 1975 Canada Post issued "The Royal Canadian Legion, 1925–1975" designed by Rudy Kovach. The 8¢ stamps are perforated 13 and were printed by British American Bank Note Company.
The National Headquarters of The Royal Canadian Legion in Ottawa, Ontario features a Wall of Remembrance.
The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 593 erected a memorial in Ottawa dedicated to those who died in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War.
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Wikipedia