ROYAL ROADS MILITARY COLLEGE

'Royal Roads Military College' (RRMC) was a Canadian military college (1940 to 1995) located in Hatley Park, Colwood, British Columbia 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 academic 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 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 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 an educational institution for lady and gentlemen cadets, as a preparatory college for certain cadets before proceeding 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 / Former Royal Roads Military College was declared a National Historic Site of Canada in 1995 in order to commemorate the Dunsmuir family (1908-1937) and RRMC (1940-1995). The site was plaqued in 2000 as a superb Canadian example of an Edwardian park, with gardens, which remains practically intact.
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 hectares 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.

History

Year	Significance
	The Royal Canadian Naval College in Halifax, Nova Scotia was closed in 1921.
1921	The Canadian Government purchased the land for Royal Roads to reestablish the Naval college
1940	★ The Naval Training Establishment at Royal Roads was changed and commissioned to HMCS Royal Roads. ★ Auxiliary buildings on the Hatley estate such as the Mews stables and garage were converted 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.
1942	The 'Royal Canadian Naval College' was established
1946	The institution was transformed into the combined Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force College
1947	The institution was renamed the Canadian Services College Royal Roads, to reflect the new tri-service nature. The name was later changed to its final name of Royal Roads Military College.
1948	★ In the Post-War re-organisation of the Canadian Forces, the Canadian Military Colleges Circle (CMC) was formed with the ''Royal Military College of Canada'' (RMC), ''Royal Roads Military College'' (RRMC) and ''Le Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean''(CMR)
1949	The RMC Club commemorated the fallen from the Second World War on two bronze plaques located on the flanking plinths of the Arch. Names of cadets lost in Korea, through peacekeeping and other operations were added as required.
1950	The Old Brigade, alumni celebrating 50 + years since they entered one of the military colleges, are inducted.
1952	CMR was established in order to conduct tri-service cadet training within the Canadian Forces.
1975	The Royal Roads Military College Degrees Act was passed by the Government of British Columbia, allowing the college to grant degrees.
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.
1995	★ following the end of the Cold War and massive government cutbacks on defence spending, the Department of National Defence closed Royal Roads Military College (RRMC) and Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean (CMR). ★ CMR now operates as part of ASU Saint-Jean as Campus St-Jean where preparatory year ("Prep year") cadets acquire the necessary academic standard needed to attend RMC. ★ RRMC Royal Roads Military College is no longer a military institution, and is now maintained by the Government of British Columbia as Royal Roads University. ★ The loss of CMS and RRMC along with their many traditions and history as military colleges still remains a bitter event for many cadets and alumni. ^[1]

Facilities

Building	Year	Significance
Hatley Castle	1900s	administrative centre of Royal Roads University
Mews Conference Centre	1912	stables and garage later converted to classrooms, dormitory, social centre and conference centre
Cedar Building	1900s	The original Tudor-style dairy and cattle barns were converted into laboratories and classrooms for physics and oceanography. The building was refurbished in 1998 into research and computer laboratories
Arbutus Building		academic classrooms, administrative offices, a computer lab, and a canteen
Gate House		(or White House) an administrative centre
Millward Building	1991	Offices, dormitories, named for former Commandant Millward (Air Force) of Royal Roads Military College.
Nixon Building	1955	classrooms, dormitories named after the former Commanding Officer Nixon of the Royal Naval College of Canada.
Grant Building	1943	main academic building, laboratories, cafeteria, and offices named for first Commanding Officer of HMCS Royal Roads, Captain John Moreau Grant
Boat House	1989	boat house
dock	1990	dock
sports complex	1942 - 1957	gymnasium, weight room, fitness studio, squash courts, outdoor tennis courts

^[2]

Royal Roads Military College Museum

Hatley Castle

Hatley Castle is home to the Royal Roads Military College Museum.
The museum is located in Hatley Castle, on the campus of the Royal Roads University and former campus of the Royal Roads Military College of Canada. The Museum mandate is to collect, conserve, research and display material relating to the history of the Royal Roads Military College, its former cadets and its site.
The Royal Roads Military College Museum is a member of the Canadian Museums Association and the Organization of Military Museums of Canada Inc. The Royal Roads Museum is an accredited museum within the Canadian Forces Museum System. ^[3] The museum has formed a cooperating association of friends of the
museum to assist with projects. ^[4]
=Traditions=

Tradition

Significance

''blanket toss''

''blanket toss'' of senior class members after the last waltz at the Grad Ball

''ceremonial mace''

Symbolizes the authority of the college, as granted in the name of the Sovereign (currently Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II). When carried into the ceremony and placed on stage, the mace signals the opening of the convocation.

'change of command ceremony'

The former commandant offers farewell and best wishes to the college and to the new Commandant. The new commandant accepts a first salute as the cadet wing marches past.

''college Toast (honor)''

RRMC club toast to ''absent comrades'' meaning those who have fallen in action or who had died

''colours''

After the last parade of RRMC in spring 1995, the Colours were deposited into the care of Christ Church Cathedral in -

''Feux de Joie''

an honour guard perform a rifle salute with

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