Tuesday, February 22, 2011

RCMP - GRC

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) (Gendarmerie royale du Canada - GRC), colloquially known as Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’, is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal, provincial and municipal policing body. The RCMP provides federal policing service to all of Canada and policing services under contract to the three territories, eight provinces (the RCMP does not serve as provincial or municipal police in Ontario and Quebec), more than 190 municipalities, 184 Aboriginal communities and three international airports.
The RCMP was formed in 1920 by the merger of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police (RNWMP, founded 1873) with the Dominion Police (founded 1868). Much of the present-day organization's symbolism has been inherited from its days as the NWMP, including the distinctive Red Serge uniform, paramilitary heritage, and mythos as a frontier force
Despite the trade mark brown wide-brimmed stetson with a glass-flat brim, there was a time that the Mounties wore berets. The khaki beret (above) became standard uniform gear in 1942. As far as I know, berets are not in use anymore; I can't find any details of it's abolishment. 
Pictured below Corporal John Edward Macphee, RCMP - date unknown.

3 comments:

  1. I have 2 RCMP cap or beret badges. One is about 2inches square, the other,about 1 inch sq. which is for a khaki beret?

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    Replies
    1. Hi John,
      I wish I could help you, but I am not familiar at all with these things. If any reader knows more, please comment!
      Cheers,
      Daan

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  2. RCMP wore berets when members formed Number One Canadian Provost Company during WW2. Uniforms were of the type worn by the British Corps of Military Police, but they wore khaki berets and not the [red covered] khaki peaked cap as worn by the CMP.

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