Wounded in the leg during his service with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1917, Sergeant Arthur Lawrence Morfee transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. He trained as an observer, took an aerial photography course and advanced from cadet to second lieutenant before his Royal Air Force service ended in February 1919. That photography course was to ensure him a long and productive aviation career, starting with mapping Canada. Morfee joined the fledgling Canadian Air Force as a pilot officer in 1921 and was among the original 62 officers of the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1924. Mount Morfee, Morfee Lake and Morfee Creek bear his name. His career nearly ended a year later, as reported in a Canadian Press dispatch on Feb. 24, 1925. Flight Lieutenant J.L.M. White and Flying Officer R...

In mid-February 2010, Canadian troops and helicopters were involved in launching the largest NATO attack to that date on the Taliban. It was called Operation Moshtarak, which means ‘together’ in the Dari language. More than 15,000 coalition soldiers and 50 helicopters converged on the small city of Marjah and surrounding farmland, a hub for the Taliban and the opium poppy production that supports them. The idea was to oust the Taliban and drug lords, win over the local population, reintegrate local government and persuade farmers to replace poppies with farm crops and give them the stability to do so. “This is the ultimate kind of goal for us,” helicopter wing commander Col. Jeff Smyth said in an interview with CTV. The air attack was the biggest mission for the Canadian Armed For...

The ocean liner SS Mauritania docked at Pier 21 in Halifax on Feb. 10, 1946, filled with women described in the media as homesick, seasick and lovesick. War brides. There were brides from every country where Canadians were deployed. The vessel was the first of the bride ships, which by 1947 had carried more than 44,000 women and about 21,000 children to new lives in Canada. During the war, brides could accompany husbands returning to Canada, but at the end of the war, all ships were needed to transport troops home, so the brides had to follow later. The women were mostly British, but there were brides from every country where Canadians were deployed, including the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy and even Germany. The Canadian Wives’ Bureau in London helped brides make...

In the 1960s, federal politicians were concerned that spending by some departments was out of control. Cost-cutting began, and the gaze of the bean counters fell on the sector accounting for about a quarter of the federal budget: national defence. The army, navy and air force each had their own administrative and support structures, and the politicians believed they could cut costs and inefficiency of triplification by integrating the services. And in the run-up to Canada’s centennial year, with growing desire for a distinct national identity, some believed going the extra step—unifying the services—would serve another goal: Canadianization. The development of uniquely Canadian traditions, supporters argued, was being hampered by the trappings of colonialism, particularly in the ...