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Inspired by long and idyllic summer days growing up in the East of England, Alfred Munnings gained a reputation for producing pastoral scenes, portraits and paintings of horses. In 1899, when he was just 20 years old, his work was accepted for the prestigious Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. That same year, Munnings was blinded in his right eye.

Ineligible for active service during the First World War, Munnings put his art skills to work as a war artist. Munnings was accepted to the Canadian War Memorials Fund, a charity initiated by Lord Beaverbrook in November 1916 and Canada’s first war art program. Munnings depicted the men and horses of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade and the Canadian Forestry Corps in a wide range of circumstances. The Canadian War Museum owns a substantial collection of Munnings paintings. The Munnings Exhibit is wonderfully displayed at your Canadian War Museum and a must see.  

Under the auspices of the Naval Service Act the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was founded in 1910. The Naval Service Act, also authorized the creation of a naval reserve and a volunteer force. In 1914, the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Service (RNCVS) was founded. In 1923, the RNCVS was disbanded and the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) was founded. 

The RCNVR’s first commander was Rear Admiral Walter Hose. Rear Admiral Hose firmly believed that the establishment of a robust reserve force would be an effective method to building popular Canadian support for the fledgling Royal Canadian Navy. To bring the navy to the people across Canada Rear Admiral Hose authorized the creation of Naval Reserve Divisions from coast to coast. The effectiveness of this RCNVR initiative was demonstrated in 1939 as the principal mechanism for the rapid growth of the RCN during the Second World War. At the war's conclusion, the RCN was the third largest navy in the world with a complement of 100,000 service men and women.

The Friends salute the thousands of men and women who have served their country through the Naval Reserve.

Reviewed by Ryan Goldsworthy 

On 29 November 2022, I hosted Tim Cook (Canadian War Museum) at the Royal Canadian Military Institute (RCMI) for the launch of his new book, Lifesavers and Body Snatchers: Medical Care and the Struggle for Survival in the Great War. Tim, one of the honorary historians of RCMI, has spoken to several of his books and to other specialized talks over the years at RCMI, including at our military history symposium in 2021. 

Read more of Ryan's Review.

Ryan Goldsworthy is a published military historian and material history expert from Toronto. He is currently the Museum Director & Curator at the Royal Canadian Military Institute (RCMI), one of Canada's oldest and largest military history museums. At RCMI, he has amassed the most diverse and complete collection of Canadian First World War uniforms in existence. He was formerly an Educator and a First World War historian at The Military Museums of Calgary (TMM). He has been published in various journals, including the Canadian Military Journal , Canadian Military History, and the Fife and Drum. He currently serves on the the Lorne Scots Regimental Museum's Board of Directors and on the City of Toronto’s Indigenous Collections Committee

The February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has altered the geopolitical landscape for decades ahead. Dr. John Robson will explore the political, economic and technological implications of this first major European war involving a United Nations Security Member in decades.

REGISTER by EMail at - fcwm-amcg@friends-amis.org for Zoom coordinates by January 24th, 2023.

Mr. William Abbott, in memory of Russel Morey

Ms. Lynn Borthwick, in memory of Private J. Chabin, in memory of my mother, J. Chabin, CWAC, WWII

Ms. Mai-yu Chan, in memory of Reg Redknap

Helen Edwards, in memory of John C.S. Edwards

Mrs. Marie Ferguson, in memory of Corporal. W.J. Ferguson, Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment, WWII

Mr. Gordon Foster, in memory of Reg Redknap

Major (Ret'd) Graham, in memory of Trooper Victor Y. Norburn, RCAC

Ms. Marilyn Minnes, in memory of Reg Redknap