Historical Background
The Royal Canadian Medical Service (RCMS) was formerly named the Canadian Forces Medical Service until it was renamed on October 9, 2013. The RCMS, along with the Royal Canadian Dental Corps, formerly the Canadian Forces Dental Services, form the Canadian Forces Health Services (CFHS) Group.
The CFHS Group provides medical and dental support to the Canadian Armed forces (CAF) at home and abroad. Personnel of the CFHS Group provide operational (deployed) and operational readiness (in-garrison) medical and dental care to entitled personnel.
The Commander of the CFHS Group is also the Surgeon General of the CAF.
Click here to learn more about the CFHS Group
Role
RCMS personnel wear the same uniforms as other members of the CF with unique identifiers depending on which distinctive environmental uniform (DEU) they are assigned (Navy, Army, Air):
Navy
Naval medical officers wear scarlet distinction cloth between the braids of their rank, while other health care officer classifications (non-physicians) wear a dull cherry distinction cloth. NCMs wear a trade badge on their jackets.
Army
Army medical branch officers and non-commissioned members wear “RCMS” shoulder titles and collar badges depicting the RCMS crest on the service dress jacket by all ranks. NCMs below the rank of warrant officer wear a trade badge on the sleeve of the service dress jacket.
Air
Air Force medical branch officers and non-commissioned members wear a distinctive badge depicting the symbol Caduceus of over their name tag on both their dress uniform jacket and short-sleeve order of dress.
Regardless of environment, all officers and non-commissioned members (NCMs) wear the same cap badge. The only difference between the cap badges is that the staff of Æsculapius on NCM badge comprises a gold serpent on a gold staff whereas on the officer badge comprises a silver serpent on a gold staff.
Royal Banner
The RCMS was presented the Princess Royal’s Banner on October 23, 2013, on the occasion of the RCMS Colonel-in-Chief, The Princess Royal’s visit to the RCMS Home Station at Canadian Forces Base Border, Ontario. The new Banner replaces the Queen Mother’s Banner presented to the CFMS by Her Majesty The Queen Mother in 1985.
For those interested to see the respective videos:
Below is the 2013 presentation of the Princess Royal’s Banner and directly below that is the 1985 presentation of the Queen Mother’s Banner.
Motto and March
Militi Succurrimus (We hasten to aid the soldiers) is the official RCMS motto and “The Farmer’s Boy” is the RCMS march.
