|
The Army, Navy & Air
Force Veterans in Canada (ANAVETS) dates back to a charter given by Queen
Victoria in 1840, authorizing the formation of a unit in Montreal, and making
this organization the oldest veterans' association in Canada. The exact age of
the organization may date back even further, as it is believed that units may
have existed as early as the Conquest of New France in the 16th Century.
Origins
ANAVETS derives its
name from those remnants of French and British Army regiments remaining in
Canada when their units returned to Europe following tours of duty protecting
their North American colonies. These men, often combat veterans, organized to
exchange information on service benefits as well as to socialize. They called
themselves "The Army Veterans in Canada" so as to distinguish themselves, while
in Britain, from the Army Veterans in Australia or South-Africa. The reference
to Canada became an integral part of the Association's title, and they were
incorporated by the Government of Canada in 1917.
Following the War of
1812, Royal Navy sailors who had served on the Great Lakes and off the eastern
seaboard, who likewise remained in Canada after their service, joined the Army
Veterans in Canada and the title was changed to "The Army and Navy Veterans in
Canada".
The association
continued on in the late 19th Century, with volunteers who served the Canadian
government after before and after Confederation during the Fenian Raids of 1860,
1870 and 1871, the Red River Expedition of 1870, and the North-West Rebellion of
1885.
During and following
the Second World War, veterans of the Royal Canadian Air Force were welcomed as
members, and so the official title was again changed, to "The Army, Navy & Air
Force Veterans in Canada." The new title was authorized by an amendment to their
Act of Incorporation by Parliament in 1946. The Association has since also used
the short form ANAVETS to identify itself. |
