Canadian Military History Volume 21 Issue 1 Article 3 2015 Racism and Enlistment The Second World War Policies of the Royal Canadian Air Force Mathias Joost Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Part of the Military History Commons Recommended Citation Mathias Joost "Racism and Enlistment The Second World War Policies of the Royal Canadian Air Force." Canadian Military History 21, 1 (2015) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. : Racism and Enlistment The Second World War Policies of the Royal Canadian Air Force Racism and Enlistment The Second World War Policies of the Royal Canadian Air Force Mathias Joost he Canadian military services officers, reflected the diversity of Thave not been immune to Abstract: Leading into the Second views prevalent in Canadian society racism. During the First World War World War, the Royal Canadian Air towards visible minorities. Force requested Federal Cabinet recruiting officers at Militia units in approval of restrictive enlistment The focus of this paper is the British Columbia refused to accept regulations that effectively barred evolution and then demise of the Chinese-Canadians, with the result the visible minorities from serving. RCAF’s regulations, policies and that they had to travel to Alberta and Cabinet approved these regulations, practices for the exclusion of non- Ontario to enlist, while Japanese- yet by March 1942 these regulations white Canadians during the Second were eliminated at the instigation of Canadians were only accepted after the RCAF. This paper compares the World War. While there is some a great deal of lobbying. Black- enlistment practices of the Royal literature about the participation Canadians faced similar prejudice Canadian Navy and the Militia to of Black, Chinese and Japanese- to that of the Chinese-Canadians those of the RCAF. It then examines Canadians in the Canadian military the potential reasons for these RCAF in their attempts to enlist.1 The effort of 1939 to 1945, these works regulations, how they were applied refusal of some units to accept visible and the process leading to their do not treat enlistment policies in minorities into their ranks, however, elimination. Finally, the application any detail.3 This study will examine was the result of decisions on the part of the new, non-racist policies is the cases of Black and Chinese- of individual officers. There were no examined. Canadians; the special circumstances such proscriptive regulations. that limited participation of Japanese- Although members of those in place regulations prohibiting Canadians in the Second World War minorities who did participate in the enlistment of visible minorities in are beyond the scope of the present war effort of 1914 to 1919 acquitted most categories, and the government paper.4 Aboriginal Canadians will themselves very well, their efforts approved these regulations by not be considered as policy did not did not result in long-term changes orders-in-council. During the early restrict their enlistment. in practice – the opposite was true. years of the war policy rulings by The RCAF’s enlistment policies By the start of the Second World War, senior authorities further proscribed can only be properly understood the regulations of the navy and air enlistment of Canada’s non-white in the context of the policies of the force were specifically exclusionary; population.2 Actual practice, other two Canadian armed forces, only whites were accepted into however, was more flexible. In fact, the Royal Canadian Navy and the almost all categories for enlistment. while the RCAF was the first among Canadian Militia, 5 and Britain’s In the Militia, units were still able to the three armed forces to introduce Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and decide for themselves whether or not exclusionary regulations and policies, Army upon which the Canadian to accept visible minority volunteers, the service subsequently took the forces modelled themselves. with many deciding not to do so. lead in eliminating them. In many Both the RCAF and the RCN In 1938 and early 1939, the Royal ways these actions, together with established their exclusionary Canadian Air Force (RCAF) put varying practices of RCAF recruiting enlistment regulations in 1938 on Published© Canadian by Scholars Military Commons History @, Laurier,Volume 2015 21, Number 1, Winter 2012, pp.17-34. 17 1 Canadian Military History, Vol. 21 [2015], Iss. 1, Art. 3 The original caption for this official photograph read, “Darkies, who with others, load Canadian Corps tramways with ammunition, resting.” These are just a few of the estimated 800 Black Canadians who served with distinction on the Western Front during the First World War. that the RAF policy of pure European descent was maintained because Canadian War Museum 19930012-397 Canadian War mixing “European and non-European subjects in the same fighting service raises grave practical difficulties.” The British Army required that for promotion from the ranks to combatant commissions as second lieutenants, candidates had to be of pure European descent, as well as being a British subject and the son of British subjects.11 the basis of British precedents. The March 1918 while leading his troops Royal Canadian Navy Royal Navy’s “Regulations for the during the German spring offensive, Entry of Naval Cadets” of 1906 Sergeant William Robinson Clarke he Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) stated that “candidates must be of of Jamaica and five Indian officers Twas the first of the three services pure European descent.”6 The Royal who served in the RFC and Royal Air to incorporate a racial enlistment Naval Air Service and the Royal Force (RAF). One Black-Canadian, restriction in its regulations and the Flying Corps (RFC), which in 1918 George Frederick Shreve, transferred last of the three services to modify had combined to form the Royal from the Canadian Expeditionary the restriction. In 1938, an order- Air Force, also required that officer Force to the RFC in August 1917 to in-council changed the regulations candidates be of pure European become a pilot, was commissioned so that candidates for commissions descent. This was enforced in Canada and served until July 1919.9 as officers had to be “of the white and other British Empire nations Between the wars, the three British race and must be a British subject in recruitment for the British flying services reverted to the exclusionary who has resided, or whose parents services during the First World War. regulations. Air Ministry Weekly have resided in Canada for two It was not, however, universal as Order 603/1921(issued 28 July 1921) years immediately preceding the white people with Maori background required that “[w]ith the exception date of entry.” Ratings also had to could be enlisted.7 of boys, recruits must be of pure be of the “white race” except that Such were the demands for European descent and the sons of the applicant only had to be a British manpower during the First World natural-born or naturalized British subject.12 The reasoning for excluding War that troops had to be recruited subjects.” The exception for boys was visible minorities was that “[i]t is, in from the non-white populations of later eliminated, and when the RAF’s general, considered undesirable to the British Empire, but officers from first recruiting regulations appeared mix Asiatic races with White under visible minorities rarely led European as Air Publication (AP) 948, they living conditions which prevail in troops or became pilots. Commissions codified the pure European descent small ships.”13 Confined spaces did were the last bastion of the pure and British subject requirements. not “lend themselves to satisfactory European descent regulation, as the The requirement to be of pure mixing” of races; “enrolment [of non- War Office considered that “a British European descent was also enforced whites] would cause immediate and private will never follow a half-caste for enlistment in the Auxiliary Air continued dissatisfaction amongst or native officer.”8 There were always Force and RAF Special Reserve.10 white ratings.”14 The objective was a few exceptions, such as Walter Tull, In 1924, in response to a question in thus to maintain “all Royal Navies… a Black Briton of Caribbean descent, Parliament, the under-secretary of of Pure European Descent and of the who was killed in action on 25 state at the Air Ministry responded White Race.”15 https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol21/iss1/318 2 : Racism and Enlistment The Second World War Policies of the Royal Canadian Air Force On 9 November 1942, at the Canadian David Tsubota enlisted in soldiers”).24 Within months of the weekly meeting of the Naval Board, 1940 and was soon released.22 Black- start of the war, the need to be a Angus L. Macdonald, minister of Canadians were also apparently British subject was removed from national defence for naval services, enlisted before the change; however, the requirements to be an officer in observed that the Army and the because of the lack of documentation, the Non-Permanent Active Militia.25 RCAF were accepting applicants of the exact number or details cannot The enlistment situation during all races, and urged that the Navy be ascertained. These Blacks were the Second World War was similar should consider doing the same. 16 enlisted into specific trades, such to that of the First World War. In May 1943 Naval Monthly Order as stewards and cooks, much as Commanding officers decided 2653 was issued, stating in part: the Royal Navy employed Chinese whether or not to accept visible “All applicants of whatever race stewards and cooks.23 minority members into their are to be treated on an equal basis units, and while military district as recruits.