Military medical services (Canada)

Last modified: 2016-06-11 by rob raeside
Keywords: military flags: canada |
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• Royal Canadian Medical Service
• Royal Banner
• Detail of badge
• Canadian Forces Dental Service
• Canada/UN Medical Services Afghanistan flag

See also:

• Canadian Army unit flags
• Canada, army flags
• Flags of the Canadian Forces
• Canada

image by Jorge Candeias

image contributed by Wenda Moore, 23 March 2014

It is unknown if these images are of variants of the same flag, or if one is a more recent version. The Canadian Forces Medical Branch was recently renamed the Royal Canadian Medical Service.
Dave Fowler, 24 March 2014

The colours are red (maroon/sanguine) “blood” over green “health”.
Wayne Dauphinee, President Royal Canadian Medical Service Association, 28 March 2016

Royal Banner

image located by Bill Garrison, 30 March 2016

The flag is per bend sinister Gules and Vert in the canton the badge of the Canadian Forces Medical Service proper. There is an "A" in the upper-left corner of the flag -- it presumably refers to Princess Anne. The colours of red and green represent blood and health.

This image shows a banner with a similar design, lacking the "per bend sinister Gules and Vert".

Detail of Badge

image located by Bill Garrison, 30 March 2016

Badge: An oval Gules edged and charged with a rod of Aesculapius, all within a wreath of maple leaves Or and ensigned by the Royal Crown proper.
Motto: MILITI SUCCURRIMUS

The deep red colour represents blood, and the rod of Aesculapius signifies that this is a medical organization.
Motto: This Latin phrase means “We hasten to aid the soldiers”.
Bill Garrison, 30 March 2016

image by Jorge Candeias

Canada/UN Medical Services Afghanistan flag

image located by Bill Garrison, 30 March 2016

This flag is being sold now on Ebay under something like: "Canada/UN Medical Services Afghanistan flag".
Bill Garrison, 30 March 2016

This flag is a mystery to me as it the first I’ve ever seen. The logo on the bottom right is similar to the old Mobile Command badge and represent the points on a compass.
Wayne Dauphinee, President Royal Canadian Medical Service Association, 28 March 2016

This flag was probably the medical detachment or medical command post related to the mobile command prior to formation of brigades.. 1998ish?

The Force Mobile Command was authorized by the CF as a Command. It precedes the Brigade and Divisional system we have re-introduced to the Forces as FMC was set in place at unification of the Air Sea and Land elements into the CAF rather than the RCN, RCAF and Canadian Army as we see it again. The FMC was stood down and all colours changed (as you see above) towards the end of the Nineties.

The flag and colours are right. Bottom right is the logo of mobile force command, and every field ambulance has its number in the center (i.e. 1 fd amb, 2 fd amb, 5 fd amb, 52 fd amb, 55 fd amb...).
Bill Garrison, 30 March 2016

The Directorate of History and Heritage provides this information for this flag:

This is in keeping with the approved design for Medical unit camp flags circa 1986. It incorporated the old Force Mobile Command badge in the lower fly. What is interesting here is that there is no numeral in the center of the FMC badge and therefore this may be a possible prototype.