Document Record

Creator

Canada. Dept. of National Defence.

Title

Department of National Defence : Examination Unit

Identifier

lac_mikan_134683
143822
RG 24 C 22
R112-278-3-E
R112-278-3-F
Government
Military
oocihm.lac_mikan_134683

Document source

Library and Archives Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada

Language

English

Description

In January 1923, the Department of Militia and Defence, which had been responsible for the Canadian military between 1906 and 1921, became the Department of National Defence (DND) as a result of the prior amalgamation of Naval Services, Militia and Defence, as well as the merger of the Air Board into the department. By bringing the organizations under the control of a single minister, the government recognized the need to maintain a multi-service force, but hoped to realize certain administrative economies, and a degree of unification in the administration and direction of the forces. The Second World War saw a major expansion and restructuring of the department. Although individual service departments were not created in law, a minister of national defence for air was appointed in May 1940 and a minister of national defence for naval services was created in July of that year to lessen the burden on the Minister responsible for defence. In practice, this meant that there were three separate ministries. After the war, in 1946, the department’s organization reverted to prewar form. In February 1968, the three services (army, air and navy) were unified into the Canadian Armed Forces. In October 1972, the civilian and military branches in Ottawa were merged into the single National Defence Headquarters. Including military and civilian personnel, DND has been the largest government department since 1945, while its operating budget has consistently been among the three highest.
This collection consists of documents related to the administration and operations of the Examination Unit (EU) and the Joint Discrimination Unit (JDU), the organizations responsible for anaylzing and deciphering enemy signals during the Second World War.

URL

https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_mikan_134683