3005 RCACC was originally formed 1 Sep 1956 under the sponsorship of the Canadian Scottish Regiment and affiliated with same. It was disbanded 9 Apr 1959.
The corps reformed 15 Jul 1989 as 2598 Sidney Signal Cadet Corps. It is sponsored by the BC Army Cadet League and co-sponsored and affiliated with the 741 (Victoria) Comm Sqdn.
On 13 May 1992, the name changed from 2598 Sidney Signal Corps to 3005 Sidney Signal Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps. This was done to allow the corps to use the corps flag and memorabilia of the 3005 unit, from the same area.
During 1994, a redesignation and a sponsor change occurred. The sponsor became the Branch 12, Army, Navy, Airforce Veterans Association and the corps name changed to its last moniker: 3005 11 Service Battalion Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps affiliated with the 11 (Victoria) Service Battalion located in the Ashton Armoury.
On 25 April 2019, 3005 went through another redesignation to align more with our sponsor 39 Service Battalion becoming: 3005 39 Service Battalion Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps.
Army Cadet History
More than one hundred years ago (as far back as 1862) Canada began the instruction of young men attending school in drill and military training. These young men were initially formed into militia sub-units known as Drill Associations that closely resemble present-day cadet corps.
In 1879, under the provision of Militia General Order 18, Associations for Drill in Educational Institutions were authorized for young men of at least 14 years of age. This General Order is taken as the official founding date of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets.
In 1942, His Majesty King George VI conferred the title Royal on the Army cadets and accepted the appointment of Colonel-in-Chief. Today, HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, holds this title.
During the 1960's, the Canadian Forces underwent a complete reorganization and as a result the Directorate of Cadets was established at National Defence Headquarters to set policy and coordinate the activities of the Canadian Cadet Organization on a national basis.
Bill C16 was given Royal Assent on July 30, 1975 and amended the National Defence Act allowing young women to enroll as cadets. Prior to this date, cadets was a male-only organization.
The Canadian Cadet Movement is the largest youth organization in Canada, and is the only federally funded youth initiative. We have corps and squadrons in every province and territory, and currently have over 55,000 members!