Royal Canadian Armoured Corps The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps ( RCAC ) is the armoured corps within the Canadian Army , including regular and reserve force regiments . History . Originally formed as the Canadian Cavalry Corps in 1910 , they were then designated as the Canadian Tank Corps during the First World War . The modern Canadian Armoured Corps was created on 13 August 1940 with Major - General ( then Colonel ) F . F . Worthington as its first colonel - commandant . The Corp was subsequently bestowed the honour of the ' Royal ' designation by King George VI in 1945 . Initially its equipment was 219 US M1917 tank s – a First World War design – obtained at scrap prices . They were sufficient for some training and familiarisation , but otherwise of limited combat use . To form the 1st Army Tank Brigade , Valentine tank s were ordered . This British design was to be built in Canada . Aside from the necessary adjustments to the design to incorporate local engineering standards and available components , the Canadian Valentines used a GMC engine . This engine , being an improvement over the original , was later applied to British production . In practice , Canada never used most of the 1 , 400 Valentines they built as they were supplied under lend - lease to the Soviet Union . In early 1941 the 1st Tank Brigade was sent to Britain and equipped with the Matilda tank . For the formation of two armoured divisions it was expected that 1 , 200 cruiser tank s were needed . The United Kingdom was not in a position to supply them , as it had shortfalls in supply for its own needs . This meant that Canada had to develop its own production . To this end a tank arsenal was set up under the management of a subsidiary of a US firm engaged in tank production . Canadian armour regiments split their heritage between two primary sources . The first being the cavalry , from which many armoured regiments were created , and the second being the infantry . This begain in 1936 with the creation of " infantry ( tank ) " regiments and continued on from 1940 when many infantry regiments were mobilised as armour units for the Second World War , and were then subsequently transferred from the Royal Canadian Infantry Corps into the Royal Canadian Armour Corps . In 1968 , with the unification of the Canadian Army into the Canadian Armed Forces , the name of the Royal Canadian Armour Corps was changed to simply the Armour Branch . Despite the change however , the Corps continued to use its traditional title . As of April 2013 , the traditional designation of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps has been officially restored . Training . Royal Canadian Armoured Corps School . The Armour School at CFB Gagetown , New Brunswick , sustains and conducts armour advance qualifications , advanced armour leadership qualifications , basic armour officer requirements , and specialized qualifications on behalf of the Army . Tactics School . The Tactics School at CFB Gagetown develops , conducts and monitors combined arms operations . Within a battle group context , the tactics school focusses on tactics , techniques , and procedures at the combat team level . The Tactics School ' s mission is to educate and train army junior officers in the integration of combat functions at the combat team level on the tactical battlefield . Equipment . The main vehicles operated by the RCAC include : Order of precedence . RCHA on parade without guns : ( See note below ) RCHA on parade with guns : ( See note below ) " Note : " The honour of " The Right of the Line " ( precedence over other units ) , on an army parade , is held by the units of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery when on parade with their guns . On dismounted parades , RCHA units take precedence over all other land force units except formed bodies of Officer Cadets of the Royal Military College representing their college . RCA units parade to the left of units of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps .