A Strategic Commander’s Perspective

In early 1949, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) suffered a succession 'of mass insubordination'. A commission of inquiry followed, which produced an extraordinarily wide ranging assessment of the culture of the RCN and what needed to be done to improve the service. Much of what came to be called the 'Mainguy Report' was good, but it is clear in retrospect that many of its conclusions, were driven by the powerful influence of a French-Canadian naval volunteer reserve officer, Louis Audette. His personal perspective of war service and his own interactions with the British Royal Navy profoundly coloured his own outlook and progressively that of the commission, including Rear-Admiral Mainguy who was the chair. Audette was in civilian life a lawyer and on his own testimony, he put his skills of argument and persuasion to determined use to drive the commissioners to the conclusions he wanted. Keywords: British Royal Navy; Louis Audette; Mainguy Report; Rear-Admiral Mainguy; Royal Canadian Navy (RCN)