Department of National Defence
After a visit to the 8th Army in Italy in July 1944, Colonel Ralston, the Minister of National Defence, authorized and supported the creation of a Canadian Army newspaper to keep troops informed of current operations and news of the outside world. The Maple Leaf was founded by Lieutenant Colonel Richard Malone and content was created by and written by Canadian soldiers without any official control or editorial direction. The first issue was published 27 July 1944 in Caen, France and then daily if possible throughout the War. Issues of the paper were also published in Italy and Belgium. The Maple Leaf is currently published weekly in 2003.