The Saskatchewan Veterans' Civil Security Corps.

[fearnaught]

Hi, who were they? I'm assuming they were some sort of Home Guard and did they have their own insignia? All I have is a service certificate but I've never heard of them, I apologize in advance for my lack of knowledge. Mike

[DavidS]

Here's a a couple of pretty damning descriptions from a University of Regina website:

"A group calling itself the Saskatchewan Veterans Civil Security Corps organized men deferred from military service to patrol the “Home Front.” Drawn along military lines and headquartered at Regina, they grew to 6,500, spread over 216 primarily rural locations, drilled as a paramilitary police, and organized cavalcades and shooting competitions. Seeing themselves as “nativist” (in particular, anti-German, Russian, and Oriental), their goal was to fight pacifists and those disaffected by the war. They made false charges and false arrests, and at times terrorized some of the population; but a lack of funds and public support brought about their demise."

From another page on the same site:

"Concerned with another sort of security, in June 1940 the provincial government instituted the Saskatchewan Veterans Civil Security Corps by Order-in-Council. The Corps grew to 7,500 men, mostly Legion members. They drilled against the eventuality of a German invasion, encouraged younger men to enlist, and guarded against subversion. Corps “intelligence officers” tried sacking ethnic German workers from jobs to make way for veterans; during the Conscription Plebiscite of April 1942, the Corps, under RCMP direction, also harassed Jehovah’s Witnesses, Duokhobors, Mennonites, and other ethnic minorities."

Sound like a jolly band of fellows. I'm assuming the 6,500/7,500 is a typo (one way or the other) in one of the two entries, and have no idea how accurate the above is insofar as the actuality of this corps' performance.

[DavidS]

They did have a cap badge, Mazeas S37, and there is an example on this site's CanBadge Index.