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Guard and Civil Defence Committees

By Pierre Vennat

Unpublished text

One goal of this blog is to know or remember the facts of the Second War World in Quebec which has been little or no spoken in the history books.

For example, few people remember that in early June 1940, when Germany invaded France was preparing to surrender, Brigadier General JP. Archambault, commander of the military district of Montreal the time, announced the formation of a detachment of 250 veterans of the First World War and eight officers who, as members of the Veterans Guard, would be part of the Canadian army in uniform.

few days later, a great activity prevailed in the headquarters of the Home Guard where they proceeded to the medical examination of recruits, all veterans of the war 1914-1918. Successful applicants are treated on an equal footing with the military in uniform, that is to say they were equipped, clothed, dressed, housed and fed by the Ministry of National Defense and received the same pay as members of comparable rank.

A second category of members of the Guard, also placed under the jurisdiction of the Department of National Defence, was mandated to perform active duty tamper protecting canals, bridges, port. Etc.. And fell into practice the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who watched his interview and the balance paid to its members.

Finally, a third category of reservists, organized by the Canadian Legion, was to recruit volunteers who offer their services free in an emergency.

The Veterans Guard was commanded by an English Canadian, Lieutenant-Colonel George MacLum, awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and Military Cross (MC). This was assisted by some French Canadian officers, including Lieutenant Jules Thibodeau, a veteran of the First World War, which was then served in the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force and Lieutenant C.-P. Lavigne.

few days later, Lieutenant-Colonel John-H. Roy, Military Cross (MC) former member of the 22nd French-Canadian Battalion and awarded the French Croix de Guerre in the First World War, became the deputy commander and deputy lieutenant-colonel in command MacLum of Montreal's Territorial Guard.

If Canada is endowed with a guard of veterans, it was thought that the creation of a National Civil Guard was not required and that the creation of civil protection committees would suffice.

Thus, 30 August 1940, we announced the creation of mobile forces command Protection Committee civil province of Quebec.

The mobile forces of Civil Protection Committee of the province of Quebec were to include approximately 1,000 volunteers in Quebec, including about 500 in Montreal. They also count in Trois-Rivieres, Hull, Quebec and Sherbrooke. Regarded as special agents, these volunteers had permits to carry firearms and should be able to help the police. It sought "honest and conscientious men who wear the uniform without, can be good soldiers."

Most leaders of this Committee are Anglophones, but they had entrusted the command of Group Three Rivers to a Francophone, Lieutenant-Colonel Raoul Pellevin.

This training is explained, was to provide assistance in case of fires started by following acts of sabotage or air raids. Its members were divided into groups to cover the entire city.

In England, similar forces had been established and had rendered valuable services. We felt they needed also in Canada and mainly in large cities like Montreal and Toronto, where there are so many factories and warehouses, and utilities must be protected at all costs. "