WW1 Canadian Toronto Home Guard cap badge

WW1 Canadian Toronto Home Guard cap badge. Reddish brown with flat lug fixngs.

Nicely marker marked P.W ELLIS & CO 1915 on rear.

At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Canada rapidly mobilised the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) for overseas service. This left a significant domestic security gap, particularly in major cities and industrial centres.

The Toronto Home Guard was formed to address this.

Their responsibilities included:

• Guarding key infrastructure (railways, factories, docks, utilities)

• Protection against sabotage or espionage

• Local defence and civil order

• Supplementing militia units whose personnel had volunteered for overseas service

Unlike front-line CEF units, Home Guard formations were local, temporary, and lightly equipped, which is exactly why their insignia is now so hard to find.