The Canadian PCMR Winchester Model 94 and Marlin Model 36,At the onset of World War II there was a g

The Canadian PCMR Winchester Model 94 and Marlin Model 36,At the onset of World War II there was a great fear that the Japanese would invade the Pacific Coast, including the province of British Columbia. With the Canadian Government focused on the war in Europe, many people living in British Columbia believed that the west coast was vulnerable, and that it might be necessary for ordinary civilians to organize their own defense force.  Fears were exacerbated when on June 20th, 1942, a Japanese submarine fire 30 shells from its deck gun at a lighthouse in Vancouver.  While the incident resulted in no injuries or deaths, for the people of British Columbia it was clear that an invasion was only a matter of time.On August 12th, 1942 a large band of civilians officially formed the “Pacific Coast Militia Rangers”, a militia unit of citizen soldiers who were dedicated to defending Western Canada against a Japanese invasion.  The duties of the PCMR were to patrol British Columbia, keep lookout for Japanese naval and air raids, and in the case of a full scale invasion to fight a bloody guerilla war against the Japanese in the great Canadian wilderness.  Altogether around 15,000 men would serve in the PCMR from 1942 until 1945.  Since most men of military age were drafted for the war, the majority of the men who made up the PCMR were below the age of 18 and above the age of 45.  However, the men of the PCMR were rugged and stalwart men who made a living as frontiersmen, hunters, trappers, loggers, ranchers, and miners.  These were tough dudes who knew the wilderness, knew how to live off the land, and were used to daily hardships.The only problem with the PCMR was their lack of standardized weapons.  For the most part, the men of the PCMR had to make due with their own hunting rifles, leading to a force with a wide variety of arms using a wide variety of ammunition.  To help rectify this situation, the Canadian Government sought to purchase arms for the PCMR.  However at the time there was a shortage of military arms readily available due to the war.  Instead, Canada looked to the civilian market.  In August of 1942 the Canadian Government purchased 3,000 Winchester Model 1894 lever action rifles and 1,800 Marlin Model 36 lever action rifles.  The Canadian Government chose these lever action models because of their popularity among those living in the Canadian wilderness, and because they were chambered in .30 WCF (.30-30), a common cartridge which was in ample supply.  Both model rifles were stamped with a Canadian arsenal stampings, a letter C surrounding a broad arrow, which was stamped on the left hand side of the receiver and the forward grip.Despite the purchase of these rifles, most PCMR had to make due with their own personal arms.  Later in the war, the Canadian Government was able to supply the PCMR with WWI vintage Ross rifles, Lee Enfield, and M1917 rifles, as well as Sten submachine guns.  Fortunately for Canada and the men of the PCMR, the Japanese invasion of the west coast would never come.  During the war the men of the PCMR served without pay.  As a reward for their service, the Canadian Government allowed the men to purchase their rifles at the small price of $5 per rifle. -- source link

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