Canadian Legion Educational Services    

 

Institution/Organization Name:  Canadian Legion Educational Services

Location(s):  Canada and Overseas Locations of Canadian Soldiers,

                         Seamen and Airmen

Dates of Operation: 1939 - 1946

 

Description:

The Canadian Legion Educational Services operated during the years of  World War Two.  It operated both in Canada an overseas and was intended to provide educational services to military personnel.  The services were provided in three general categories: 

  1. Social and leisure support services for military personnel on leave,
  2. Formal education topics, from elementary to university-level subjects,
  3. Non-academic education experiences in a wide range of subject areas.

These education experiences took the form of correspondence education as well as face-to-face and direct experience, both in Canada and overseas.

The notion of such services had its roots in similar activities in World War One, through the earlier Khaki University-College initiatives.  As in World War One, the Young Man's Christian Association (YMCA) was one of the key organizing institutions, along with university extension directors from across Canada.

Donald Cameron, at the time Extension Director for the University of Alberta, wrote of the activities of the Canadian Legion Educational Services in Alberta:

"In the winter of 1943-44, some 62 classes were organized on 37 stations for 1,876 service men and women. In addition to this, 2,908 were registered in correspondence courses. Last winter about 175 tutorial classes were in operation in navy, army, and air force establishments in Alberta. These courses varied all the way from motor mechanics, refrigeration, and diesel engineering, to classes in German and English Literature. Some 600 people were organized into classes in typewriting, shorthand, bookkeeping and accounting. The purpose of the courses has been, first, to help the serviceman become a more efficient fighting man, and secondly, to help him to help himself in the post-war period." (1945)

The Canadian Legion Educational Services was also involved in the publication of many booklets, pamphlets and other materials for direct use in classes or of supplementary use to the personnel of the Canadian Forces.

 

Media:

The following are some examples of materials produced in the name of the Canadian Legion Educational Services in the United Kingdom (these are very large PDF files, which, depending on connection speed, may take a long time to download, and require Adobe Reader to be installed in order to view) :

 

 

Entry Prepared January 2004 by Don Chapman

 


 

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