Civilian public service during the Second World War was an option chosen by some Christian pacifists in North America. An Alberta historian explains.
In 1940 the U.S. government introduced the first peacetime Selective Service Act. It required men aged 21 to 36 to register with their local draft boards.
This created a range of responses among Christians. Some chose to support the war – to fight or serve as chaplains or in medical/support roles. Others took an absolute pacifist line. Other Christians wished to show their loyalty, but did not wish to support the military effort.
The 1940 act made provision for alternative service – work of national importance under civilian direction. Alternative service work occurred in Civilian Public Service camps, overseen and funded mainly by the historic peace churches (Brethren, Mennonites and Quakers).
In the U.S. 152 camps were created (CivilianPublicService.org). Initially service was for a year, but most camps were in operation until 1947. Canada also ran an Alternative Service Work program. The Canadian program was organized by the federal Department of Mines and Resources. They set up camps for Mennonites and other conscientious objectors, many of them in national parks. In 1943 the camp workers began to be transferred to work in agriculture on family farms.
Alternative Service Work camps for Mennonites and other conscientious objectors were set up across Canada.
In the U.S. CPS workers built dams and reservoirs, worked on dairy farms and served in forest fire control. The work was arduous and unpaid, except for a small monthly allowance. Wives of the men received no allowance and would try to find work close to the camps.
If they worked for a local farmer or hospital, workers received wages paid directly to the federal government. However, some objected to this as it seemed to be funding the war effort, and so the money was placed in a fund and remained unused until the end of the war.
Separated from their families and faith communities, the workers slept in dormitories and had few possessions. There were social and recreational programs, such as choirs, as well as evening Bible studies, courses on Church history, first aid training and Sunday services.
The camps also included experiments or “schools” where the workers learned how to live a life exemplifying the values of pacificism, service and solidarity. For instance, there was a School of Co-Operative Living in Michigan and a School of Race Relations in Pennsylvania. Organizers hoped these might serve as an inspiration for how to live well and faithfully after the war.
One CPS group was formed into “guinea pig” units and volunteered for medical experiments in universities and hospitals across the U.S. Organized by the surgeon general and the Office of Scientific Research and Development, about 500 men were infected with various diseases – malaria, typhus, hepatitis – or underwent experiments to see how long they could survive drinking sea water, or being subjected to extremes of heat, cold and starvation.
Records suggest many volunteers found this work rewarding. They had a sense of contributing to the health and welfare of others, and believed it aligned to the sacrificial call of the Christian faith.
News of their participation in these experiments helped make the American public more sympathetic to their decision to seek alternative service, although today these experiments are considered deeply unethical.
CPS workers also made a big impact in hospital psychiatric wards. There was a shortage of mental health workers during the war. Working on the wards they were appalled at the neglect, abuse and violence patients experienced.
The workers advocated for reforms and succeeded in bringing about wholesale changes to psychiatric hospitals in Virginia, Philadelphia and Cleveland. Their willingness to speak out led to massive improvements in the everyday lives of patients and contributed to the creation of the National Mental Health Foundation in 1946.
CPS camps were transformative communities captivated by a vision of a world free from violence and rooted in cooperation, simplicity and service.
Mark Sandle is professor of history at the King’s University in Edmonton. Read more in this series at FaithToday.ca/HistoryLesson. Historical photo shows Mennonite conscientious objectors at the Clear Lake Alternative Service Work camp in Riding Mountain Ntional Park, Man., during the Second World War. Photo by Dick Otto NP212-01-40 Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies, used with permission.