No. 745 Manitoba Special Air Service Cadet Corps was formed on 28 September 1948 and disbanded on 25 April 1968. It is believed to be the only cadet corps in the British Commonwealth to hold the title Special Air Service. The corps was formed from young men placed in the Manitoba Home for Boys, later known as the Agassiz Youth Centre. Youth placed in the facility included those who committed crimes, but sometimes included children removed from their homes and students who were truant from school. The corps' first chief instructor was Wilfred James Donaldson OBE.
At the time the corps was formed, the youth at “The Home” were housed in cottages on the east side of Portage la Prairie. The cottages were not enclosed by wire, and general order in what amounted to a camp setting was maintained by a house mother or house father, often a couple, who looked after the welfare of their charges. Those who were sent to The Home were required to join either the Boy Scouts or the SAS Cadet Corps, depending on age.
The choice of the SAS title was likely due to the Special Air Service earning a reputation during the Second World War for accepting men who were rough around the edges but, through discipline and training, were transformed into an effective fighting unit. It was also an appropriate title as the SAS Cadet Corps, like its namesake, was an airborne unit.
The cadets paraded every Saturday, ten months of the year. The SAS Cadet Corps also had a marching band, which included members from outside The Home. Classes in map reading, signals, and basic mechanics were held. Cadets would spend two weeks every summer at Canadian Forces Base Rivers, where they started their airborne training. They would complete the first phase of training by jumping from the 256-foot-tall tower at Canadian Forces Base Shilo, earning “clipped parachute wings” to be worn on their uniforms.
The retirements of the many war veterans who worked at the Home for Boys, as well as changing attitudes toward the treatment of child offenders, are likely reasons the corps disbanded. However, many members of the corps went on to successful careers in the military and other pursuits, viewing their time at The Home as a valuable life lesson.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Industrial Training School / Manitoba Home for Boys / Agassiz Youth Centre (Crescent Road East, Portage la Prairie)
This page was prepared by James Kostuchuk.
Page revised: 7 September 2025
