These badges are from the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers (PCMR). They were a group of volunteer civilians who provided military surveillance and local defense on the coastline of British Columbia during the Second World War. Following the Japanese strike on Pearl Harbour in 1941 fears were peaked of an attack on the North American Pacific Coastline. This led to the implementation of many defensive measures, including the PCMR. British Columbia was and still is a very rural province. Capable volunteers in or near cities were trained to be Air Raid Wardens (text links to the A.R.P posts) and were intended to protect densely populated areas. The rural coast, however, was not as easy to travel and watch consistently. People were scattered fairly scarcely and large openings of the coast were entirely unwatched. This issue was solved by recruiting volunteers from rural communities.
These people were already proficient in the related skills for travelling the coast, and knew the wilderness to an extent that could only be achieved by living in it. They did their part by hearsay; they had gotten word that they could contribute to the war effort by surveying the coastline consistently. Not all PCMR were trained. Small groups would travel to nearby cities and receive training in both surveillance and instruction. They would then return to their communities and train their kin to do the same. The PCMR was tasked with keeping a consistent eye on the otherwise unwatched bays of British Columbia and to report of any approaching Japanese vessels. Aside from that, they were to track any suspicious activity along the trails and wilderness, lest any axis-soldiers arrive on land unseen. Not enough people were making the trip for training and so training guides were printed and involved instructions on anti-Axis efforts. Kits for the PCMR included a full hat coat and trouser outfit, as well as a rifle and bullets. The PCMR served home defense until 1945 when they were officially decommissioned and thanked.