Hyrynsalmen suojeluskunta vuosina 1918-1944

摘要

The roots of the Hyrynsalmi civil guard are in the activist activity that took place in the locality during the World War I. The old order of Finland collapsed after the Russian revolution in March 1917, and civil guards were founded across the country to maintain order. On Johan Alfred Heikkinen's initiative, the non-socialist population also tried to found a civil guard in Hyrynsalmi, but the endeavor failed due to strong opposition by the socialists. The Hyrynsalmi civil guard was founded de jure on 30 January 1918, after the civil war had already broken out. The guard had been active before that date, however, and had already subdued the socialist guard of Hyrynsalmi by arresting its leaders. By the end of April the civil guard had already grown to 197 members, the result of compulsory military service imposed in February. Most of the Hyrynsalmi civil guard's military power was dedicated to border guarding in the southern parts of Suomussalmi. The senate laid down the regualation about civil guards in summer 1918, and the civil guard of Hyrynsalmi was re-founded in accordance with the new regulations on 29 September 1918. The group was faced with many difficulties in the 1920s because of high turnover of its commanders, which however ended after civil guard officer Urho Kananen took command in 1928. In addition to military training, the civil guard also practiced marksmanship, physical training, shooting and propagandist activity. The most important propagandist was Vicar Toivo Pekka Liimatta, who encouraged patriotism and religiousness. Towards the end of the 1930s the civil guard's numbers increased because of the increasingly tense foreign policy situation, and in 1941 it came of age numbering almost 180 members.The membership structure of the guard was unique in that the middle class, peasants and workers each formed approximately one-third of its membership. The proportion of workers was notably higher than in other rural civil guards. Like all civil guards, the Hyrynsalmi civil guard was disbanded after the conclusionof the Continuation War in November 1944. Its most important building, the civil guard house, had already been destroyed when retreating German troops burned down the entire village of Hyrynsalmi.%Suojeluskunnista on tehty aiemmin melko runsaasti tutkimuksia ja opinnäytetöitä. Kainuun suojeluskunnista aikaisemmin on tutkittu ainakin Ristijärven ja Suomussalmen suojeluskuntia. Kainuulaisen suojeluskuntatoiminnan tutkijana on kunnostautunut erityisesti Hannu Romppainen, joka on tehnyt kattavan tutkimuksen Kainuun suojeluskuntapiiristä. Hyrynsalmen suojeluskunnasta aikaisempaa kattavaa tutkimusta ei ole, vaan siitä on ainoastaan lyhyitä mainintoja eri teoksissa. Tässä artikkelissa pyrin antamaan kuvan Hyrynsalmen suojeluskunnan toiminnasta, ominaispiirteistä ja kehityksestä. Artikkeli perustuu Pro gradu -tutkielmaani Köyhän rajaseudun vartiopaikalta bolsevismia vastaan. Hyrynsalmen suojeluskunta vuosina 1918-1944. Tutkielmani täydentää omalta osaltaan kuvaa erityisesti Kainuun, mutta myös koko maan suojeluskunnista.