It was established during the formation of the Union Defence Force (UDF) and reflected the UDF's mixed traditions, which drew on both the British model of a standing professional army as well as the Afrikaner model of a large citizen militia.
[2][3][4] Prior to World War II, the Citizen Force consisted of a general manpower pool of white South African civilians who had received some military training in the past.
[5] The UDF had few professional career soldiers during the 1930s, so the bulk of its active manpower at any one time was vested in the Citizen Force.
[5] This was considered adequate for South Africa's defence requirements, as the country was far removed from potentially hostile forces in Europe and neighbouring territories represented no military threat.
Thereafter they were considered part of the Citizen Force Reserve for another five years, and could still be called into military service if their skills were needed.