Johann Schäfer was one of the thousands of German soldiers captured in the North African Campaign. A member of the German Afrika Korps, Schäfer was in his early twenties when his war ended in 1941 or 1942. Following a brief period in a primitive internment camp in North Africa, Schäfer and his comrades found themselvesContinue reading “PoWs who Died in Canada – Johann Schäfer”
Author Archives: Michael O'Hagan
Mapping the Canadian Forestry Corps in Keppernach (Scotland)
One of my more recent interests is the work of the Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC) during the First World War. The CFC was raised specifically to supply the Allied armies with a desperately-needed resource: timber. Whether it was to needed to support dugouts, hold barbed-wire, or aircraft frames, wood became one of the most basicContinue reading “Mapping the Canadian Forestry Corps in Keppernach (Scotland)”
Canadian Forestry Corps in WWI
A post of mine about the Canadian Forestry Corps in the First World War has just been posted on NiCHE’s The Otter. Based upon some of my research from last year, it briefly examines the transplanting of Canadian forestry methods to British forests. To learn more, click the link below! Exploiting Old World Forests withContinue reading “Canadian Forestry Corps in WWI”
A Long Way From Home
Tucked away in a corner of Kitchener’s Woodland Cemetery lies the final resting place of 187 German Prisoners of War who died in Canada during their internment. One hundred and forty-eight of these men were German PoWs from the Second World War while the remaining thirty-nine were civilian prisoners from the First World War. ThoseContinue reading “A Long Way From Home”
Next Project – Interactive Exhibit Design
This semester I am taking a Interactive Exhibit Design course in which each student designs and creates an interactive exhibit of any shape or form. At the moment, I have two ideas for my project and I’m going to share my first (more on the second later). I am always looking at new ways ofContinue reading “Next Project – Interactive Exhibit Design”
New Page – Veterans Guard of Canada
Well after a lengthy break, I am back at it. I’ve added a new page to the website dedicated to the Veterans Guard of Canada. This is the start of what I hope to be a larger section that will provide more information about the Veterans Guard and its members while also providing some resourcesContinue reading “New Page – Veterans Guard of Canada”
Reconstructing the Past
From October 1943 to October 1945, over 400 German prisoners of war (PoWs) were employed in a woodcutting operation in Manitoba’s Riding Mountain National Park. Housed in a newly built camp on the shore of Whitewater Lake, the PoWs had better living conditions than the majority of civilians living around the park. When the buildingsContinue reading “Reconstructing the Past”
GIS Day at Western!
Tomorrow, Josh MacFadyen and I will be presenting at Western’s Map and Data Centre for its GIS Day event! If you are interested in learning more about Geographic Information Systems and how we can use use GIS in historical research, come out to see our presentation! The morning’s events begin at 9:30 and Josh andContinue reading “GIS Day at Western!”
Canada’s History Forum – History and Technology
Today was the 2013 Canada’s History Forum “Is Technology altering our History? Fortunately for viewers across the country who could not attend, myself included, the forum was broadcast online. This in itself should be some indication of how technology is changing the way we look at history! Unfortunately I was not able to catch allContinue reading “Canada’s History Forum – History and Technology”
Volkstrauertag – German Remembrance Day
Today, I attended the German-Canadian Remembrance Society’s annual German Remembrance Day (Volkstrauertag) service at the Woodland Cemetery in Kitchener, Ontario. Honouring the sacrifices made by veterans on both sides as well as the victims of war, this moving ceremony was attended by representatives of the Federal Republik of Germany, the province of Ontario, the citiesContinue reading “Volkstrauertag – German Remembrance Day”
POWs in Canada 