Today is the first peace-time Armstice Day after another world war. The Second World War, too, saw the peoples of the Empire arise as one man to defend what we hold true and dear. In those dark days that will be known in history as the Battle for Britain when everything we had did notContinue reading ““Lest We Forget” – November 11, 1945″
Category Archives: Veterans’ Guard of Canada
May 8, 1945: VE-Day at Camp 130
In the morning of May 8, 1945, Camp 130 Spokesman Generalleutnant Artur Schmitt, Assistant Spokesman Oberstleutnant Hans J. Brehmer, and their interpreter, Major Werner Gauthier, walked through the main gates and were escorted into the camp office. Here, they entered the office of Camp Commandant Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh de Norban Watson to await the news theyContinue reading “May 8, 1945: VE-Day at Camp 130”
Kananaskis Cartoons: The Art of Otto Ellmaurer – Part I
When Otto Ellmaurer arrived in Kananaskis, Alberta in July 1940, the forty-one year old was not there to admire the majestic Rocky Mountains. Instead, he was a prisoner of war, a civilian internee detained as a potential threat to national security and he would spend almost five years behind barbed wire. To help pass theContinue reading “Kananaskis Cartoons: The Art of Otto Ellmaurer – Part I”
Duty and Discrimination: Black Canadians in the Veterans Guard
February marks Black History Month in Canada, an opportunity to learn more about the history of Black Canadians. George Alexander Downey was forty-eight years old when he stepped foot in a Halifax-area recruiting office to enlist in the Canadian Army. Like most of the men his age, Downey had served in the First World WarContinue reading “Duty and Discrimination: Black Canadians in the Veterans Guard”
“Canada’s Oldest Soldier”
When Jim Barber tried to enlist in the Veterans Guard of Canada in May 1940, he was initially turned away. But after the Japanese attack on Pearl Habour, he tried again and this time he succeeded. Recording his age as forty-eight, two years under the age limit for VGC recruits, Barber would spend the nextContinue reading ““Canada’s Oldest Soldier””
October Update – Upcoming Presentation, New Pages, and More!
After a busy summer, I have a few updates to share! Technical difficulties postponed my August presentation for Kenora’s Kenora’s The Muse (The Lake of the Woods Museum and the Douglas Family Art Centre), but I’m happy to announce that this Sunday, October 20th, 2024, I will be doing another virtual presentation. Coinciding with theContinue reading “October Update – Upcoming Presentation, New Pages, and More!”
Upcoming Presentation: POWs on the Lake of the Woods
This Sunday, August 4th, 2024, Kenora’s The Muse (The Lake of the Woods Museum and the Douglas Family Art Centre) will be hosting a virtual presentation by yours truly. Coinciding with the museum’s new exhibit, Temporary Enemies, Permanent Friends: Prisoners of war on Lake of the Woods, I will be presenting my research on prisonersContinue reading “Upcoming Presentation: POWs on the Lake of the Woods”
Scouts and The Silent Killer: A Discovery at Neys
By Spring 1945, Allied advances in Europe suggested that it was only a matter of time before Germany surrendered. But for the guards stationed at Camp 100 at Neys, Ontario, their work was far from over. Camp 100, since its re-opening in September 1944, had been designated to hold ardent pro-Nazi troublemakers transferred from CampContinue reading “Scouts and The Silent Killer: A Discovery at Neys”
An Update
I am happy to announce some significant additions to this site. When I first started this site for a Digital History course back in 2013(!), I had always hoped on turning it into a resource for individuals interested in learning more about Canadian Internment Operations during the Second World War. For the last few yearContinue reading “An Update”
Changing of the Guard: The Veterans Guard of Canada in Ottawa
Today, May 24, 2023, marks the eighty-third anniversary of the establishment of the Veterans’ Home Guard, which was later renamed the Veterans’ Guard of Canada. As such, here’s a short post looking back at the first anniversary of the Veterans’ Guard in 1941. When Canada declared war on Nazi Germany on September 10, 1939, theContinue reading “Changing of the Guard: The Veterans Guard of Canada in Ottawa”
POWs in Canada 