Clothing, underwear and footwear shall be supplied to prisoners of war by the detaining Power. The regular replacement and repair of such articles shall be assured. Workers shall also receive working kit wherever the nature of the work requires it.
Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Geneva, 27 July 1929
According to the Geneva Convention, Canada was responsible for providing prisoners of war in its care with appropriate clothing. As such, Canada issued its prisoners – combatants, enemy merchant seamen, and civilian internees – with a standard issue POW uniform but various other types of uniforms and clothing were also worn.
Prisoner of War Uniforms
Canada issued civilian internees, Enemy Merchant Seaman, and combatant other ranks with a standard issue Prisoner of War uniform, with separate pieces for summer and winter. The uniforms included a greatcoat or mackinaw, denim jackets and trousers, shirts, and peaked caps, all bearing distinguishing marks to identify the wearer as a prisoner of war. As of 1944, each prisoner was provided with the following:
- Summer/General Issue
- 1 Pair of POW Boots
- 1 POW Summer Cap
- 2 Pairs of Cotton Underwear
- 1 POW Summer Jacket
- 1 POW Sweater Jacket
- 2 POW Shirts
- 2 Undershirts
- 2 Pairs of Socks
- 2 Pairs of Summer POW Trousers
- Winter
- 1 Pair Lumberman’s Boots
- 1 Winter POW Cap
- 2 Pairs of Wool Underwear
- 1 POW Mackinaw Coat or POW Greatcoat
- 1 POW Winter Jacket
- 2 POW Mackinaw Shirts
- 2 Wool Shirts
- 2 Pairs of Winter POW Trousers
- 2 Pairs of Felt Insoles
- 1 Pair of Leather Mitts
- 1 Pair of Wool Mitts
Prisoners’ jackets and shirts featured a large red circle – measuring between 12 and 14 inches wide – on the reverse as a quick and easy method to identify a prisoner. The matching trousers had a 2- to 4-inch wide red stripe running down the right leg (and, sometimes, the left leg as well) while the caps had a large red patch along the top. In order to prevent prisoners from removing these distinguishing features, the red patches were not simply sewn on; instead, sections of the uniforms, whether it be the jacket’s circle or the trouser’s stripes, were cut out and replaced with red fabric, thereby making any modifications much more difficult.
Prisoners working in labour projects, such as bush camps or farm hostels, received additional shirts, jackets, and trousers as needed. Some companies employing POWs also provided prisoners with extra work clothing like overalls and better winter gear with red markings sewn in or painted on.
While most civilian internees and Enemy Merchant Seaman adopted the POW uniform, combatant prisoners were much reluctant and instead preferred to wear their military uniforms. Prisoners joked that the red circles on their backs were targets for the guards to aim at in the event of an escape while others compared the red stripe running down the trouser leg to the red stripe worn by German generals.
Military Uniforms
I may not wear civilian cloths but only clothing with a red stripe. Perhaps you are able to send me a pair of navy trousers and a navy coat. That is a uniform and I may wear it. I don’t like to look like a parrot.”
Excerpt from letter from Horst Karschau, April 1944, Camp 130 Intelligence Report, LAC.
Many combatant prisoners transferred in Canada arrived in the very same uniforms they had been captured in. Prisoners were permitted to wear their military uniforms and decorations but, in order to prevent excess wear and tear, some prisoners opted to leave their military uniforms for events and special occasions, like the group photographs seen here.
Replacement military uniforms were provided by the German Red Cross and were welcomed by prisoners whose captured uniforms were in tatters or, for those captured in North Africa, were not well-suited for Canada’s colder climate.
Officers generally refused to wear the POW uniform, instead preferring to wear their military uniforms. But in accordance with the Geneva Convention, officers were responsible to pay for their own clothing from their service pay. Some officers asked family members to mail them replacement uniforms and caps while tailor shops in the internment camps helped officers keep their clothing in good condition.
Other Clothing
Enemy Merchant Seaman had their own uniforms and, like their combatant counterparts, were permitted to wear them. Although without replacement uniforms available, many were issued with British or Canadian battledress dyed a different colour than those issued to Canadians.
An array of civilian clothing was also worn by prisoners interned in Canada. Some civilian internees were able to bring clothes with them when they were taken into custody while others, like their combatant counterparts, had only the clothes on their back.
Art. 37. Prisoners of war shall be authorized to receive individually postal parcels containing foodstuffs and other articles intended for consumption or clothing. The parcels shall be delivered to the addressees and a receipt given.
The Geneva Convention specified prisoners were permitted to receive clothing through the mail so some prisoners requested their family mail them replacement uniforms or civilian clothing (see below) from Germany.
Some camps also permitted prisoners to order civilian clothing from mail-order catalogues like Eaton’s, although this practice was later discontinued. Possession of civilian clothing in some camps, namely work projects, was forbidden as unmarked clothing could obviously be used to help prisoners escape.
For most posts on POW uniforms and clothing, check out the links below:
POWs in Canada 