For thousands of prisoners transferred to Canada from places like the United Kingdom or North Africa, many arrived with little other than the clothes on their back. These uniforms were often the same that the prisoners had been captured in and were well worn or simply unsuited for Canada’s climate. While combatant prisoners were permittedContinue reading “Red Targets: Prisoner of War Uniforms in Canada”
Tag Archives: Artefact
Kananaskis Cartoons: The Art of Otto Ellmaurer – Part II
This is the second post exploring the art of Otto Ellmaurer, a German-Canadian civilian interned in Canada during the Second World War. Missed the first part? Check it out by clicking here. Continuing from last week’s, today’s post looks at more of Otto Ellmaurer’s cartoons, although these ones take a more joking look into internmentContinue reading “Kananaskis Cartoons: The Art of Otto Ellmaurer – Part II”
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”
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”
Prisoners and Prints: A Linocut from Camp 44 (Grande Ligne)
For the many talented artists who were interned in Canada during the Second World War, their internment provided them with opportunities to continue and hone their craft. Thanks to aid organizations like the War Prisoners’ Aid of the YMCA and the International Red Cross, prisoners had access to art supplies in internment camps and manyContinue reading “Prisoners and Prints: A Linocut from Camp 44 (Grande Ligne)”
An Update to “Seeing Double: POW Artists at Camp 133 (Ozada)
Last week, I published a post about two paintings that depicted the same scene at Camp 133 at Ozada, Alberta. As the existence of two paintings showing the same scene prompted many questions, I asked if anyone had other copies. And, within twenty-four hours of my original post, a reader had forwarded a third paintingContinue reading “An Update to “Seeing Double: POW Artists at Camp 133 (Ozada)”
Seeing Double: POW Artists at Camp 133 (Ozada)
Updated March 7, 2022 Scenes from Camp 133 at Ozada remain among the most popular depicted by POW artists (for more on POW art, click here to read some of my earlier posts). The camp was one of Canada’s largest, holding over 12,500 POWs by November 1942, and among those interned were a number ofContinue reading “Seeing Double: POW Artists at Camp 133 (Ozada)”
All Bottled Up – Ships in Bottles Revisited
Seven years ago, I posted an article about ships in bottles made by German POWs in Canada. Since then, I’ve added more examples to my collection and thought I would revisit the topic share some of them and to share what I have learned about the manufacture of these unique items. Following their arrival inContinue reading “All Bottled Up – Ships in Bottles Revisited”
A Sewing Kit with a Story
This may not be the most exciting of artifacts at first glance but it does have a story. This is a sewing kit, also known as a “housewife,” that was issued to Canadian soldiers during the Second World War. The design had changed little from those issued in the First World War and they included,Continue reading “A Sewing Kit with a Story”
Snapshot from Neys
While picture postcards of German prisoners of war in Canada are not particularly uncommon, examples from certain camps can prove more difficult to find (for more on PoW picture postcards, see my earlier post here). In my experience, images from Camp 100 at Neys, Ontario are among those harder to find. I was therefore quiteContinue reading “Snapshot from Neys”
POWs in Canada 