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)”
Tag Archives: Artefact
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”
“K.G. Lager 133 – Ozada, Kanada 1942”
Camp 133 near Ozada, Alberta seems to have been among the most popular locations for Prisoners of War in Canada to paint during the Second World War. Situated on the Mortley Flats, the camp offered stunning views of the nearby Rocky Mountains and, despite living in tents during a wet summer and cold fall, wasContinue reading ““K.G. Lager 133 – Ozada, Kanada 1942””
Happy New Year 1946
Wishing a Happy New Year to all my readers! In 1945, PoW Willi Nötel gave this Happy New Year card to his fellow PoW and friend Erich Neumann in Camp 132 at Medicine Hat, Alberta. Both the double-sided card and envelope are hand-made, presumably by Nötel, and note he even replicated the postal cancellation onContinue reading “Happy New Year 1946”
PoW Art – Kurt Siebein
Captured in North Africa, Kurt Siebein was sent to Canada in September 1942. Likely disembarking in New York, after a long train journey, he and his fellow PoWs arrived at Camp 133 at Ozada, Alberta. A temporary tented camp at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Ozada held thousands of German PoWs while the newContinue reading “PoW Art – Kurt Siebein”
Gone Fishing
Undoubtedly the most unusual find this summer was a PoW-made fishing rod. While I have come across the odd mention of PoWs fishing in labour projects in Manitoba and Ontario, this is the first time I’ve encountered material evidence of this. Made from a broom handle and what appears to be can lids, the fishingContinue reading “Gone Fishing”
Searching for an Artist – PoW Richard Schlicker
Richard Schlicker was among the thousands of German soldiers captured in North Africa and subsequently shipped to Canada in 1942. First arriving at Camp 133 at Ozada, Alberta, Schlicker was later transferred to Camp 133 at Lethbridge, Alberta. With the exception of working on some Albertan farms in 1945, he spent the remainder of theContinue reading “Searching for an Artist – PoW Richard Schlicker”
POWs in Canada 