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″
Tag Archives: Camp 132 – Medicine Hat
What Happened to the Survivors of the Bismarck?
Some eighty-four years ago, on May 27, 1941, British battleships and torpedo bombers engaged the Bismarck – Germany’s famed battleship – in its final battle. The ship sustained heavy casualties and crippling damage before the surviving crew scuttled the ship to avoid it falling in British hands. The survivors abandoned ship and the Bismarck soonContinue reading “What Happened to the Survivors of the Bismarck?”
A Needle in a Beetstack: POWs in Southern Manitoba (Revisited)
Updated October 2024 Several years ago, I acquired a group of photographs that had come from an unidentified prisoner of war interned in Canada during the Second World War. Included were group shots of prisoners in Camp 133 (Lethbridge), photos taken in a bush camp in Northern Ontario, and photos of prisoners working on aContinue reading “A Needle in a Beetstack: POWs in Southern Manitoba (Revisited)”
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”
From Norway to Northern Ontario: One POW’s Journey to Canada
Most of the roughly 40,000 German prisoners of war (POWs) sent to Canada during the Second World War were captured in now well-known campaigns like that in North Africa and Normandy or they were shot down during the Battle of Britain or plucked from the cold Atlantic waters. But some came from lesser-known battles andContinue reading “From Norway to Northern Ontario: One POW’s Journey to Canada”
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”
An Update and “Held Captive: Prisoners of War and Their Pets in Canada during the Second World War”
It has been a while since my last post here but I’m still researching and writing about POWs in Canada. I’m happy to say that I finished my dissertation and successfully defended my PhD. I’m hoping that this (and the current pandemic) will give me more time to share some of my research here. SpeakingContinue reading “An Update and “Held Captive: Prisoners of War and Their Pets in Canada during the Second World War””
POWs and “the good ol’ hockey game”
On first glance, it may seem a simple photo of a hockey game and soldiers looking on. But on a closer look, something stands out – the soldiers are not Canadian. They are German. This picture, which I was very pleased to add to my collection, is a relatively rare photo of German POWs atContinue reading “POWs and “the good ol’ hockey game””
Remembrance Day, 1945
Remembrance Day – and our thoughts go back 27 years to 11 o’clock on the 11th November 1918. Those of us who are Veterans of two wars can never forget that day; even tough another bloody struggle has just ended, and “VE” Day and “VJ” Day have come and gone. Remembrance Day – and whatContinue reading “Remembrance Day, 1945”
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”
POWs in Canada 