Camp 30 – Bowmanville – POWs in Canada

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”

A D-Day Prisoner

Today, I received a selection of records and photographs belonging to a former PoW, Leutnant Bernhard Brockmeier. With today being the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day landings and knowing little about the contents of the records or Brockmeier’s wartime career, I was quite surprised at what I found. Seventy-two years ago today, on June 6,Continue reading “A D-Day Prisoner”

Camp 30 – Bowmanville: Then and Now

Following the popularity of my Fort Henry post, I thought I would share a brief look at another important internment camp in Canada – Camp 30 near Bowmanville, Ontario. Approximately seventy-five kilometers east of Toronto, Camp 30 was built around a former boys training school on the outskirts of the town. Camp 30 opened inContinue reading “Camp 30 – Bowmanville: Then and Now”

An Athlete: Leutnant Hilmar Schmidt

Continuing my last post’s brief discussion of sports in PoW camps in Canada, today’s post showcases a few pieces in my collection relating to the sporting achievements of one German officer in Camp 30. Camp 30, located in Bowmanville, Ontario, was among the many camps to have organized sporting events. The camp was built aroundContinue reading “An Athlete: Leutnant Hilmar Schmidt”

Postcard from Malte Sacolowsky, U-501

Last week I posted about “Real Photo” picture postcards sent home by PoWs interned in Canada. Today, I’d like to focus on one of those postcards and share a little more about one of the men featured in it. In the seventy years that have passed since these postcards were mailed, the provenance of manyContinue reading “Postcard from Malte Sacolowsky, U-501”

Picture Postcards – Part III of PoW Mail

Continuing with the topic of Prisoner of War mail, today’s post deals with the picture postcard, a popular form of communication between PoWs and their friends and family back home. Picture postcards are exactly what they sound like: postcards with a picture on them. As I’ve mentioned before, these photos not only allowed PoWs toContinue reading “Picture Postcards – Part III of PoW Mail”