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?”
Tag Archives: Ontario
Upcoming Presentation: POWs on the Lake of the Woods
This Sunday, August 4th, 2024, Kenora’s The Muse (The Lake of the Woods Museum and the Douglas Family Art Centre) will be hosting a virtual presentation by yours truly. Coinciding with the museum’s new exhibit, Temporary Enemies, Permanent Friends: Prisoners of war on Lake of the Woods, I will be presenting my research on prisonersContinue reading “Upcoming Presentation: POWs on the Lake of the Woods”
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”
Breakout from Angler: Canada’s “Great Escape”
In the early hours of April 19, 1941, Private C. Gordon of No. 2A of the Veterans Guard of Canada was manning one of five guard towers surrounding the enclosure of Camp X at Angler, Ontario. Alone in the tower’s lookout, Gordon was keeping watch on some 560 German prisoners of war when he heardContinue reading “Breakout from Angler: Canada’s “Great Escape””
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”
Nellie and Neys – A Case of Mistaken Bear-dentity
As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, POWs in internment camps and labour projects throughout Canada adopted, kidnapped, and acquired through various means an assortment of domesticated and wild animals and kept them as pets and mascots. Camp 100 at Neys was no exception. Here, POWs found themselves a black bear and photos, such as theContinue reading “Nellie and Neys – A Case of Mistaken Bear-dentity”
Changing of the Guard: The Veterans Guard of Canada in Ottawa
Today, May 24, 2023, marks the eighty-third anniversary of the establishment of the Veterans’ Home Guard, which was later renamed the Veterans’ Guard of Canada. As such, here’s a short post looking back at the first anniversary of the Veterans’ Guard in 1941. When Canada declared war on Nazi Germany on September 10, 1939, theContinue reading “Changing of the Guard: The Veterans Guard of Canada in Ottawa”
Waiting Out the War on the Shore of Lake Superior: Camp 100 (Virtual Lecture)
For those who missed my virtual lecture for the Thunder Bay Museum, my presentation on the history of Camp 100 (Neys) is now available for streaming. If the embedded video is not working, you can access it here: https://vimeo.com/791187355 A special thanks to Michael Dejong and the Thunder Bay Museum for hosting and to allContinue reading “Waiting Out the War on the Shore of Lake Superior: Camp 100 (Virtual Lecture)”
Virtual Lecture: Camp 100
I am happy to announce that on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, I will be presenting a virtual lecture on the history of Prisoner of War Camp 100 (Neys) as part of the Thunder Bay Museum’s virtual lecture series. This presentation will explore the history of Camp 100, an internment camp situated on the coast ofContinue reading “Virtual Lecture: Camp 100”
A Day in the Life of a POW Woodcutter
As of April 1946, almost 9,000 German combatant POWs, Enemy Merchant Seamen (EMS), and Civilian Internees were employed in logging and pulpwood operations in Ontario alone. And hundreds, if not thousands, more had spent some time in a bush camp between July 1943 and July 1946. The majority of these bush camps were operated byContinue reading “A Day in the Life of a POW Woodcutter”
POWs in Canada 