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”
Tag Archives: Ontario
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”
From Bismarck Survivor to Canadian Citizen: Helmut Keune
Today is the 81st anniversary of the sinking of the #Bismarck. From a crew of over 2,000, only 114 survived. The survivors were subsequently interned in Canada until 1946, but one POW, Helmut Keune, would remain in Canada for the rest of his life. Here is his story.
National Canoe Day
June 26 is National Canoe Day and I thought I would take a quick look at Prisoners of War and Canoes in Canada during the Second World War. Prisoners of War in Canada spent the early war years in internment camps behind barbed wire but this changed when the Canadian government approved their employment inContinue reading “National Canoe Day”
When Interests Collide: POWs and Beer
“Lethbridge Ale” from the House of Lethbridge, “Royal Stout” from Lethbridge Breweries Limited, and “Calgary Beer Export Lager” from Calgary Brewing & Malting Co. These three beer labels are not only a part of Lethbridge’s and Calgary’s beer history but part of Canada’s internment history as well. These labels are souvenirs kept by German prisonerContinue reading “When Interests Collide: POWs and Beer”
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””
From Port Colborne to Detroit
You would be hard-pressed to find a PoW camp or labour project in Canada that did not have an attempted escape attempt or, in a few isolated cases, a successful escape. The labour project run by the Erie Peat Co. employing Enemy Merchant Seamen (EMS) near Port Colborne, Ontario was no exception. Having opened inContinue reading “From Port Colborne to Detroit”
A Needle in a Beetstack
Some time ago I acquired a series of forty-five photos documenting a PoW’s time in Canada. As is so often the case, the photos are unnamed and the provenance was unknown. Three group photos of PoWs at Camp 133 at Lethbridge lead me to believe that the original owner of the group was the manContinue reading “A Needle in a Beetstack”
POWs in Canada 