Prisoner of War Mail and the YMCA – Part II of PoW Mail

Updated translations August 5, 2014 and November 29, 2016 – Thanks to Günther and Joel for their help! In my last post I introduced the basics of Prisoner of War mail in Canada during the Second World War. Today, I’m going to continue this by showing another type of postcard. In the early years ofContinue reading “Prisoner of War Mail and the YMCA – Part II of PoW Mail”

Kriegsgefangenenpost (Prisoner of War Mail) – Part I

After an unintended hiatus, here is the first of a series of posts about prisoner of war mail. Now you may be thinking this isn’t the most exciting subject or the most exhilarating objects (and I don’t blame you) but there is more to it than it may appear! I have shown a few PoWContinue reading “Kriegsgefangenenpost (Prisoner of War Mail) – Part I”

Postcard from a Future Escapee – Heinz Gummert

Picture postcards were quite popular with PoWs as it offered them a chance to show  their families how they were doing as they waited out the end of the war in Canada. As these photographs were taken by photographers approved by the Canadian military, they also served an important propaganda by demonstrating that the prisonersContinue reading “Postcard from a Future Escapee – Heinz Gummert”

Starting With a Photograph…

As some of you know, I collect almost anything related to PoWs in Canada and among the most numerous objects in my collection are PoW postcards and pictures. For most of the war, PoWs were authorized to write up to four postcards and two letters a month and were allowed to receive unlimited quantities ofContinue reading “Starting With a Photograph…”