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: Research
Kananaskis Cartoons: The Art of Otto Ellmaurer – Part II
This is the second post exploring the art of Otto Ellmaurer, a German-Canadian civilian interned in Canada during the Second World War. Missed the first part? Check it out by clicking here. Continuing from last week’s, today’s post looks at more of Otto Ellmaurer’s cartoons, although these ones take a more joking look into internmentContinue reading “Kananaskis Cartoons: The Art of Otto Ellmaurer – Part II”
Kananaskis Cartoons: The Art of Otto Ellmaurer – Part I
When Otto Ellmaurer arrived in Kananaskis, Alberta in July 1940, the forty-one year old was not there to admire the majestic Rocky Mountains. Instead, he was a prisoner of war, a civilian internee detained as a potential threat to national security and he would spend almost five years behind barbed wire. To help pass theContinue reading “Kananaskis Cartoons: The Art of Otto Ellmaurer – Part I”
Duty and Discrimination: Black Canadians in the Veterans Guard
February marks Black History Month in Canada, an opportunity to learn more about the history of Black Canadians. George Alexander Downey was forty-eight years old when he stepped foot in a Halifax-area recruiting office to enlist in the Canadian Army. Like most of the men his age, Downey had served in the First World WarContinue reading “Duty and Discrimination: Black Canadians in the Veterans Guard”
October Update – Upcoming Presentation, New Pages, and More!
After a busy summer, I have a few updates to share! Technical difficulties postponed my August presentation for Kenora’s Kenora’s The Muse (The Lake of the Woods Museum and the Douglas Family Art Centre), but I’m happy to announce that this Sunday, October 20th, 2024, I will be doing another virtual presentation. Coinciding with theContinue reading “October Update – Upcoming Presentation, New Pages, and More!”
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)”
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”
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”
Christmas and the War Prisoners’ Aid
Christmas and the holidays were always a difficult time for prisoners of war interned in camps around the world. The holidays often emphasized the great distance between prisoners and their loved ones and, with mail – delayed by weeks or months – the only bridge between them, morale was often low. But one thing theContinue reading “Christmas and the War Prisoners’ Aid”
POWs in Canada 