In the Summer of 1945, a few dozen men spent their days working on a small farm along Jones Road just outside Gravenhurst, Ontario. To the average onlooker, this would not have garnered extra attention, but a closer look would reveal something more surprising – these men were German combatant officers from nearby Prisoner ofContinue reading “A Lesson in Agriculture: Learning to Farm at Camp 20”
Tag Archives: Work
Red Targets: Prisoner of War Uniforms in Canada
For thousands of prisoners transferred to Canada from places like the United Kingdom or North Africa, many arrived with little other than the clothes on their back. These uniforms were often the same that the prisoners had been captured in and were well worn or simply unsuited for Canada’s climate. While combatant prisoners were permittedContinue reading “Red Targets: Prisoner of War Uniforms in Canada”
Santa’s Helpers: Christmas at Camp 42
In December 1944, the Camp 42 (Sherbrooke) workshops were in full swing. Three years prior, most of the Civilian Internees and Enemy Merchant Seamen in camp had started working under the auspices of POW Works Programme, an organized effort which employed non-combatant POWs in light-manufacturing in accordance with the 1929 Geneva Convention. At Sherbrooke, thisContinue reading “Santa’s Helpers: Christmas at Camp 42”
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)”
POWs in Canada 