From 1939 to 1947, German Prisoners of War, Enemy Merchant Seamen, and Civilian Internees were held in twenty-eight different locations in Canada. While thousands were eventually employed in small, low-security labour projects, these twenty-eight camps formed the backbone of Canadian internment operations. As part of my research for my PhD, I am attempting to mapContinue reading “Mapping Canada’s Internment Camps”
Tag Archives: World War II
A Secret Message
In the summer, I ran the first of a series of posts about prisoner of war mail (see here) and I briefly mentioned the censorship of PoW mail. Incoming and outgoing mail was censored by Canadian military and civilian officials to prevent PoWs from leaking sensitive information about Canadian wartime operations, their locations, and informationContinue reading “A Secret Message”
Exploring and Sharing the Past with iGIS
This post is long overdue but better late than never! About a year-and-a-half ago, I started using iGIS, an iOS app that allows you to visualize geospatial data on your mobile device. My Professor, Josh MacFadyen, had demonstrated the possibilities of this app in our digital history class and I was eager to find waysContinue reading “Exploring and Sharing the Past with iGIS”
Camp 30 – Bowmanville: Then and Now
Following the popularity of my Fort Henry post, I thought I would share a brief look at another important internment camp in Canada – Camp 30 near Bowmanville, Ontario. Approximately seventy-five kilometers east of Toronto, Camp 30 was built around a former boys training school on the outskirts of the town. Camp 30 opened inContinue reading “Camp 30 – Bowmanville: Then and Now”
Camp 31 – Fort Henry: Then and Now
Of all twenty-eight-or-so internment camps in Canada during the Second World War, I can only think of five that have either changed relatively little or haven’t been completely destroyed (at least from the external appearance) in the last seventy years. Among these few is Camp 31 (originally Camp F) at Fort Henry in Kingston, Ontario.Continue reading “Camp 31 – Fort Henry: Then and Now”
Can Anyone ID this Luftwaffe Pilot?
This is a bit of a longshot, but does anyone happen to recognize the individual second from the left? He looks extremely familiar but I have been unable to place him. The picture was taken at Camp 44 at Grande Ligne, Quebec, likely in the Summer of 1943. Apart from the fact that he isContinue reading “Can Anyone ID this Luftwaffe Pilot?”
An Athlete: Leutnant Hilmar Schmidt
Continuing my last post’s brief discussion of sports in PoW camps in Canada, today’s post showcases a few pieces in my collection relating to the sporting achievements of one German officer in Camp 30. Camp 30, located in Bowmanville, Ontario, was among the many camps to have organized sporting events. The camp was built aroundContinue reading “An Athlete: Leutnant Hilmar Schmidt”
Sports behind Barbed Wire
Life behind barbed wire was generally monotonous and strictly regulated and for those spending upwards of five years in internment camps were liable to suffer significant mental strain. In an attempt to both prevent this and to break-up their daily routine, among the many activities organized by PoWs were sporting events. A variety of teamsContinue reading “Sports behind Barbed Wire”
I hope there aren’t any late fines…
Ergebnisheft zum Rechenbuch: für den Unterricht in der Wehrmacht and in English, the Results Booklet for Arithmetic Book: for the Teaching of the Wehrmacht Printed in Dresden in 1938, this small book has had an interesting life. As the stamps on the front suggest, some time in the early 1940s, the German Red Cross sentContinue reading “I hope there aren’t any late fines…”
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of my readers! Here’s a particularly relevant piece from my collection, a Christmas card send from PoWs to one of their captors. This card is addressed to Sergeant-Major James Ogilvie Thomson, a member of the Veterans’ Guard who was employed as the camp quartermaster at CampContinue reading “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!”
POWs in Canada 