Nice photos, well done.

The large number of Axis POWS that came to Canada, has a quite different living experience.

As the numbers began to swell, after the defeats in North Africa, whole ship loads were sent to Canada. Initially, they were sent to tempoary camps, that had previously been boys schools or government warehouses. These were unsuitable, both from a security point of view, but more importantly, space was tight.

The solution ? Have them build their own camps, in the vast empty spaces of northern Canada, along the trans-Canada railway line. So a number of locations were picked, and a "advance party " of POWS was sent , along with a small number of Canadian staff to run the power equipment that would be used to cut trees and create board lumber to build the buildings.

Starting in the spring, after the melt, they cut and sawed lumber, and by August had built 14 camps, all located at least 100 miles from any town, deep in the boreal forests of Ontario and Quebec. No need for a large guard force, there was " no where to go ". Food and medical staff came in weekly on the trains. Discipline was not a problem, as there was not much too do, and no escape possibilities.

Some other camps were created, for those who were "hard cases " and the most senior officers. These were closer to the population centres, so that interogations of those officers could be continued by the Intelligence Branch .

During the entire period of WW2, only ONE POW ever escaped from Canada. He was a German pilot, who jumped from a train, near Montreal , swam across the St Lawrence river, to the then neutral USA, and eventually made his way to the German Embassy in Mexico City, He was returned by ship to Germany . On his first flight he was shot down and killed.

After the war, many of the Germans/Italians who had been POWS in Canada applied to come back as immigrants. Most made a good new life for themselves here.


Jim Bunting. Toronto.