Here’s a pair of boots from a German prisoner of war named Hans KRAKHOFER, number 20802. As the label says, he wore these for work at Bush Camp 52 near Kenora, Ontario.
These come from the Henderson Collection.
The Lake of the Woods Museum in Kenora had a few PoW items when I visited a few years ago. I just checked their website today (September 1, 2018) and found this:
“Did You Know?
There were 6 prisoner-of-war camps on Lake of the Woods during World War II. The lumber camps housed German prisoners who were set to work out in the bush cutting timber. The Museum has several boat models built by the prisoners at those camps.”
Work boot worn by prisoner number 20802 Hans KRAKHOFER to work in Bush Camp 52 near Kenora, Ontario
Work boots worn by prisoner number 20802 Hans KRAKHOFER to work in Bush Camp 52 near Kenora, Ontario
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The Henderson Collection of pictures, papers, and objects pertaining to the German prisoners of war in Canada and the Veterans Guard of Canada now belongs to the Royal Alberta Museum.
And, remember, Bob Henderson is still actively collecting! If you want to get in touch with him please do. You can email him at homefront @ sasktel.net. Do not leave any spaces in the address – I just did that to stop robots from spamming Mr. Henderson.
It seems a bit odd to combine “archaeology” with the 20th century, but when you see how quickly physical evidence of history can disappear, I understand the need for studying and recording that evidence before it’s gone forever.
As far as I know, the PoW site with the most extensive archaeological work by far is the former Whitewater work camp in Riding Mountain National Park.
Today I came across three online resources that will interest anyone who wants to know more about Whitewater, also called the Riding Mountain camp.
The first is a blog post from Michael O’Hagan in 2013, when he was finishing his Master’s degree and about to start a PhD at the University of Western Ontario. I believe that’s what Michael is doing now (Michael, please feel free to let us know in the comments – it would be great to hear from you). This post is very readable and gives a good introduction to the PoW story in general, as well as some specifics about Whitewater and some nice pictures.
The Friends of Riding Mountain National Park have a website and it shows, among other things, that in 2018 they were offering guided tours of the former PoW site.
If you search Dr. Myers’ name, you’ll find more from him, including this video about the PoW camp work, from National Geographic.
Having had a look at that video, I recognize the dugout canoe and I’m now going back to edit my earlier post about the dugout canoe in Bob Henderson’s collection. Bob will have to tell me for sure, but it looks like one of the Whitewater creations.
If you find this blog interesting, please leave us a comment.
And, remember, Bob Henderson is still actively collecting! If you want to get in touch with him please do. You can email him at homefront @ sasktel.net. Do not leave any spaces in the address – I just did that to stop robots from spamming Mr. Henderson
Imagine being a prisoner in the woods of northern Ontario or Manitoba* on a lake in the summer. Doesn’t sound all that bad, as prisons go – though I imagine the bugs were pretty nasty at times.
In the Henderson Homefront Collection, since transferred to the Royal Alberta Museum, there is a piece of a dugout canoe made by prisoners. Bob Henderson, please correct me if I’m wrong on this, but I assume this was made for fishing and recreation. It would never be an escape vehicle – too clunky, cumbersome, and slow.
Making the canoe was probably just as much fun as going out in it. It’s the sort of thing we learned about in Social Studies way back in grade 4. I believe the traditional way is to pick a good-sized log, strip off the bark, and then use hot coals to burn out the inside so you have a place to sit. After that, with hatchets, knives, adzes, whatever you have, you would taper the ends and clean out the cavity.
Paddling something like this would be the aquatic equivalent to pushing one of those supermarket grocery carts with a locked wheel – you know, the ones that should have had a little maintenance but got missed last time round. They take you from A to B but it’s way more fun to stand still and enjoy the view.
It’s just one more example of ingenuity and craftsmanship, and what people can do when they have time and basic tools.
I wonder if Bob has any paddles.
*In the original version of this post, I said “Ontario”. I’ve changed it to “Ontario or Manitoba” as I now know for sure they had such canoes in Manitoba, and I’m speculating they had them in Ontario, but I don’t know that for sure.
A remnant of a canoe made by German prisoners of war, and a photo of the boat in better times.
Remember, Bob Henderson is still actively collecting! If you want to get in touch with him please do. You can email him at homefront @ sasktel.net. Do not leave any spaces in the address – I just did that to stop robots from spamming Mr. Henderson.
The challenge of making a ship in a bottle is something that has fascinated me ever since I saw one when I was a child.
That early ship was in a fancier bottle than this humble medicine (?) bottle but the prisoners of war obviously used whatever they could scrounge. It’s amazing what they could create from humble materials.
This one has a more striking backdrop than many, and it’s enlivened by the little castle on the hill behind.
Prisoners of war practiced their skills making tricky objects like ships in bottles
Remember, Bob Henderson is still actively collecting! If you want to get in touch with him please do. You can email him at homefront @ sasktel.net. Do not leave any spaces in the address – I just did that to stop robots from spamming Mr. Henderson.
This is a map I made today with originally only three camps on it. I was using it as a demonstration of how to make a map.
Please note that the map descriptions are temporary – we actually do have more information about Brule, for example, and more to say about Camps 132 and 133 of course.
I will update the map from time to time when there is time. If you have comments to add, just put them in the comments below and I can use them when I am updating the map and writing posts for this blog.
I just found something of note on the website of the Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool, England.
They have a small online exhibit called “For you, the war is over!”. That’s the same name as the completely separate, unrelated exhibit I worked on here in Canada. Ours was a large travelling in-person museum exhibit that featured a lot of items from Bob Henderson’s Homefront Collection. It was put on by a consortium of Alberta museums with loans from elsewhere in Alberta and Canada.
The Liverpool exhibit is interesting because it features sketches collected by a British Merchant Marine member from his time as a PoW in Germany. If you compare them to the sketches we have on this website GermanPoWCanada.com, such as those by Otto Ellmaurer, you may notice some recurring themes and even similar drawing styles.
Bob Henderson sent me a copy of a letter from 1945 showing some of the problems the Government of Canada had when the prisoner of war clothing supply kept shrinking. Not the garments themselves. The whole pile!
I typed out the letter below the picture.
Letter describing some problems when prisoner clothing disappeared
Here’s what the letter says.
Department of Labour, 238 Sparks Street, Ottawa
16th February, 1945
TO ALL EMPLOYERS OF PRISONERS-OF-WAR
Clothing – P.O.W
Dear Sirs;–
In spite of our very interesting and instructive conversations at recent meetings, it appears that the employers are making no effort whatsoever in connection with curtailing the loss of clothing issued by this Department to the prisoners-of-war. The matter has now been brought to a head, in that we are finding it increasingly difficult to get replacements, owing to the necessity of increased clothing requirements of our own troops.
Therefore, it will be up to your foreman and our inspectors to see that the maximum amount of wear is obtained out of such garment. Both Major Keane, to whom the condemned clothing is returned, and Colonel Wilkes, who has just returned from a recent inspection trip, advise that a large amount of the condemned clothing is due to sabotage on the part of the prisoners-of-war and the lack of ordinary care, which may be due to the lack of darning wool, etc., in the canteens, or on issue at the various camps, which should be immediately rectified.
Socks, as you are probably aware, are very difficult to replace on account of the wool shortage and I think that the question of the care of the clothing should be forcefully brought to the attention by you to your foreman, or whoever is in charge of the various camps, who, in turn, should bring it to the attention of the prisoners-of-war.
No matter how willing we are, we cannot replace the clothing at the rate that we have been doing and there is no doubt that a great percentage of this could be repaired and kept in good condition by the prisoners-of-war.
When the time arrives for the withdrawal of winter clothing, would you instruct your foreman to collect all winter items from the prisoners-of-war so that it can be ready for inspection by our inspectors who will make arrangements for the returning of same to Riding Mountain Camp to be repaired and issued in the fall. This time, I presume, will be around the end of May. No summer clothing should be issued to prisoners-of-war unless they turn in their winter clothing.
I would like to emphasize again that the matter of clothing is probably the most important item in the war effort at the moment and that the shortages in certain materials are very great and no matter how small the saving that we make, it is of definite assistance to the objective that we are all trying to attain. It would be appreciated if you would impress this upon the members of your staff that come in direct contact with the clothing of the prisoners-of-war.
Use is not being made of the provision in the amended paragraph on “undue damage etc.” in the booklet of instructions P.O.W. Page 3.
Hello! This is a short post based on the Henderson Collection of artifacts and documents about German Prisoners of War in Canada during the Second World War, and the Veterans Guard of Canada who looked after them. Bob Henderson is … Continue reading →
This is one of our slideshows of items from the Henderson Collection of artifacts and documents about German Prisoners of War in Canada during the Second World War, and the Veterans Guard of Canada who looked after them.
In this one, you’ll see some of the entertaining and light-hearted cartoons by Otto Ellmaurer from the Kananaskis Camp.
Bob Henderson is still actively collecting! If you want to get in touch with him please do. You can email him at homefront @ sasktel.net. Do not leave any spaces in the address – I just did that to stop robots from spamming Mr. Henderson.
Remember, you can pause, slow down, or speed up this recording, or mute it using the built-in controls. Just mouse around, you can’t hurt the video.
This video and more videos of the collection are also available on YouTube. You can subscribe to the channel if you like, just use the Subscribe button on the YouTube channel page here: German Prisoners of War in Canada YouTube Channel.
By subscribing to the channel and liking the videos (clicking on the “thumbs up” on the YouTube page where you see the video), you support this work.
I hope you like this short video from the Henderson Collection.
If you have information or items related to the German Prisoners of War in Canada or the Veterans Guard of Canada, please do get in touch with Bob.
This new slideshow features one of the many stunning items in the Henderson collection. This piece now belongs to the Royal Alberta Museum.
It’s a larger-than-life painting of a German soldier, with an Everyman look in his eye.
Bob’s story of the painting is intriguing, and we hope you enjoy it.
This is one of our slideshows of items from the Henderson Collection of artifacts and documents about German Prisoners of War in Canada during the Second World War, and the Veterans Guard of Canada who looked after them.
Bob Henderson is still actively collecting! If you want to get in touch with him please do. You can email him at homefront @ sasktel.net. Do not leave any spaces in the address – I just did that to stop robots from spamming Mr. Henderson.
Remember, you can pause, slow down, or speed up this recording, or mute it using the built-in controls. Just mouse around, you can’t hurt the video.
This video and more videos of the collection are also available on YouTube. You can subscribe to the channel if you like, just use the Subscribe button on the YouTube channel page here: German Prisoners of War in Canada YouTube Channel.
By subscribing to the channel and liking the videos (clicking on the “thumbs up” on the YouTube page where you see the video), you support this work.
I hope you like this short video from the Henderson Collection.
If you have information or items related to the German Prisoners of War in Canada or the Veterans Guard of Canada, please do get in touch with Bob.
RObert Henderson’s story of georg Hoegel
Georg Hoegel served in the German Submarine Service as a Radio Operator, and was captured off the U-110 on 9 May 1941. A sample of the Top Secret “Enigma” Coding machine was also removed from the U-boat, so the surviving crew members were held incognito for seven months as part of the amazing capture that would change the course of the war.
Hoegel and his crew mates were transferred from England to Monteith, Ontario, Canada, where he produced a prolific volume of art work of local flora and fauna, other PoW, etc. His art work was so popular, that the Commanding Officer had his St. Bernard dog taken from Port Arthur to Monteith via taxi, so Hoegel could paint a picture of it. The location of this is unknown to the writer.
I first heard of a large painting of a German soldier while talking to a visiting guest speaker after a meeting of the Regina Archeological Association in 1994. After the meeting, a small group of us were discussing our collecting interests, and she commented that she knew of a large PoW painting in Saskatoon owned by a family named Caldwell.
On my next visit to Saskatoon, I inquired through my local friends, and one knew the Caldwell family very well, so I was able to obtain the appropriate address and telephone number to make contact. I drove to the residence, and knocked, introducing myself to Mr. Caldwell, and explaining that I was a collector of PoW memorabilia.
My timing was not good, as Mr. Caldwell had a business engagement pending, but he took the time to tell me about the painting. It had hung in Medicine Hat PoW Camp 132 with another large painting during the time that his father, a Canadian Military Doctor, had served at the PoW Camp. When the war ended, this picture had been sent through the mail to Dr. Caldwell’s home.
The painting was too large to display in Dr. Caldwell’s office or residence, so it had been placed in storage since the war at a separate location. Mr. Caldwell explained that he had offered the item to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, but they had never replied to his letter.
My time ran out as Mr. Caldwell had to depart, so it was back to Regina with information and hope that something might develop in the form of
a acquisition.
At a later date, I was attending a gun show in Saskatoon, and I telephoned Mr. Caldwell, again explaining who I was, and he recalled my earlier visit. At that time, I made an cash offer for the painting, sight unseen, and to my utter amazement, Mr. Caldwell accepted. He told me the location of the stored painting, and we agreed to meet there at a specified time. Fortunately, my son-in-law was also attending the gun show, and he was driving a large van, capable of taking a very large painting back to Regina.
He and I drove to the address and found a rickety old, unlocked vehicle shed. In the rafters, face up, with lawn chairs thrown over it, was a painting. We pulled it down, disturbing bird nests, but I was amazed to see a solitary soldier with a machine gun slung over one shoulder, on a 4 ft. by 8 ft. painting. We loaded it into the van, at which time Mr. Caldwell arrived. I explained that we had arrived on time, located the painting, had loaded it up, and here was his cash. A handshake followed, and we were on our way. You can’t imagine the ecstasy I was feeling!
On arriving home, I placed the painting on saw horses in the basement, telephoned a Museum Curator friend of mine, and explained the overall condition and filth coating the surface, which included bird droppings. Within a day he gave me a cleaning solution, suggesting I use cotton balls. The result is as you see it – a few minor blemishes that only enhance the overall appearance.
In 1993, I published a book, “German Prisoners Of War In Canada And Their Artifacts”. In 1994, I received a letter from Mr. George Hoegel from Munich, Germany, explaining that he had painted the picture while being a PoW held at Monteith, Ont. Camp 23. It hung in a building along with another of a mother and children, and were marked with a patriotic slogan. Both pieces were later moved with Hoegel to the Medicine Hat PoW Camp 132, where they were again displayed.
In following letters he sent one that he had mailed to his parents from Monteith, explaining that he was gathering material to initiate these painting projects. He also sent a photocopy of another painting showing the two paintings from Monteith hanging in position within the building at Monteith.
We corresponded until failing health precluded him writing further. A final letter to me on 28 December 2013 indicated he was 94 years old.
