Author Archives: jill

Gallery

Decorated wooden box made by prisoner at Medicine Hat Camp 132

This gallery contains 6 photos.

Six views of a wooden box made by a German prisoner of war at the Medicine Hat Camp 132, dated 1945. The drawings resemble cartoons as seen on PoW YMCA postcards.

Gallery

Small model schooner in glass box

This gallery contains 2 photos.

Mr. Henderson’s Notes: Research required, but this model schooner looks like it came from a U-110 survivor, with the sub having a significant history.  Requires more research, but has exciting possibilities. Only 7 inches wide and 3 3/4 inches tall; … Continue reading

Gallery

A Medicine Hat PoW Journal from 1944, page 7: Capture and transport

This gallery contains 2 photos.

Continuing on from A Medicine Hat PoW Journal from 1944, pages 1-6, here is page 7, which tells how the prisoners’ journey started in Africa. Although this book appears to belong to one man, Rudolf KRUSE, I do not know … Continue reading

Gallery

A Medicine Hat PoW Journal from 1944, pages 1-6

This gallery contains 7 photos.

Hello, this is Jill Browne posting after a long absence. As you may know already, I am not an expert in German Prisoners of War in Canada, but I have a lot of relevant photos. Most of these are from … Continue reading

Item 455: Wood Carving of a PoW Dressed in a Navy Pea Jacket

Item 455: Wood carving of a PoW dressed in a navy pea jacket with red PoW patch, trousers and cap

DESCRIPTION:   Wood carving of a PoW dressed in a navy blue pea jacket having the distinctive circular red PoW patch on the back, trousers with a red stripe down one side, work boots, and a cap.  Arms at his side.  On a wooden base with P.O.W. on one side, No.14259 on the opposite side.
The number represents the owner’s number, not the carver!
14 cm tall. Base is 6 X 6 cm. The base at the feet is broken on all four sides.
Four photos showing different views.
From the Henderson Homefront Collection

A primitive style wooden carving of a man dressed in navy pea-jacket and cap, mounted on a block of wood, recognizably a piece of folk art with discernible details (cap,boots, trousers, jacket)

Item 455, View 1 of 4, Wooden carving of a German prisoner of war held in Canada during the Second World War. seen from front. (Photo credit R. H. Henderson)

Item 455 View 2 of 4 Wooden carving of a PoW in navy coat, right side (Photo credit R J Henderson)

Item 455 View 2 of 4 Wooden carving of a PoW in navy jacket (Photo credit R J Henderson)

Item 455 View 3 of 4 Wooden carving of a PoW in navy coat seen from the back. Large red circle on back of jacket

Item 455 View 3 of 4 Wooden carving of a PoW in navy jacket, seen from back (Photo credit R J Henderson)

Item 455 View 4 of 4 Wooden carving of a PoW in navy jacket seen from the left side (Photo credit R J Henderson)

Item 455 View 4 of 4 Wooden carving of a PoW in navy jacket (Photo credit R J Henderson)

 

Item 456 C: Ship in Bottle

Item 456 C

Description: PoW-made 3-mast sailing vessel in bottle, facing right. Octagon-shaped bottle.

From the Henderson Homefront Collection

Clear glass bottle lying on its side, mouth to the right. Inside is a sailing ship with 3 masts in full sail, a village behind.

Item 456 C, a ship in a bottle. (Photo by R J Henderson, Bottle from Henderson Homefront Collection)

Item 456 B: Ship in Bottle, Marked Shilo, Manitoba

Item 456 B

Description: PoW-made 3-mast sailing ship in full sail facing right in a 14-cm  bottle.  Village to the left back side.  Bottle marked “Shilo, Mani–ba”.

From the Henderson Homefront Collection

A sailing ship in a bottle with blue background. Red script with letters missing says "Shilo, Manitoba"

Item 456 B - Ship in Bottle, script saying Shilo, Manitoba (letters missing). Henderson Collection.

Item 456 A: Ship in bottle with U-boat, sailing ship, village, lighthouse, and Canadian plane

Ship in a bottle, with two unusual features. The U-Boat is a very rare feature in this type of art, and the airplane on the wire shows the quality of the workmanship.

Description: The surfaced U-9 German Submarine and a 3-mast sailing vessel under full sail facing left.  A Canadian airplane showing roundels flying separately above the U-Boat. Lighthouse and village in background. Has a 2 cm paint flake to the right side.

From Henderson Homefront Collection

Three-masted sailing ship in full sail, in a bottle, with a blue background, a village, Canadian airplane, surfaced U-boat

Item 456 A – Ship in Bottle with U-Boat and Canadian Airplane (Henderson Collection)

Details of ship in bottle with sailing ship, U-boat, airplane, village all visible

Item 456 A 02 - Ship in Bottle - Detail (Henderson Collection)

Henderson Collection featured in Regina Leader-Post newspaper

I just got a nice package in the mail from Mr. Henderson, containing a cutting of an article the Regina Leader-Post did about his collection.

I found it online as well, so for as long as it’s there, you can read it:

Collection captures Canada’s PoW camps“, by Barb Pacholik.

Please note, this link goes to a website run by a third party. We cannot control what they do with it, so if they remove the story or move it, our link will break. However, we will not copy the article here because we respect the copyright of the owner. Our apologies for any inconvenience. If the link is broken, we suggest you search for it as it may still be online, just in a different place.

 

Item 367: A book of drawings by prisoners of war in the Lethbridge, Alberta camp

ITEM 367: WOOD COVERS ON A BOOK OF PoW DRAWINGS RELATED TO LETHBRIDGE CAMP 133.

DESCRIPTION: Wood cover with a carved “Veterans Guard of Canada” curved band across the top. Below that a Green Maple Leaf. Below that in Red on a Navy Blue background “PoW Camp 133, Lethbridge”. 15.5 X 11 cm.

Apparently made for a Camp “Show and Sale” as allowed for the PoW to dispose of their handicraft to Camp employees and local citizens.

Inside cover has a area marked “Room for your foto!”.

Pages as follows:

  • Drawing of guard tower, 1940 – 1945. German translates to “10 original illustrations of the Prisoners of War”;
  • Camp scene showing buildings, Union Flag, grain elevators;
  • Character sketch of a VGC member;
  • Jeep with running dog outside the wire;
  • VGC members searching new PoW;
  • VGC member working in a timber camp;
  • Canadian Engineer “Ferrets” survey the compound for potential escape sites;
  • Character sketch of a VGC member in winter garb;
  • VGC Roll Call.;
  • Guard Tower; and
  • VGC member relaxes as PoW work on a farm.

Canadian Censor mark 27 on the inside back cover of the book.

 From the Henderson Homefront Collection

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