Afrika Korps POW camp Canada

[Rick W]

Thought this link may be of interest to some of you. Archaeological dig of an Afrika Korps POW camp , Manitoba, Canada.
http://whitewaterpowcamp.com/

[maple_leaf_eh]

The other day at the barber shop (best source of community intelligence IMHO), a fellow was talking about his profession - undertaker. Everyone has a funeral story, so it was a wide ranging conversation, until he mentioned disinterring 30 or 40 German POWs from a labour camp in Northern Ontario. He had taken a contract from the German Embassy to open each grave in a small camp cemetary and return the remains to Germany. He quoted $1000 each (30 yrs ago) and got the job despite the exhorbitant quote. That was his summer job and paid his next university year, plus replacing his car.

[Wpns 421]

This quite interesting and in my line of work I travel to some weird backwood places. A couple years ago I was called and arrived at a place called Camp Gatineau a summer camp for children, it is located north of Ottawa about 40kms from downtown. I went into the admin building and the first thing I noticed was the smell in the building, these old buildings have a particular smell to them whether you are in Gagetown, Wainwright etc. I asked the personnel if this had been an old military camp and they informed me it had been a POW camp during WWII for German prisoners.
The camp is located deep in the woods and unless you knew where you were you could be lose in the forest forever. The layout of the camp is almost identical to photos of other camps. I was told the prisoners could work and make spending money. They would cut trees and make roads, from what I have been led to believe the prisoners basically built the road structure in Gatineau Park. The wood was cut and used for the war effort.
Apparently this is just one of many camps located in this area.

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

I was in a prisoner of war camp south of Armstrong Ontario in the late '60's..
It was still standing and the mess hall had a bunch of paintings done by the prisoners...It looked quite well preserved and the glass was still in most of the windows..
I tried to find it now on Goggle earth but couldn't locate it...
It was about 40KM south..at that time there were no roads anywhere near that but I now see that a road runs south of Armstrong south to Highway 11 and then on to Thunder Bay..When I was there it was only accessible by air or train..who knows what vermin these new roads have brought into what was once pristine and isolated forest..Long gone now....I suppose..