Michael O’Hagan
@michaelsohagan.bsky.social
PhD from @WesternU. Environmental historian interested in German POWs in Canada during WWII, forest history, and digital history.
www.powsincanada.ca
www.powsincanada.ca
Like thousands of other POWs, some Bismarck crewmen volunteered to work in bush camps in Northern Ontario where they cut and stacked pulp wood for 50¢ a day.
May 27, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Like thousands of other POWs, some Bismarck crewmen volunteered to work in bush camps in Northern Ontario where they cut and stacked pulp wood for 50¢ a day.
The ship's fame captivated many talented POW craftsmen and models of the Bismarck are among the most common examples of POW handicraft. This example in the collection of the Canadian War Museum is attributed to attributed to Bismarck survivor Erwin Blödern.
May 27, 2025 at 4:22 PM
The ship's fame captivated many talented POW craftsmen and models of the Bismarck are among the most common examples of POW handicraft. This example in the collection of the Canadian War Museum is attributed to attributed to Bismarck survivor Erwin Blödern.
In 1942, the enlisted crewmen arrived at Camp 23 at Monteith, Ontario and the officers at Camp 30 at Bowmanville, Ontario. Like the rest of the POWs in these camps, they busied themselves with activities like sports, music, theatre, educational courses, art, and handicrafts.
May 27, 2025 at 4:22 PM
In 1942, the enlisted crewmen arrived at Camp 23 at Monteith, Ontario and the officers at Camp 30 at Bowmanville, Ontario. Like the rest of the POWs in these camps, they busied themselves with activities like sports, music, theatre, educational courses, art, and handicrafts.
“Easter 1941” by Otto Ellmaurer, a civilian internee interned in Camp K near Kananaskis, Alberta.
Hopefully everyone has better luck with the Easter Bunny than these two internees!
More about Ellmaurer and his art at powsincanada.ca/2025/03/18/k...
#cdnhist #wwii
Hopefully everyone has better luck with the Easter Bunny than these two internees!
More about Ellmaurer and his art at powsincanada.ca/2025/03/18/k...
#cdnhist #wwii
April 20, 2025 at 4:14 PM
“Easter 1941” by Otto Ellmaurer, a civilian internee interned in Camp K near Kananaskis, Alberta.
Hopefully everyone has better luck with the Easter Bunny than these two internees!
More about Ellmaurer and his art at powsincanada.ca/2025/03/18/k...
#cdnhist #wwii
Hopefully everyone has better luck with the Easter Bunny than these two internees!
More about Ellmaurer and his art at powsincanada.ca/2025/03/18/k...
#cdnhist #wwii
In July 1941, Ellmaurer and his fellow internees were transferred to Camp B (later Camp 70), near Fredericton New Brunswick. He continued sketching and painting, although he appears to have produced fewer pieces. Notably, then Montreal Mayor Camillien Houde can be seen here holding the cigar.
![Cartoon print of a camp scene. Several internees mill about while a guard states “It’s so nice and homelike — But that Goddamn Parade [swearing symbols]”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:j6d27hrtwv5qe6azv7bptbqt/bafkreif3suoyq4vjx5hzc7epvtun4hfotwndjegvvyeyg7z3ex4dhht4ai@jpeg)
March 26, 2025 at 5:11 PM
In July 1941, Ellmaurer and his fellow internees were transferred to Camp B (later Camp 70), near Fredericton New Brunswick. He continued sketching and painting, although he appears to have produced fewer pieces. Notably, then Montreal Mayor Camillien Houde can be seen here holding the cigar.
For those who did manage to escape, they had to navigate their way back to the real world while avoiding checkpoints and guard patrols. No internee managed a successful escape from Camp K.
March 26, 2025 at 5:11 PM
For those who did manage to escape, they had to navigate their way back to the real world while avoiding checkpoints and guard patrols. No internee managed a successful escape from Camp K.
But not all prisoners were content to remain in camp. Several internees attempted to escape, with this pair digging a tunnel under the camp fence. Caught in the act, this pair claim to be seeking the Easter Bunny. But there would be no chocolate for them, only a stay in the detention barracks.
March 26, 2025 at 5:11 PM
But not all prisoners were content to remain in camp. Several internees attempted to escape, with this pair digging a tunnel under the camp fence. Caught in the act, this pair claim to be seeking the Easter Bunny. But there would be no chocolate for them, only a stay in the detention barracks.
Following last week’s post, here are more cartoons by Otto Ellmaurer, a German Canadian civilian internee, from Camp K in Kananaskis, Alberta.
This print likens internees to babies and their guards to nannies. Utter chaos appears to reign in the room.
This print likens internees to babies and their guards to nannies. Utter chaos appears to reign in the room.
March 26, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Following last week’s post, here are more cartoons by Otto Ellmaurer, a German Canadian civilian internee, from Camp K in Kananaskis, Alberta.
This print likens internees to babies and their guards to nannies. Utter chaos appears to reign in the room.
This print likens internees to babies and their guards to nannies. Utter chaos appears to reign in the room.
Select groups were also permitted to work outside the camp on various projects like cutting firewood or, as seen here, even helping to build the barbed wire fences. Although Ellmaurer suggests these parties varied in their effectiveness.
March 18, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Select groups were also permitted to work outside the camp on various projects like cutting firewood or, as seen here, even helping to build the barbed wire fences. Although Ellmaurer suggests these parties varied in their effectiveness.
With nothing but time on their hands, prisoners like Ellmaurer turned to art while others turned to music, theatre, sports, and learning. The prisoners soon established a small orchestra under the direction of Erich Kaunat, another Montreal resident.
March 18, 2025 at 4:02 PM
With nothing but time on their hands, prisoners like Ellmaurer turned to art while others turned to music, theatre, sports, and learning. The prisoners soon established a small orchestra under the direction of Erich Kaunat, another Montreal resident.
Thrust into a military environment, these men had to quickly learn to adapt to ice behind barbed wire fences. Daily parades and roll calls became routine, although there was an adjustment period…
March 18, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Thrust into a military environment, these men had to quickly learn to adapt to ice behind barbed wire fences. Daily parades and roll calls became routine, although there was an adjustment period…
Internees at Camp K came from across Canada and, as this cartoons suggests, they became “accidental tourists” as they were transferred from camp to camp. Those interned had been deemed potential threats to national security by the RCMP and arrested shortly after war broke out.
March 18, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Internees at Camp K came from across Canada and, as this cartoons suggests, they became “accidental tourists” as they were transferred from camp to camp. Those interned had been deemed potential threats to national security by the RCMP and arrested shortly after war broke out.
Unfortunately some of the details and stories in Ellmaurer’s cartoons have been lost or forgotten, like why the crow (or raven?) is sporting crutches or why several squirrels are wearing POW caps.
March 18, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Unfortunately some of the details and stories in Ellmaurer’s cartoons have been lost or forgotten, like why the crow (or raven?) is sporting crutches or why several squirrels are wearing POW caps.
In July 1940, Otto Ellmaurer arrived at Camp K, an internment camp in Kananaskis, Alberta. A civilian internee from Montreal, Ellmaurer began work on his “Kananaskis Record,” a series of cartoons depicting - and, often, mocking - life in Canada’s first internment camp of the Second World War.
March 18, 2025 at 4:02 PM
In July 1940, Otto Ellmaurer arrived at Camp K, an internment camp in Kananaskis, Alberta. A civilian internee from Montreal, Ellmaurer began work on his “Kananaskis Record,” a series of cartoons depicting - and, often, mocking - life in Canada’s first internment camp of the Second World War.
In December 1944, the workshops at Camp 42 in Sherbrooke, Quebec were in full swing. But rather than making the usual crates and netting or repairing shoes, some of the internees were focused on building something new: children’s toys.
December 24, 2024 at 5:04 PM
In December 1944, the workshops at Camp 42 in Sherbrooke, Quebec were in full swing. But rather than making the usual crates and netting or repairing shoes, some of the internees were focused on building something new: children’s toys.
Others preferred to advance their education or simply write letters home. Most would be released within the next year or two as they posed no credible threat. Some ardent Nazis would remain behind barbed wire until the end of the war.
December 9, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Others preferred to advance their education or simply write letters home. Most would be released within the next year or two as they posed no credible threat. Some ardent Nazis would remain behind barbed wire until the end of the war.
Internees spent their free time as they pleased - so long as they didn't cause trouble - and many turned to music, art, or sports to pass the time. Here, two internees read the newspapers in their bunks.
December 9, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Internees spent their free time as they pleased - so long as they didn't cause trouble - and many turned to music, art, or sports to pass the time. Here, two internees read the newspapers in their bunks.
Work parties cut firewood, cleared trees, and built roads under armed escort. Here a group of returning internees wave at the camera while others appear to raise the Nazi salute.
December 9, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Work parties cut firewood, cleared trees, and built roads under armed escort. Here a group of returning internees wave at the camera while others appear to raise the Nazi salute.
Most of the internees came from Ontario, Quebec, and Eastern Canada whereas those in Western Canada were sent to Kananaskis. They were soon put to work cutting firewood to heat the camp's wood stoves.
December 9, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Most of the internees came from Ontario, Quebec, and Eastern Canada whereas those in Western Canada were sent to Kananaskis. They were soon put to work cutting firewood to heat the camp's wood stoves.
Here, a guard from the Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment keeps watch on the enclosure from within one of the camp’s towers. Note the rifle leaning against the window on the left and the telephone to communicate with the other towers and guard buildings.
December 9, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Here, a guard from the Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment keeps watch on the enclosure from within one of the camp’s towers. Note the rifle leaning against the window on the left and the telephone to communicate with the other towers and guard buildings.
Like its predecessor in Kananaskis, Alberta, Camp P was established to hold German-Canadians believed to be a threat to national security. The camp was surrounded by barbed wire fences and four guard towers.
December 9, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Like its predecessor in Kananaskis, Alberta, Camp P was established to hold German-Canadians believed to be a threat to national security. The camp was surrounded by barbed wire fences and four guard towers.
Twenty-eight prisoners made their way out of the camp through a tunnel leading from one of the barracks to a spot behind the barbed wire fences. It would take six days for all the prisoners to be recaptured, two of whom managed to make it as far as Alberta before they were arrested by the RCMP.
April 19, 2024 at 4:23 PM
Twenty-eight prisoners made their way out of the camp through a tunnel leading from one of the barracks to a spot behind the barbed wire fences. It would take six days for all the prisoners to be recaptured, two of whom managed to make it as far as Alberta before they were arrested by the RCMP.
On this day in 1941, guards posted at Prisoner of War Camp X (Angler) in Northwestern Ontario made a troubling discovery: the prisoners had staged what would become the largest escape from a Canadian internment camp during the Second World War.
April 19, 2024 at 4:20 PM
On this day in 1941, guards posted at Prisoner of War Camp X (Angler) in Northwestern Ontario made a troubling discovery: the prisoners had staged what would become the largest escape from a Canadian internment camp during the Second World War.