Isaiah V.
Wainfleet, Ontario
District School Board of Niagara
Wainfleet Bog Prisoner of War Camp
The Wainfleet Bog Prisoner of War Camp was used from August 1943 to November 1945. Throughout these years, the Department of National Defense permitted German prisoners of war to work in the Wainfleet Bog for the Erie Peat Company. This P.O.W. camp was a low security facility and today the only remaining traces that it existed are souvenirs made by the German P.O.W.s. The P.O.W. camp in Wainfleet was one of the first labour camps in Canada during World War 2 and helped decide how future labour camps in Canada during the war would function. Although this P.O.W. camp was small and even today is not well known, it still served an important role for my community and Canada during World War 2.
What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?
When I started researching, I thought it was very interesting that England sent their prisoners of war to the Commonwealth countries. This is fascinating because there would have been thousands of prisoners of war being sent all over the world. I also found it very interesting to read through all of the documents from the Department of National Defense. I think it's really cool how they recorded so much information and that we can still read it today. In the interrogation report from the prisoners of war who escaped and then were caught, I learned that the two prisoners of war would have walked right by my house. It's so cool to think that such interesting things happened right where I live.
What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?
There are several lessons I learned while I was doing my project. First, I learned that primary documents have a lot of really useful information that is often more helpful than what you can find on a website. Since my topic is not well known, there isn’t much information about it in books or online. Most of my information came from documents from the Department of National Defense and I found these to be very informative and interesting to read through. Another lesson I learned is that when a topic isn’t well known, it takes a lot of work to dig up information. It is helpful to reach out to people who might be able to help, like local museums and historical societies. The third lesson I learned is that even though a community may be small, they still have a role to play in Canada as a whole. The communities of Canada are like the pieces of a puzzle - they work together to make Canada a whole.
How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?
It's hard for me to compare because I have been fortunate enough to never live through war times in my country. I can't imagine what it would be like to be at war or to be captured and sent away from my country and my family. When the prisoners of war came to Canada, they had to sometimes learn a new language and would have been separated from family and friends. Although I am learning French, I am doing so by choice and I have my family and friends near. When the prisoners of war were returned to Germany, many found that their homes were destroyed and that their families were gone. I can't even fathom what that would have been like. I feel very fortunate that so many Canadian men and women fought for our country and our freedom.