One More Presentation!

BIg thanks to the 26th Field Regiment / XII Manitoba Dragoons Museum for hosting my presentation last week! Had a great crowd and I hope to do it again next year!

In case you missed it, you have one more chance to see the presentation this week. This Thursday (August 30th), I will be presenting "From North Africa to the North Woods: Prisoners in the Park" at the Parkland Regional Library in Dauphin, MB. The presentation will take place at 7:00 pm and admission is free.

See you there!

From North Africa to the North Woods: Prisoners in the Park

I'm taking this time to invite all my readers to my upcoming presentation, "From North Africa to the North Woods: Prisoners in the Park", this Tuesday in Brandon!

Focusing on the history of the prisoner of war camp in Riding Mountain National Park (Whitewater Lake POW Camp), come out and enjoy a presentation about a little known part of Manitoba's military history. Learn what life was like for prisoners and guards through slides, photographs, and artifacts.

The presentation is being hosted by the 12th Manitoba Dragoons / 26th Field Regiment Museum at the Brandon Armoury (1116 Victoria Ave - corner of 11th and Victoria) at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, August 21. There is no cost and a mini-reception will be held afterwards.

The 12th Manitoba Dragoons / 26th Field Regiment Museum will also be open to visitors and if you have not had the chance to go through the museum, it is well worth your time!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!

July Wagon Tour

I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who came out to this year's wagon tour! The weather cooperated beautifully this year as we took three wagons out to the former camp site. Met some great people and found a few more leads on guards and prisoners!

Thanks to all of the participants!

Wagon Tour

Just a quick reminder that the July 21 "From North Africa to the North Woods" Wagon tour is quickly approaching! It's a great opportunity to learn more about the history of PoWs in Riding Mountain National Park and a chance to visit the provinces' largest semi-permanent PoW camp!

Tickets are available at the Nature Shop (RMNP Visitor Centre) or by calling (204) 848-4037. For more information you can visit the Friends of RMNP website at www.friendsofridingmountain.ca.  If you have any questions, feel free to phone that number or to ask me!

The tour will also be running on September 2nd, 2012.

Some updates

It's been a busy summer so far which has unfortunately limited my research in the past few weeks. Thankfully, I've still be able to get some work here and there but not as much as I would have liked. Currently working on building some databases of all the PoWs involved in Manitoba work projects - my last task was transcribing about 1,000 names of PoWs involved in the 1946 Beet Harvest!

I've also been fortunate enough to add some pieces to my collection. Today's post is a Veterans' Guard of Canada officer's cap. With a bit of research and help from the Homefront Museum and Archives, I was able to identify the officer and find his obituary. Turns out he was from Winnipeg, served in the 27th Winnipeg Battalion in World War I and was wounded at Passchendaele. In the Second World War he served with the Number Three Company, Veterans' Guard of Canada. Now for a six-ish month wait from the Archives for his records!

From North Africa to the North Woods

Interested in learning what life was like in a Manitoba PoW camp during the Second World War? Then the “from North Africa to the North Woods” is the trip for you!

Loaded onto four wagons, the visitors become new prisoners heading out to the former site of the Riding Mountain Park Labour Project under the strict supervision of the guards. Learn what life was like at the camp as the guards and prisoners (interpretative staff) bring history to life through stories and photographs. Once at the camp, enjoy a traditional German meal, similar to that served to the prisoners at the worksites. After lunch, explore the site of the former camp with the aid of a GPS and myself.

Since the summer of 2008, Friends of Riding Mountain National Park, in cooperation with Parks Canada and the Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve has been offering these interpretative wagon tours to the site of the Riding Mountain Park Labour Project on the shore of Whitewater Lake.  I have been fortunate to be involved with this since the start and it has become a favourite program of mine. If anyone is looking for a true PoW experience, this is definitely worth the trip!

Tour dates are July 21st and September 2nd

Tickets are $59.00 each or $53.10 for Friends members and are available at the Nature Shop (RMNP Visitor Centre) or by calling (204) 848-4037.  If you have any questions, feel free to phone that number or feel free to ask me.

The wagons depart from the north end of the Bison enclosure in Riding Mountain National Park at 9:15am and we return at 2:30pm.

Tickets are already selling and they usually fill up a few weeks in advance!

Veterans Guard of Canada

Today marks the 72^nd anniversary of the formation of the Veterans Guard of Canada so I thought it fitting to dedicate this post to all those who served in the Veterans Guard.

With the outbreak of war in Europe in the fall of 1939, thousands of Canadians flocked to enlisting stations to do their part in the upcoming conflict. Among these men were Veterans of the First World War, the majority now in their forties. Though these men were deemed to be too old for frontline service, their valuable military experience ensured that they would not be tossed aside. With increasing numbers of veterans volunteering, it was clear that something had to be done and done quickly.

Following the example of the British Home Guard, the Veterans Guard of Canada was created on May 24, 1940. Initially established as a defence force in the case of a German or Japanese attack on Canadian soil, these men were to attack as the first line of defence. However, these men would take on other rolls, such as the guarding of military installation and factories against saboteurs and the guarding of prisoners of war and enemy aliens interred in the country. By doing so, the Veterans Guard freed up the younger able-bodied men for overseas service.

The men of the Veterans Guard were organized into companies of a few hundred men. These companies were designated as Active or Reserve, active meaning that the men served full-time and were rotated throughout the country, while reserve companies were more similar to a militia force and remained in one place.

The Veterans Guard of Canada, with a peak strength of over 10,000 men, recruited from across the country and performed essential tasks on home soil. In addition, a company of the Veterans Guard was stationed in the UK, British Guiana, and the Bahamas.

Struck off active service in 1947, the story of the Veterans Guard has largely faded into history. A fitting quote filled the last lines of the War Diary of the No. 23 Company, formed right here in Manitoba:

“So is written the last page of the record… of a Company that is gone but not forgotten.”