Home > CMH > Vol. 33 (2024) > Iss. 1
DOI
10.51644/FYQI2009
Abstract
With the outbreak of the Second World War, Winnipeg’s Fort Garry Horse (or Garries as they call themselves), like many units across Canada, found themselves mobilising and preparing to go overseas. However, when the order to embark on a train to Quebec was received in June 1940, it was not what many had hoped or expected. Instead of boarding a ship bound for England, they were instead sent to meet the first German prisoners of war sent to Canada to escort them to a newly established camp in northwestern Ontario at Red Rock. Using a series of interviews with veterans done in the 1970s as part of a larger oral history project by the Fort Garry Horse Museum, this article explores the Garries’ first encounter with the prisoners and how they navigated the expectation of “dangerous Nazis” with the reality of the diverse group of civilians who came down the gangplank at Quebec.
Recommended Citation
Ratz, David K. and Beaulieu, Michel S. "Guard Duty for the Garries: Soldiers, Internees and the History of POW Camp R." Canadian Military History 33, 1 (2024)
