Twenty-four known prisoner-of-war camps existed across Canada during the First World War. The ethnic groups arrested and detained in internment camps were Austro-Hungarians (mostly Ukrainians) and Germans. Austro-Hungarian Prisoners were mainly residents of Canada from Ukraine, part of Serbia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia. Since Ukraine, part of Serbia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia were then provinces of the empire of Austria-Hungary, many still had Austro-Hungarian citizenship and were considered to be resident enemy aliens. William Dostock, for example, who immigrated to Canada in 1910 from Austria-Hungary and was not yet naturalized was interned from 1915–1920 as an enemy alien.

German prisoners were mainly residents of Canada from Germany. Germans formed a large proportion of the detainees since Canada served as a place of detention for German prisoners of war on behalf of the British.

The prisoners were given various tasks; many worked in the forests as logging crews. In addition to the main camps, there were branch camps and labour camps.

List

CampLocationProvinceType of BuildingsPeriodAmherst Internment CampAmherstNova ScotiaMalleable Iron FoundryApril 1915 to September 1919Beauport Internment CampBeauportQuebecThe ArmouryDecember 1914 to June 1916Castle Mountain Internment Camp Banff & Castle Mountain AlbertaDominion ParkJuly 1915 to July 1917Brandon Internment CampBrandonManitobaExhibition BuildingSeptember 1914 to July 1916Edgewood Internment CampEdgewoodBritish ColumbiaBunk HousesAugust 1915 to September 1916Fernie & MorrisseyFernie & MorrisseyBritish ColumbiaBunk housesJune 1915 to October 1918Halifax Internment CampHalifaxNova ScotiaHalifax CitadelSeptember 1914 to October 1918Jasper Internment CampJasperAlbertaDominion ParkFebruary 1916 to August 1916KapuskasingKapuskasing, OntarioOntarioBunk HousesDecember 1914 to February 1920Kingston Internment CampKingston, OntarioOntarioFort HenryAugust 1914 to November 1917Lethbridge Internment CampLethbridgeAlbertaExhibition BuildingSeptember 1914 to November 1916Monashee & Mara Lake Internment CampMonashee & Mara LakeBritish ColumbiaTents and BunkhousesJune 1915 to July 1917Montreal Internment CampMontrealQuebecImmigration HallAugust 1914 to November 1918Eaton Internment CampMunsonEatonAlbertaSaskatchewanRailway CarsOctober 1918 to March 1919Nanaimo Internment CampNanaimoBritish ColumbiaProvincial government buildingSeptember 1914 to September 1915Niagara Falls Internment CampNiagara FallsOntarioThe ArmouryDecember 1914 to August 1918Petawawa Internment CampPetawawaOntarioMilitia CampDecember 1914 to May 1916Revelstoke Internment CampRevelstoke & Field & Otter British ColumbiaLog BuildingsSeptember 1915 to October 1916Sault Ste. Marie Internment CampSault Ste. MarieOntarioThe ArmouryJanuary 1915 to January 1918Spirit Lake Internment CampSpirit LakeQuebecBarracksJanuary 1915 to January 1917Toronto Internment CampTorontoOntarioStanley BarracksDecember 1914 to October 1916Winnipeg Internment CampWinnipegManitobaFort Osborne BarracksSeptember 1914 to July 1916Valcartier Internment CampValcartierQuebecMilitia CampApril 1915 to October 1915Vernon Internment CampVernonBritish ColumbiaProvincial government buildingSeptember 1914 to February 1920

See also

List of World War II prisoner-of-war camps in Canada

References