Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1935

Date Range To

1945

Materials

WOOD, STEEL, LEATHER

No. Pieces

1

Height

22.6

Length

69.6

Width

46.3

Description

RECTANGULAR WOODEN TRUNK. PAINTED BLACK; PAINT IS BADLY CHIPPED. THERE ARE TWO BRACES AROUND TRUNK, MADE OF 1.5CM WIDE STRIPS OF WOOD. ON FRONT IS A LEATHER HANDLE, HELD ON BY TWO PIECES OF HARDWARE (ALL HARDWARE HAS BEEN PAINTED GOLD). ABOVE HANDLE IS A LATCH THAT GOES OVER A LOOP OF STEEL. THERE IS ALSO A LATCH ON OUTSIDE OF EACH BRACE; HALF OF LATCH ON RIGHT SIDE, IS BROKEN OFF. PAINTED BELOW HANDLE, IN GOLD, IS "W.J.E.". A STEEL HINGE RUNS ACROSS ENTIRE LENGTH OF LID AT BACK OF TRUNK. WOOD IS SPLIT ACROSS ENTIRE WIDTH OF TRUNK IN FOUR PLACES (3 ON BOTTOM, 1 ON TOP), AND THERE IS A SHORTER SPLIT ON TOP OF TRUNK AS WELL.

Subjects

PERSONAL GEAR

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

MILITARY

History

DONOR BOUGHT TRUNK IN 1948 AT SITE NEAR GOVERNMENT ELEVATOR AMONG ITEMS FROM P.O.W. CAMP. DONOR PUT HIS INITIALS ON AND PAINTED HINGES. HE USED TRUNK TO STORE CAMPING AND FISHING OBJECTS. HE ALSO USED IT AS A SUITCASE FOR TRAVEL EXCURSIONS. DONOR LEFT LETHBRIDGE FOR THE CROWSNEST PASS AND IN 1971 MOVED TO CALGARY. IN APRIL 2010, COLLECTIONS TECH KEVIN MACLEAN RE-CONTACTED EDE WITH REGARDS TO HIS ACQUISITION AND OWNERSHIP OF THE TRUNK. EDE'S RESPONSES TO MACLEAN'S EMAILED QUESTIONS WERE BRIEF, BUT EDE DID CONFIRM THAT HE ATTENDED A CAMP 133 SALE "IN ONE OF THE LARGE BUILDINGS ... IN THE FALL OF 1948". HE BOUGHT THE TRUNK, THINKING IT "WOULD BE AN INTERESTING KEEPSAKE". ALTHOUGH HE "HAD NO IMMEDIATE NEED" FOR THE TRUNK, HE NEVERTHELESS "LIKED IT" ON ACCOUNT OF ITS PROTECTIVE OUTER "WOOD RIBS" AND METAL HINGES, ASSUMED MADE FROM "FOOD TINS AT THE CAMP". THE ONLY OTHER ITEM ACQUIRED AT THE SALE WAS A METAL BOX WHICH, HE STILL USES TODAY. FOR MORE INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE EMAIL, PLEASE REFERENCE THE PERMANENT FILE AND OTHER DONATIONS BY EDE. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON DEVELOPED THE FOLLOWING BRIEF HISTORY OF PRISONER OF WAR CAMP 133 WITH INFORMATION FROM THE GALT MUSEUM BROCHURE "LETHBRDGE'S INTERNMENT CAMPS" AND THE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA WEBSITE. DURING WORLD WAR II THERE WERE 40 PRISONER OF WAR (P.O.W.) CAMPS CONSTRUCTED ACROSS CANADA TO HOUSE THE LARGE NUMBER OF INCOMING POWS - ENEMY MILITARY PERSONNEL THAT WERE CAPTURED IN COMBAT. CAMPS WERE BUILT IN ONTARIO, QUEBEC, THE MARITIMES AND ALBERTA. THE CAMPS IN LETHBRIDGE AND MEDICINE HAT WERE THE LARGEST, TOGETHER HOUSING 22,000 MEN. THE LETHBRIDGE CAMP, NO. 133, WAS BUILT IN THE SUMMER OF 1942, AND BY NOVEMBER OF THAT YEAR HOUSED 13,341 PRISONERS. THE CAMP WAS DIVIDED INTO SIX SECTIONS, EACH WITH SIX DORMITORIES, MESS HALLS, KITCHENS, AND ENTERTAINMENT FACILITIES. MEALS WERE IN SHIFTS WITH PRISONERS SERVING AS COOKS. TAILOR, BARBER AND SHOE REPAIR SHOPS WERE ALSO STAFFED BY PRISONERS, AND NON-COMBAT POWS PRACTICED THEIR PRE-WAR PROFESSIONS AS MEDICAL DOCTORS AND DENTISTS. HOUSING AND RATIONS WERE THE SAME STANDARD AS FOR THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES, WHICH SOMETIMES CAUSED RESENTMENT AMONG LETHBRIDGE CIVILIAN RESIDENTS, WHO WERE UNABLE TO OBTAIN MANY OF THE SAME SUPPLIES ON THEIR STRICT WARTIME RATION ALLOWANCES. WITH MANY YOUNG LOCAL MEN AWAY AT WAR, LOCAL FARMERS BEGAN TO REQUEST LABOUR ASSISTANCE FROM THE CAMP, ESPECIALLY FOR THE SUGAR BEET INDUSTRY. BY 1943 AN AGREEMENT WAS REACHED AND SOME OF THE PRISONERS WORKED ON FARMS THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN ALBERTA. MOST OF THESE PRISONERS WENT FROM THE CAMP TO THE FARMS DAILY, BUT SOME WERE KEPT AT 'LODGES' AT THE MORE DISTANT FARMS FOR DAYS AT A TIME, WITH MINIMAL GUARDING. FOR THEIR LABOUR, THE PRISONERS WERE PAID 50 CENTS PER DAY. WITH WAR'S END, CAMP 133 CLOSED IN DECEMBER 1946 AND ITS PRISONERS WERE SENT BACK TO GERMANY. THE AREA WHERE THE CAMP STOOD EVENTUALLY BECAME AN INDUSTRIAL PARK AND PART OF THE FEDERAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTRE.

Catalogue Number

P20000034001

Acquisition Date

2000-09

Collection

Museum

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