Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

LUFTWAFFE COLLAR TABS

Date Range From

1942

Date Range To

1946

Materials

CLOTH, METAL

No. Pieces

2

Height

0.5

Length

6.7

Width

4.2

Description

RED COLLAR TABS, FLAT ALUMINUM BRAIDING CONTIGUOUS ON BOTTOM AND RIGHT PROPER SIDES OF BADGE. SINGLE FLYING GULL PIP. 2 PIECES, SECOND PIECE SIMILAR, WITH FLAT ALUMINUM BRAIDING CONTIGUOUS ON BOTTOM AND LEFT PROPER SIDES OF BADGE.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

THIS WORLD WAR TWO GERMAN RANK INSIGNIA WAS WORN BY A MEMBER OF THE GERMAN LUFTWAFFE (AIR FORCE). IN ADDITION TO COMMUNICATING HIS RANK (CORPORAL) IT ALSO INDICATED HIS BRANCH OF SERVICE – IN THIS CASE RED FOR ARTILLERY (FLAK). THE INCLUSION OF SILVER/ALUMINUM BRAID OR ‘TRESS’ ON THE TAB AS OPPOSED TO DIRECTLY ON THE COLLAR INDICATES THAT THE TABS WERE WORN ON A ‘GREATCOAT’ AS OPPOSED TO A UNIFORM JACKET. FINALLY, THE WEARING OF COLLAR TABS ON GREATCOATS WAS ABOLISHED BY ORDER IN 1942, INCLUDING THE REMOVAL OF EXISTING TABS FROM COATS BY 1 OCTOBER OF THAT YEAR. THE TABS ARE PART OF A LARGER COLLECTION OF GERMAN MILITARIA ASSEMBLED BY THE LATE MR. DOUGLAS J. WILSON. WILSON WAS A GUARD AT THE PRISONER-OF-WAR CAMP HERE IN LETHBRIDGE DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR. AT LETHBRIDGE’S ‘CAMP 133’, HE SUPPORTED THE GUARDING OF OVER TEN THOUSAND GERMAN PRISONERS OF WAR. THE CAMP’S INTERNEES WERE GERMAN SOLDIERS, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE DEUTSCHES AFRIKA KORPS, DOWNED LUFTWAFFE AIRCREW, AND CAPTURED KRIEGSMARINE (NAVY) SAILORS. FOR CONTEXTUAL DONATION INFO ON THIS P.O.W. CAMP 133-RELATED OBJECT, SEE P20080033001 AND ITS PERMANENT RECORD. *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

P20080033003

Acquisition Date

2008-11

Collection

Museum

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