Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

LUFTWAFFE CAP EAGLE

Date Range From

1942

Date Range To

1946

Materials

CLOTH

No. Pieces

1

Height

0.2

Length

7.2

Width

4.1

Description

PATCH, MACHINE EMBROIDERED GERMAN NATIONAL EAGLE CLUTCHING CANTED SWASTIKA IN ONE TALON, SILVER THREAD, MOUNTED ON BLUE-GREY WOOL BASE. SURFACE EXHIBITS MINOR SOILING.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

THIS CAP EAGLE ADORNED CLOTH HEADGEAR OF GERMAN LUFTWAFFE PERSONNEL. A LARGER VARIENT WAS WORN ON MEMBERS' UNIFORMS ON THE RIGHT BREAST. ITEMS IN THIS COLLECTION WERE COLLECTED BY DOUGLAS JAMES WILSON. BORN IN LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA IN 1926, WILSON JOINED THE CANADIAN ARMY ON 28 MARCH 1944. ACCORDING TO THE DONOR (WILSON'S WIFE), HE WAS TO EMBARK OVERSEAS WITH HIS INFANTRY REGIMENT, BUT WAS STRANDED IN POOR WEATHER WHILE ON PRE-EMBARKATION LEAVE AND, CONSEQUENTLY, DEVELOPED PLEURISY AND PNEUMONIA. THEREAFTER, HE WAS NOT, ACCORDING TO HER, ABLE TO REJOIN HIS UNIT. SERVICE RECORDS (REFERENCE PERMANENT FILE) SHOW THAT HE COMPLETED LESS THEN TWO WEEKS OF HIS INTITIAL "GENERAL REINFORCEMENTS" TRAINING (APRIL 1944), HAVING DEVELOPED CHRONIC BRONCHITIS. HIS TREATMENT, CONVALESCE AND ONGOING EVALUATION TERMINATED HIS ORIGINAL INTENT TO BE TRAINED FOR OVERSEAS SERVICE. INSTEAD, HE WAS CONSIDERED A "SUITABLE PROSPECT" IN FEBRUARY 1945 TO BE EMPLOYED AS A "GENERAL DUTY MAN" AND WAS, THEREAFTER, POSTED TO RESEARCH STATION SUFFIELD, AB. FROM THERE, HE WAS TAKEN ON STRENGTH AT LETHBRIDGE'S CAMP 133 IN FEBRUARY 1946. HE WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE CAMP ENTIRELY IN MAY 1946. AT CAMP 133, WILSON ASSISTED IN THE GUARDING OF OVER TEN THOUSAND GERMAN PRISONERS OF WAR. THE CAMP’S INTERNEES WERE FORMER GERMAN SOLDIERS, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE DEUTSCHES AFRIKA KORPS, DOWNED LUFTWAFFE AIRCREW, AND CAPTURED KRIEGSMARINE SAILORS. THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING WILSON’S ACQUISITION OF THE OBJECTS ARE UNKNOWN; HOWEVER, IT WAS NOT UNCOMMON FOR PRISONERS TO TRADE PERSONAL ITEMS WITH GUARDS IN ORDER TO RECEIVE LUXURY GOODS, INCLUDING CIGARETTES. ADDITIONALLY, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT HE “FOUND” THE ITEMS AMONG ABANDONED MATERIALS AT THE POINT THAT CAMP 133 WAS EMPTIED BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND DECEMBER 1946. WILSON PASSED AWAY IN LETHBRIDGE IN 2002. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO SEE WILSON'S MILITARY SERVICE FILES, SEE 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

P20080033001

Acquisition Date

2008-11

Collection

Museum

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