Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

P.O.W. CAMP 133 LATHE

Date Range From

1942

Date Range To

1946

Materials

WOOD, METAL

No. Pieces

6

Description

1. LEATHER BELT, ENDS JOINED WITH METAL STAPLE, HEIGHT 0.8, DIAMETER 37.0. 2. WOODEN AND METAL HEADSTOCK, GROOVE NEXT TO METAL WHEEL WHERE BELT SITS, SPIKY METAL SPINDLE EXTENDS FROM SIDE OF WOODEN BLOCK. HEIGHT 9.3, LENGTH 16.0, WIDTH 13.0. 3. WOODEN TAILSTOCK, SHARPENED METAL ROD EXTENDING FROM WOODEN BLOCK, WOODEN BLOCK SCREWED ONTO BOTTOM. HEIGHT 16.2, LENGTH 12.5, WIDTH 6.7 4. TOOLREST, L-SHAPED METAL ITEM, HEIGHT OF METAL PIECE ADJUSTABLE, SLOT AT BOTTOM. . HEIGHT 6.6, LENGTH 10.3, WIDTH 7.3. 5. CARRIAGE BOLT. LENGTH 7.7, DIAMETER 2.3. 6. BLOCK OF WOOD, HOLE IN MIDDLE, PRESUMABLY FOR AFOREMENTIONED SCREW. HEIGHT 2.6, LENGTH 7.8, WIDTH 2.

Subjects

WOODWORKING T&E

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

THIS COLLECTION OF WOOD AND STEEL OBJECTS COMPRISES PART OF A HANDMADE WOOD LATHE. IT WAS ORIGINALLY LOCATED AT LETHBRIDGE’S PRISONER-OF-WAR (POW) CAMP 133 AND WAS POTENTIALLY USED BY THE CAMP’S GERMAN INTERNEES. WOODEN “TURNED” OBJECTS SUCH AS GOBLETS ARE KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN MADE AT THE CAMP BY THE POWS. A LATHE MECHANICALLY ROTATES A SELECTED “WORKPIECE” ON ITS AXIS. VARIOUS TOOLS ARE THEN APPLIED AGAINST THE SPINNING OBJECT’S WORKFACE IN ORDER TO CREATE A SYMMETRICAL “TURNED” OBJECT OR WORK OF ART. THE LATHE AND OTHER CAMP ARTIFACTS WERE COLLECTED BY CANADIAN ARMY PRIVATE DOUGLAS J. WILSON. IN FEBRUARY 1946, WILSON WAS POSTED AS A GUARD AT CAMP 133, ASSISTING IN THE DETENTION OF OVER 10,000 GERMAN PRISONERS OF WAR. HE WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE ARMY AND THE CAMP IN MAY 1946. CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING HIS ACQUISITION OF THE LATHE ARE UNKNOWN; HOWEVER, IT WAS COMMON FOR PRISONERS TO TRADE ITEMS WITH GUARDS IN ORDER TO RECEIVE LUXURY GOODS. ADDITIONALLY, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT WILSON FOUND THE LATHE AMONG ABANDONED MATERIALS AS THE CAMP SLOWLY CLOSED IN 1946. FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE P20080033001 AND 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

P20080033019

Acquisition Date

2008-11

Collection

Museum

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