Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

HAY KNIFE

Date Range From

1942

Date Range To

1958

Materials

STEEL, WOOD.

No. Pieces

1

Height

11.2

Length

80

Width

26

Description

HAY KNIFE, RUSTED SERRATED STEEL BLADE. TWO HANDLES ON OPPOSITE SIDE OF BLADE, ONE WITH WOOD HANDLE WHICH IS SPLITTING, OTHER MISSING WOODEN HANDLE. DISCOLORED AND MARKED WITH DROPPINGS.

Subjects

AGRICULTURAL T&E

Historical Association

AGRICULTURE

MILITARY

History

INFORMATION BELOW GATHERED DURING A FILMED INTERVIEW BETWEEN TECH KEVIN MACLEAN AND DONOR ALFRED WEISS IN WEISS' HOUSEHOLD ON AUGUST 28, 2008 AND, TO A LESSER EXTENT, WHEN THE COPY WAS VETTED BY WEISS ON 8 OCTOBER 2010. DONOR ALFRED WEISS, A FORMER ARMOURED CAR DRIVER IN THE DEUTSCHES AFRIKA KORPS, WAS TAKEN PRISONER BY SCOTTISH SOLDIERS IN NOVEMBER 1941 AT THE BATTLE OF TOBRUK IN NORTH AFRICA. FOLLOWING HIS CAPTURE, HE WAS EVENTUALLY TRANSPORTED TO ALBERTA WHERE HE WAS INTERED AS A PRISONER OF WAR AT CAMP OZADA IN KANANASKIS AND CAMP 133 IN LETHBRIDGE (INCLUDING SATTELITE CAMPS IN IRON SPRINGS, PARK LAKE, ETC.). DURING HIS TIME IN CAMP 133 HE WORKED ON 44 DIFFERENT FARMS. USUALLY PRISONERS COULDN'T WORK MORE THAN THREE DAYS ON A PARTICULAR FARM; HOWEVER, IN 1946 MARTIN ZALESAK ASKED THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE OF THE CAMP IF HE COULD TAKE THE SAME GROUP OF PRISONERS EVERYDAY TO HELP HIM HOE BEETS. WEISS WAS SELECTED FROM AMONGST CAMP INTERNEES TO HELP BECAUSE HE "DID IT AT HOME AS KIDS - IDENTIFYING BEETS FROM WEEDS". IN JULY OF 1946 HE AND A GROUP OF OTHER POW'S ENDED UP LIVING IN ZALESAK'S GRANARY, HOEING BEETS AND STACKING HAY (AT WHICH TIME HE USED THE HAY KNIFE). WEISS ALSO MILKED COWS AT THE ZALESAK FARM. OCCASIONALLY, THE DONOR HELPED FARMER MARTIN SCHMIDT WHO LIVED ACROSS THE ROAD TO THE NORTH, DIGGING DITCHES, ETC.. WEISS WORKED FOR ZALESAK UNTIL OCTOBER WHEN THEY GOT SNOWED IN. FOLLOWING THAT, HE WORKED WITH THE ZMEKO FAMILY TO HARVEST THEIR BEETS. WEISS RETURNED TO GERMANY IN NOVEMBER OF 1946. WHEN WEISS RETURNED TO GERMANY, THERE WAS NOTHING FOR HIM TO COME BACK TO - HIS FAMILY HAD LOST THEIR HOME. HE ASKED SCHMIDT AND ZALESAK (ALONG WITH TWO OTHER FARMERS) TO PROVIDE REFERENCES FOR HIM SO HE COULD RETURN TO CANADA. SHORTLY AFTER COMING BACK TO CANADA IN 1951, WEISS PURCHASED THE SCHMIDT PROPERTY ACROSS FROM THE ZALESAK FARM. WEISS NEEDED TO MAKE HAY STACKS AT HIS FARM AND HE DECIDED TO GO ACROSS THE ROAD AND ASK ZALESAK IF HE COULD HAVE THE HAY KNIFE HE HAD USED WHEN HE WAS A POW. ZALESAK GAVE HIM THE KNIFE ON ACCOUNT THAT HE NO LONGER NEEDED IT – HE USED MODERN MACHINERY TO BALE HAY INSTEAD. WEISS USED THE KNIFE UP UNTIL 1958 WHEN HE, LIKE ZALESAK, BEGAN TO BALE HAY. AFTER HE STOPPED USING THE KNIFE, WEISS STORED IT IN THE GARAGE. IT BEGAN TO RUST DUE TO GETTING DAMP AND A WOODEN HANDLE FELL OFF. WEISS REDISCOVERED THE KNIFE IN HIS GARAGE AND DONATED IT TO THE GALT MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES FOR THE MUSEUM’S POW EXHIBIT IN 2008. FOR MORE INFORMATION, INCLUDING TRANSCRIBED INTERVIEW, SEE PERMANENT FILE AND P20040008000. *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

P20080028000

Acquisition Date

2008-09

Collection

Museum

Less detail