Sept 2011.Indd
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TELLING OUR STORIES Volume 2, Issue 4, September 1, 2011 published by South Peace Regional Archives Society Inside This Issue: Le er from the Editor p. 2 Contact Informa on p. 2 Prisoner of War Work Camp p. 3 by Dr. David Leonard, Bill Sco & Fred Rinne Kakwa/Two Lakes Oral Histories collec on p. 6 Explore the History of Grovedale by Mary Nu ng p. 8 Recollec ons of My Days in the Above, Henry McCullough and Dave Schenk on the extreme south end of the Wapi forest district in the Sheep Creek Bush Camps p. 12 area. Part of their forestry work was to monitor the hun ng by Gaston Mencke of game. See Kakwa/Two Lakes Oral Histories collec on on page 6. Photograph from the Schenk family collec on, Remnants of the POW Camp Site SPRA 256.03.29. with Alex Cameron p. 15 Don’t miss SPRA’s What Archives Do and Why p. 17 Film & Story Night by Leslie Pearson at the Golden Age Centre Society & Member News p. 19 on Saturday, October 1st. Membership Applica on p. 20 Features fi lm clips from the Are you a fi rst- me reader of this news- 1950s and 1960s, and le er? Would you like to receive it 12 storytellers on the theme of mailed to your home four mes a year? It’s free when you are a member of the “Community Life.” South Peace Regional Archives Society. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. See the membership form on the back of this newsle er, call us at 780-830-5105, Program starts at 7:00 p.m. or check our website at www.south- Refreshments to follow peacearchives.org. September 1, 2011 TELLING OUR STORIES Dear Members & Supporters; Prisoner of War Work Camp This newsle er was an exci ng one to put together PUBLISHED BY because it is fi lled mostly with responses to the ques- South Peace Regional Archives Society on posed by Bill Sco in the June newsle er regard- In the last issue of “Telling Our Stories” we asked the whole, they should have considered themselves ing the history and loca on of a Prisoner of War work readers to help us with informa on regrding the very lucky. PRESIDENT history and whereabouts of a Prisoner of War Work camp south of Grande Prairie. “Therefore, whatever lumber companies were in Irene Nicolson Camp south of Grande Prairie during World War II. opera on in the area during the war could well Dr. David Leonard was the fi rst to reply with general The responses were amazing and very interes ng. have availed themselves of this off er - $5.00 to the informa on from his extensive knowledge of the his- SECRETARY We have posted some of them below. tory of the Peace Country. He was also kind enough Janet Peterson feds per worker per day, prisoners to be fed, clothed to order microfi lm from the Na onal Archives and go Dr. David Leonard and boarded. Those sta oned south of the Wapi through it painstakingly, prin ng off pages relevant VICE PRESIDENT “When Canada began taking prisoners of war, three would have been in a regular lumber camp operat- to us. You will fi nd a couple of illustra ons in the next Beth Sande camps were built in Alberta at Lethbridge, Medicine ing in the area with a bunkhouse sec oned off to few pages. Hat and Wainwright. To make use of the prison- house them, a empted escape being unlikely.” TREASURER ers, they were engaged in various ac vi es in the David also ordered microfi lm from the Na onal Newspaper edi or Fred Rinne forwarded a very useful Gail Pre e website to Bill Sco , who edited the informa on for camps, but an agreement was also struck between Archives (fi le 7236-34-3-80; roll C-5386), which the federal and provincial governments whereby he then researched and printed off for SPRA. This inclusion in this newsle er. This informa on was cor- DIRECTORS roborated by many others and also by the documents certain non-violent DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR Kevin O’Toole, City of Grande Prairie prisoners, usually navy from the Na onal Archives. Brock Smith, County of Grande Prairie or air, could be let out All sources agreed that it was the Ross Lumber Com- Leslie Vandemark, M.D. of Greenview to private companies OTTAWA, 10th October, 1944 pany, who had a planer mill where Canfor is now and Stan Bzowy, M.D. of Spirit River opera ng in remote used the POWs as a labour force in their sawmill about Daryl White, GPRC areas at - I believe - $5 MEMORANDUM TO: V.A.G. (2) 40 miles south of Grande Prairie. Gord Mackey, Teepee Creek M.D.H.Q. per day. The compa- Greg Donaldson, Eaglesham Alex Cameron knew where the site was and he took nies were either in road Grande Prairie Labour Project me out one sunny a ernoon for a trek through the construc on or lumber- MAILING ADDRESS bush to take some photographs. (See p. 15) ing, and the prisoners An application has been received at this were sequestered within directorate from Hales H. Ross & Sons, Ltd., Edmonton, Alta., We had a number of other calls and visitors, and we South Peace Regional Archives the camps and worked for the service of 50 prisoners-of-war for lumbering thank each one that contributed. This is what I really operations. Box 687, Grande Prairie, AB. as groups under strict like about archives--we all share our knowledge and T8V 3A8 supervision. There was 2. It is proposed to house the prisoners in a camp any documents or photographs we have, and together approved by an officer of this directorate 41 miles south of one north of Whitecourt Grande Prairie, Alberta. The company requests that they be we can put together the stories in our history. Telephone 780-830-5105 where the buildings detrained at the company’s siding about ½ miles west of the E-mail [email protected] Grande Prairie station. Postal address is c/o the company, This topic naturally suggested other inclusions for the (dilapidated) can s ll Grande Prairie, Alberta. The rate of pay is .50¢ per day. newsle er, such as the photograph collec on and be seen, and one at memories of Gaston Mencke, who worked in just such www.southpeacearchives.org Fawce Lake, where the 3. It is requested that a couple of Army personnel be provided to act as guards. They will be housed a lumber camp soon a er the war, the Kakwa/Two camp director's cabin separately. Lakes Oral Histories collec on as our featured fonds, The purpose of the SPRA Society is to promote (built by the war prison- and encourage the apprecia on and study of ers) is being considered 4. The R.C.M.P. has indicated co-operation. and a tour of the Grovedale area. the history of the south Peace River Country by for designa on as a Hope you enjoy it! acquiring, preserving and making accessible to provincial historic site. Sincerely, the public, records in any format which refl ect At Chisholm, one of the the history of this area. Mary Nu ng, Archivist prisoners even returned [Rest of Letter Unreadable] to live a er the war. On 2 3 package includes instruc ons regarding medical modate the prisoners, set wage scales and collected The rela ve solitude of the camps did not allow had a railway siding and some buildings where Can- and dental care for the POWs, instruc ons on how monies owing to the government for the labour the Department of Labour or the businesses hir- for is now. This is corroborated by the transcrip on to transport them by train; du es of the Veterans’ services of the internees. Businesses wan ng to ing POW labour to stray from the regula ons and of a le er from File 7236-34-3-80 on the fi rst page Guard escorts who would travel with the prisoners; employ POW’s had to fi rst apply to the Department. Interna onal rules. It appears that inspec ons were of this ar cle (p. 3) correspondence from the Dept. of Labour and the conducted by Department offi cials and the Swiss Contracts between government and private lumber Bill recalled that Cliff Wright used to meet groups Dept. of Na onal Defence; movement orders from Consulate which acted as the German Protec ng companies such as Ontario-Minnesota Pulp and of German POWs ge ng off the train. Gord added the Department of Na onal Defence for the Leth- Power in Canada. Finally, the POW’s themselves Paper provided a fairly comprehensive framework that “the men were housed on site in individual bridge Internment Camp; two lists of fi y names of through le ers of complaint to the Swiss Consul- for employment based on the ar cles of the Geneva small homes - without running water as I recall.” prisoners slated for Grande Prairie; and many more Conven on. For example, transporta on to and ate would have alerted the proper authori es of items. Two transcribed illustra ons of these le ers from work was to be provided by the employer. any serious problems within the camps. Respon- Charlie Wales thought there was also about 10 are included with this ar cle. Marching to the bush camp was permi ed as long sibility for security of the bush camps, it appears, POWs working at the Pete Moon lumber camp 17 miles north of DeBolt towards the end of the war, InformaƟ on from Website—contributed by Fred as the walk was not excessive.