As promised, here's an update on my research: This is becoming more fascinating all the time, and the contacts I've been able to establish are certainly keeping me motivated, making this journey not only rewarding, but also enjoyable! I've...
- received some very interesting and helpful emails.
- found some great books by Canadian authors, (thanks to our local library) and talked with them. The information is certainly adding a lot of different perspectives, which is great!
- been given some photos taken at the camp near Newton, thanks to the Oakville Archives. Who knew that there's an Oakville Archives. It's just a village.
- found some old newspaper articles with the assistance of the Portage La Prairie Regional Library. These have helped me find the exact years when the POW were here.
- have acquired a pay list of German POW on the Curtis work camp, in our area. Included are some names that I already have. This was shared by a reader who's studying this same topic and has been to the Ottawa Archives. You can read more of his stories on his blog.
- watched Eva Colmers excellent documentary, The Enemy Within and have exchanged some emails with her. Her father was a German POW in Canada.
- learned many stories shared by Hutterites, Mennonites and others who knew these prisoners.
- and best of all I've come in contact with the family of one of these men. Bravo! They're being very kind and are helping me fill in some pieces. I cannot express how much this means to me
Special thanks to all who passed my first POW post on to others. I appreciate this! Please continue to do so. Glad to have you all along for part of this historical ride!
Here's a melancholy German folksong that the prisoners sang when they visited my colony in 1946. It'about leaving loved ones behind and not knowing when you'll be able to return to them. 'In meiner Heimat da Bluehen die Rosen' (In my homeland, the roses are blooming)
Very good stuff! I can tell you it will probably keep you busy for years.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, have you researched your Hutterite ancestors and are your group easier to research than a non-communal residing family?
Have you done research such as this, Shom? We have our own record book that goes back to the Hutterites in Russia. Don't know how researching a non-communal family compares to us.
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