POWs: German Prisoners of War on Lake of the Woods, 1943 – 1946

During the Second World War, with many of Canada’s labour force overseas, the agricultural and natural resource industries of the country were suffering. By 1943, the production of pulp wood, lumber, and wood fuel had been so reduced that words like “crisis” and “wood fuel famine” were being used to describe the situation. The Canadian Government, in seeking ways to alleviate the labour shortages, looked to the growing population of prisoners of war (POWs) for a solution. Axis prisoners being housed in Canada who volunteered began being shipped across the country to work in these labour camps.

Ontario-Minnesota Pulp and Paper, owner of the Kenora mill were one of the businesses that received labour assistance through these programs, and in the fall of 1943, as the lumber camps were beginning their winter work, trainloads of prisoners arrived in Kenora. Six camps existed on Lake of The Woods, each having 50-100 POWs. There were several jobs and responsibilities at the camps. For those who were cutting pulp wood, they had to meet a daily quota before supper time. Other jobs included building and maintaining roads on which the wood could be hauled out in the spring, caring for horses, helping in the kitchen or doing daily chores. However, there was lots of leisure time as well. The lumber camps were extremely different from your average POW camp, as there was no barbed wire, no chains or fences. The men were canoeing, swimming, hiking and exploring Lake of The Woods. For many POWs their experience in Canada was very positive.  After the war, many former POWs returned to live in Canada, including many on Lake of the Woods.

POWs: German Prisoners of War on Lake of The Woods 1943 – 1946 will feature photographs, artifacts, stories and personal accounts regarding POWs on Lake of The Woods during World War II. The exhibition runs from July 19 – October 19th, 2024 at Lake of The Woods Museum.