Camp Castle, Banff National Park, Alberta
Posted by: 
elyob
N 51° 17.480 W 115° 58.050
11U E 571994 N 5682728
The memorial is located on the north side of the Bow Valley Parkway, highway 1A.
Waymark Code: WMM488
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 07/18/2014
Views: 7
Here follows a transcription of one of the many sign boards at the memorial.
First World War Internment Operations
In August 1914, Canada entered the First World War against Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria. At that time, there were over half a million people originating from those countries living in Canada. These enemy aliens were invited to Canada to work as labourers to construct roads and railways and work in forestry, agriculture and mining.
The depression of 1913 put large numbers of these men out of work. Many gravitated to the cities in search of jobs or relief. In response to public fears of enemy subversion and civil unrest, the government made provisions, under the War Measures Act, for the establishment of a national system of civil registration centres in Canadian cities whereby enemy aliens were required to register and report monthly. Those who failed to report, those caught trying to leave Canada without permission or those considered a security risk were imprisoned. In the end, most were interned because they were destitute.
In total, eight thousand five hundred and seventy-nine men became prisoners of war in twenty-four camps located across Canada during the internment operations of 1914-1920. Most were foreign nationals, a few were British subjects or Canadian citizens. The majority were non-combatant, unemployed civilians - victims of the 1913 depression, racial prejudice and wartime hysteria. Many of the internees came from western regions of Ukraine, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.