Detention of Second World War Military POWs and Enemy Aliens National Historic Event of Canada, Neys Provincial Park, Marathon, Ontario
Posted by: 
colincan
N 48° 46.932 W 086° 37.033
16U E 528119 N 5403315
Canada contributed in part to the war effort of WWII by holding enemy aliens and POWs in detention camps. Britain sent over about 40,000. Neys Provincial Park on the rugged Lake Superior shore, twenty minutes west of Marathon, was home to Camp 100.
Waymark Code: WMN9VM
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 01/27/2015
Views: 9
The story of wartime Royal Norwegian Air Force trainees in Muskoka “bombing” German POWs at a nearby detention camp in Gravenhurst is an ironic, humorous incident of the Second World War given that the makeshift “bombs” were just potatoes. But the detention of wartime prisoners in Canada was invariably a serious matter. Over the course of WWII, Britain, particularly when faced with invasion, sent close to 40,000 military prisoners or non-combatant enemy aliens to the vast expanse of Canada for internment purposes. This role was an important security contribution of Canada to the allied war effort. Twenty six large camps with many more satellite work facilities were established across the country, especially in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta. The POWs were mostly German or Austrian, most of whom were repatriated by way of Britain at wars end. Their humane treatment while detained encouraged large numbers to immigrate legally to Canada years later. Neys Provincial Park on the rugged Lake Superior shore twenty minutes west of Marathon, was home to Camp 100 and was typical of the camps which were purposefully established in isolated rural areas. The Detention of Second World War Military Prisoners of War and of Enemy Aliens Sent to Canada from Great Britain was designated an event of national significance in 2011. An Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque was erected in 2012.
Classification: National Historic Event
Province or Territory: Ontario
Location - City name/Town name: Neys Provincial Park, Marathon
Link to Parks Canada entry (must be on www.pc.gc.ca): [Web Link]
Link to HistoricPlaces.ca: Not listed
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