living history
only if they were unable to use their senses.”
Yackulic also noted that up until that time the only
thing most people knew of the camp was the stories
of escapes and recapture that were reported in the
newspaper, and that it was possible that the truth of the
camp would never be known because outside of concerns
related to national security, information related to the
camp could cause problems with allies or in some way
negatively effect the allies’ negotiations with Germany
with regards to how prisoners were being treated by all
parties. However, while Yackulic wrote of concerns that
the camp’s story could never be well told, thanks to his
articles, and the information collected by past prisoners
and others, the story of Camp No. 133 is well known and
documented.
The camp was dismantled in 1950. Its buildings were
moved and reused in various locations throughout
Lethbridge and Southern Alberta.
It’s hard to believe something like Camp No. 133 exists
in and infl uenced Lethbridge’s history. Today, if you
visit the site where the camp once stood, except for the
monument placed by the Lethbridge Historical Society,
there are no physical reminders of the stories and activity
that made this one of the busiest places in Lethbridge
between 1942 and 1946.
who returned were assisted in the immigration process by
the farmers they met as prisoners. Some returned to farm
the exact land they had worked during the war.
Other prisoners returned to the camp as visitors to visit
again or share wartime experiences with their families.
Much of what we know about the camp’s operations come
from the shared stories of these men and guards, because
information related to the running of the camp was not
shared with the public, or at least the government tried to
keep the information contained.
A year after the camp opened, George A. Yackulic,
Lethbridge Herald staff reporter, wrote a series of articles
related to the camp. His fi rst article in November 1943
highlighted how information on the camp was protected
under national security: “A wall of silence with the
outside is maintained in the interests of security and
welfare of the prisoners. One of the articles of the Geneva
Convention orders that prisoners of war ‘shall at all times
be humanely treated and protected, particularly against
acts of violence, from insults and from public curiosity.’
But stories do leak through the protecting walls. Prisoners
are not mutes and observers are not deaf and blind.
Prisoners working on farms talk freely among themselves
and sometimes speak with the farmers on whose land they
work. Careful observers would fail to learn something
Proudly hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Lethbridge:
Rotary Club of Lethbridge
Rotary Club of Lethbridge East
Rotary Club of Lethbridge Sunrise
Rotary Club of Lethbridge Urban Spirits
Rotary Club of Lethbridge Mosaic
For more information about Rotary in Lethbridge For more information about the festival and to register
rotaryinlethbridge.ca lethbridgedragonfest.ca
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