Prisoners of the Home Front
240 pages, 6 x 9
8 tables
Paperback
Release Date:01 Jul 2006
ISBN:9780774812245
Hardcover
Release Date:05 Dec 2005
ISBN:9780774812238
GO TO CART SAMPLE CHAPTER

Prisoners of the Home Front

German POWs and "Enemy Aliens" in Southern Quebec, 1940-46

UBC Press

In the middle of the most destructive conflict in human history, almost 40,000 Germans civilians and prisoners of war were detained in internment and work camps across Canada. Five internment camps were located on the southern shores of the St. Lawrence River in the province of Quebec: at Farnham, Grande Ligne, Île-aux-Noix, Sherbrooke, and Sorel.

Prisoners of the Home Front details the organization and day-to-day affairs of these internment camps and reveals the experience of their inmates. Martin Auger shows how internment imposed psychological and physical strain in the form of restricted mobility, sexual deprivation, social alienation, and lack of physical comfort. In response, Canadian authorities introduced labour projects and education programs to uphold morale, thwart internal turmoil, and prevent escapes. These initiatives were also intended to expose prisoners to the values of a democratic society and prepare them for postwar reintegration.

Auger concludes that Canada abided by the Geneva Convention; its treatment of German prisoners was humane. Prisoners of the Home Front sheds light on life behind barbed wire, filling an important void in our knowledge of the Canadian home front during the Second World War.

Auger has written a readable narrative that uses insightful analysis grounded in primary research from a regional perspective. The book is highly recommended for general and specialist readers. Chris Madsen, International History Review XXVIII, 4
The issue of the labour and re-education camps set up during World War II has been widely addressed over the last sixty years, but few works offer a strictly Canadian point of view, and even fewer focus on Quebec. Thus, Martin F. Auger’s work is most welcome. He describes the living conditions to which prisoners, mostly Germans and Italians, were subjected for several years, and explains the various reasons that drove Canadian authorities to set up such labour camps. … In short, Auger’s work is indispensable for anyone interested in Canada’s national war effort during the Second World War. Charles Létourneau, Canadian Army Journal, Vol.10.1
The memoir material provides an ideal counterpoint to the basic history gleaned from the government sources, and the author weaves an excellent narrative from the various strands involved. …In his recommendation of this book, my colleague Kent Fedorowich describes it as ‘the benchmark for the future study of Canada’s … history as a captor power during the Second World War’. I would go further and say that in several respects it sets benchmarks for all future regional and local studies of prisoners of war and internees, be they in Canada or elsewhere. Bob Moore, University of Sheffield, War in History, Issue 14-4
Prisoners on the Home Front sheds some much needed light on an under-represented topic in Second World War historiography. … This book has forged a new path for the study of Canadian internment camps during the Second World War. A.C., Canadian Military History, Spring 2008
Martin F. Auger is completing his doctorate in history at the University of Ottawa. His thesis examines aircraft design and development in Canada during the Second World War.

Foreword / Jeffrey A. Keshen

Preface

1 A History of Internment

2 Organizing and Developing Southern Quebec's Internment Operation

3 Life behind Barbed Wire

4 Labour Projects

5 Educational Programs

6 Canada’s Internment Experience: A Home Front Victory

Appendix

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Find what you’re looking for...
Stay Informed

Receive the latest UBC Press news, including events, catalogues, and announcements.


Read past newsletters

Free shipping on online orders over $40

Publishers Represented
UBC Press is the Canadian agent for several international publishers. Visit our Publishers Represented page to learn more.