Amherst Internment Camp: Difference between revisions
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'''Amherst Internment Camp''' was an [[internment]] camp that existed from 1914 to 1919 in [[Amherst, Nova Scotia]]. It was the largest [[POW camp]] in [[Canada]] during [[WWI]]; a maximum of 853 prisoners were housed at one time at the old Malleable Iron foundry on Park street.<ref>http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax/natcul/natcul13.aspx</ref> |
'''Amherst Internment Camp''' was an [[internment]] camp that existed from 1914 to 1919 in [[Amherst, Nova Scotia]]. It was the largest [[POW camp]] in [[Canada]] during [[WWI]]; a maximum of 853 prisoners were housed at one time at the old Malleable Iron foundry on Park street.<ref>http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax/natcul/natcul13.aspx</ref> The most famous prisoner of war was [[Leon Ttrotsky]]. |
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== Background == |
== Background == |
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The Amherst camp was one of three internment camps in Nova Scotia. The others were on Melville Island in the Northwest Arm of Halifax Harbour and in Halifax Citadel. Unlike the rest of Canada, where internees were mostly of Eastern European origin, the internees in Nova Scotia were mainly German reservists.<ref>http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax/natcul/natcul13.aspx</ref> |
The Amherst camp was one of three internment camps in Nova Scotia. The others were on Melville Island in the Northwest Arm of Halifax Harbour and in Halifax Citadel. Unlike the rest of Canada, where internees were mostly of Eastern European origin, the internees in Nova Scotia were mainly German reservists.<ref>http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax/natcul/natcul13.aspx</ref> |
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By April 1915, the Halifax camp had become overcrowded and a new one opened at Amherst. The Citadel now housed only first-class prisoners of war (officers) and Amherst housed those considered second-class (reservists from the ranks and enemy aliens). When the Citadel camp closed on October 3, 1916, its prisoners were transferred to Amherst. At one point toward the end of the war, the Amherst camp held 854 internees and was the largest in Canada. |
By April 1915, the Halifax camp had become overcrowded and a new one opened at Amherst. The Citadel now housed only first-class prisoners of war (officers) and Amherst housed those considered second-class (reservists from the ranks and enemy aliens). When the Citadel camp closed on October 3, 1916, its prisoners were transferred to Amherst. At one point toward the end of the war, the Amherst camp held 854 internees and was the largest in Canada. |
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Trotsky was removed by Canadian and British naval personnel from the [[S.S. Kristianiafjord]] at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on April 3, 1917, listed as a German prisoner of war, and interned at the Amherst Internment Camp for a month.<ref>http://ns1758.ca/quote/trotsky1917.html</ref> |
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It closed on September 27, 1919.<ref>http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax/natcul/natcul13.aspx</ref> |
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== References == |
== References == |
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Revision as of 20:10, 11 March 2013
Amherst Internment Camp was an internment camp that existed from 1914 to 1919 in Amherst, Nova Scotia. It was the largest POW camp in Canada during WWI; a maximum of 853 prisoners were housed at one time at the old Malleable Iron foundry on Park street.[1] The most famous prisoner of war was Leon Ttrotsky.
Background
When the First World War began in 1914, there was widespread suspicion in Canada that immigrants from enemy might be disloyal. In response, the federal government passed regulations allowing it to monitor and intern anyone who had not become naturalized British subjects. These people were labelled “enemy aliens.” In total 8,579 men were prisoners of war in 24 camps across the country. The Halifax Citadel housed one of these camps.[2]
The Camp
The Amherst camp was one of three internment camps in Nova Scotia. The others were on Melville Island in the Northwest Arm of Halifax Harbour and in Halifax Citadel. Unlike the rest of Canada, where internees were mostly of Eastern European origin, the internees in Nova Scotia were mainly German reservists.[3]
By April 1915, the Halifax camp had become overcrowded and a new one opened at Amherst. The Citadel now housed only first-class prisoners of war (officers) and Amherst housed those considered second-class (reservists from the ranks and enemy aliens). When the Citadel camp closed on October 3, 1916, its prisoners were transferred to Amherst. At one point toward the end of the war, the Amherst camp held 854 internees and was the largest in Canada.
Trotsky was removed by Canadian and British naval personnel from the S.S. Kristianiafjord at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on April 3, 1917, listed as a German prisoner of war, and interned at the Amherst Internment Camp for a month.[4]
It closed on September 27, 1919.[5]
References
Links
Endnotes