The Uniform of the German POWs in Canada

The German prisoners of war in Canada were allowed to keep their own uniforms, but they were also issued with prisoner work uniforms. In Alberta, at least some of these outfits were made by GWG (Great Western Garment Company) of Edmonton. This article by Catherine C. Cole in the Online Alberta Encyclopedia, "Clothing the Armed Forces: The Great Western Garment Company during WWII" tells a little bit about GWG and its war work.


Image: "Sick Parade", a cartoon by Otto Ellmaurer, who was a prisoner of war at the Kananaskis camp, Camp 130. Cartoon from the Homefront Archives, courtesy of Mr. R. J. Henderson. Photo by Jill Browne.

Red Circle and Stripe on POW's Uniform

To make the prisoners' uniform distinct, so they would be easy to identify in case of escape, the uniforms had a big red circle on the back and a broad red stripe down the pant leg, as shown in the cartoon.

The story I heard about the uniform in the Red Deer Museum's collection is that it was one of those things sold off as surplus after the war. A mechanic bought it and put a patch on the back to cover the red circle. It hung in a cabin in Sundre for 20 years until the cabin was sold. The new cabin owners recognized the jacket for what it was, and gave it to the museum.

(I confess that if I were a more diligent researcher I would at this point have confirmed these details with the Red Deer Museum. I haven't done that. I'll send them a copy of this post and see if they want to comment.)