At their height, there were 24 internment facilities
across Canada divided into two categories.
There were [sic] an epidemic of tuberculosis in the Spirit Lake camp... There were three women interned in my family who got tuberculosis. My great-grandmother, Anna, my grandmother, Felicia, and my mother, Mary. My Grandmother died in her thirties as a result of TB.
Ali, Hoosen – Subject of Turkey, certificate of release from internment camp at Kapuskasing, Ontario [1916], Library and Archives Canada, R174-59-6-E
The camps were mostly located in repurposed government buildings, military installations and two rented factories. During the summer, certain locations would use tents or train cars as shelter. Adhering the Hague Convention, internment facilities were, at least technically, as good as those offered to Canadian soldiers. However, most of these camps were located in harsh environments far from hospitals and other sanitation infrastructure, allowing diseases to flourish. Due to the harsh conditions of internment, combined with the general stress of imprisonment, 107 internees died between 1914-1920.
Our mission is to preserve, protect and archive artifacts related to the Canadian experience of the First World War and to inform Canadians of the same. We do not attempt to highlight the large historical events of the war, but rather present personalized narratives of the many experiences that touched Canadians during this period.
Learn more about us at our website www.greatwarcentre.com