A memorial plaque dedicated to Canada's first internment operations is located by the waterfront near the base of Mt. Benson St. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

local internment camp

New Nanaimo Museum exhibit shining light on local First World War internment camps

Jan 21, 2022 | 5:28 AM

NANAIMO — A little-known story about the Harbour City’s participation in historic human rights injustices will soon be on full display.

“Enemy Aliens – Internment in Canada, 1914-1920” at the Nanaimo Museum explores the internment operations during the First World War, where a number of Canadian citizens with certain heritages were forced to surrender their liberties.

Curator of the Nanaimo Museum Aimee Greenaway said she hopes this display sheds some light on the part we played during this low point in our history.

“We know that it’s a part of Canadian history and also local history that many of us aren’t as familiar with.”

As battle lines were drawn among the two competing forces, with those divisions reflected down to the local level in Nanaimo.

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“Enemy aliens” were given a different status than other members of the community and forced to check in with local police.

An internment camp on Stewart Ave., which opened in September 1914 saw the capture of those on the opposing side to the British Empire’s alliance.

“It closed in September 1915, with the reason given being overcrowding. A lot of the people who were interned were transferred to other internment camps in British Columbia including a facility in Vernon.”

The facility saw people of German, Austrian, Hungarian and Ukranian descent held.

Greenaway said they’ve spent the last few years trying to piece together this dark part of Nanaimo’s history, which is difficult due to a lack of official records or eye-witness accounts from the time.

“There are some archival documents that are hard to access, so that’s part of the challenge is piecing together this history. Some of the information we do know about the camps is the one in Nanaimo is described as poor conditions, it was overcrowded.”

At any one time, 100 people were kept at the camp.

Greenaway said while the incarcerated were mainly men, there were reported cases of entire families being sent to the camps, including children.

“That’s one of the things that we always wondered about here. The camp wasn’t existing here in isolation, so what did the community think about this? What were the conditions locally that impacted whether or not people were interned? It’s quite a bit more complicated every time I learn more it gets to be more and more of a complex story.”

Through curating the collection, the Nanaimo Museum connected with a local family who has ties to the internment camp.

It’s hoped this exhibit will encourage others to come forward with stories from their own families.

“Enemy Aliens- Internment in Canada, 1914-1920 was developed by the Canadian War Museum in partnership with the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Foundation.

The exhibition will be at the Nanaimo Museum from Feb. 12 until May 21, 2022.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow