Remembering the Forgotten: Archaeology at the Morrissey WW1 Internment Camp

Summary

Many Canadians are aware of the Japanese Internment Camps from WWII; however, very few are aware of the concentration camps that Canada built during WWI. Between 1914-1920, Canada arrested and interned 8549 Austro-Hungarians, Germans and Turks and interned them across Canada. Morrissey Internment Camp is situated in the abandoned coal-mining town of Morrissey, British Columbia and housed a population of 3-400 prisoners between 1915-1918. In 1954, the Canadian government destroyed most of the internment records, claiming lack of space, and consequently very little is known about Canada’s first internment operations. As a result, the archaeologist becomes a unique steward of internment history, contributing information lacking in the fragmented historical record. Today, the local population refers to the Morrissey Internment Camp as a local retreat that housed destitute foreigners during the Great War. My research examines how perceptions of the Morrissey Internment Camp have evolved over the past century.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2015   •
• Applied Contemporary Archaeology

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 588