Dieppe Aftermath and POW Uniforms

Just to mention that I've updated the "For You, The War is Over" blog. For the Canadian prisoner of war story, I have a sad photo from the KOCR of dead soldiers on the beach at Dieppe. I've heard that pictures like this were often staged, for propaganda purposes, but I don't know if that's true for this one. There was enough of the real thing that staging wouldn't have been necessary.

I don't feel good about putting such a sad picture up. It offended me greatly the first time I saw a picture of a dead soldier on television during the Viet Nam War. I felt a line had been crossed.

So now today I too am crossing that line, but I hope for a purpose that makes it worthwhile. Most Canadians alive today have no idea what wars are really all about. That includes me. I've never been near one and I hope I never have to be. However, we have many brave military people who put their own lives on the line. We may not agree with the politics of the conflicts our country gets involved in, but at a personal level I think we have to thank a soldier.

It's not simple, at all, but I think even the most committed pacifist owes a debt of gratitude.

But I have strayed. The point about the picture is, I am sorry if it offends anyone, and I hope that there will never be any family members of the soldiers who recognize one of their own in any picture like this.

POW Uniforms in Alberta

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.


On a lighter note, when writing about the German POWs in Canada today, I included a picture of an Otto Ellmaurer cartoon (a larger version of the one pasted here). One of these days I'll write more about those cartoons. They're charming and witty.

Writing about the POW uniforms makes me think of GWG, the Great Western Garment Company, formerly of Edmonton. I used to love their jeans. I had no idea they may have been sewn on the same machines as the POW uniforms of the 1940s.

POW Museum Exhibit Blog

As you may know, in August 2007, I started working with the staff of the Galt Museum in Lethbridge, Alberta, and The Military Museums here in Calgary, on an exhibit called "For You, The War is Over".

This exhibit is now showing at The Military Museums, having had a successful run last summer (2008) at the Galt.


Image: Gus Neilson, Escape from 8B. Courtesy of the archives of The King's Own Calgary Regiment.


I've recently posted to a blog about the exhibit, which you can see at www.powmuseum.com.

I'm trying to include a picture with each entry. I could use some help collecting and verifying the stories to go with the pictures.

So, if you're interested in prisoners of war from Alberta who were held in Germany (including in Polish territory), or German prisoners of war held in Alberta, or in Canada elsewhere, I invite you to have a look, and to comment on anything that interests you.

Business and Career Advice for Writers from the MBA's Perspective

I've been working on a new blog, You, Ink, to share some of what I've learned in business and at MBA school. Frankly, I've invested a lot of time and money (not to mention blood, sweat and tears) to learn this stuff, so I'm happy to pass it along.



Today I wrote about The Leadership Challenge and how knowing yourself and clarifying your values are fundamental to success in writing, in business, and in life.

I drew on the writing of James Kouzes and Barry Posner, whose book Credibility was one of our textbooks, and on their more recent book, The Leadership Challenge.