The Gilded Cage: Gravenhurst German Prisoner-Of-War Camp 20, 1940-1946

by C.J. Porter

Book by Porter, C. J

Genres: History, Nonfiction

190 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Gabriele Wills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cecil Porter has written a most readable and engaging account about a prisoner of war camp in Muskoka - a legendary land of lakes and summer homes in Canada. A former TB sanatorium on the shores of Lake Muskoka was converted into a POW camp in 1940, complete with a barbed wire boom fence that carved out a large swimming area for the captives, making it seem more like a summer camp than a prison. They had their own symphony orchestra and hockey team, took university classes and other lessons, and ran a farm. But it was still a prison, and there was an ongoing game of wits between the captives and their guards, with some amusing and ingenious escapes. Interestingly, 30% of the Germans who were interred in Canada immigrated there after the war - a tribute surely to their fair treatment while "guests" of the Canadian government, and the environment that many came to love.

[James Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This out-of-print book is an excellent history of one of the German POW Canada ran for the British. It documents the establishment or Camp 20, its effect on the local community, life for the inmates, the numerous escape attempts, and the aftermath of the war. It is well researched, illustrated with photos, maps, and letters, and well written. It is unfortunate that it is no longer available, except through academic libraries and rare book sellers.