ABSTRACT

To date, very little is known archaeologically about First World War-era internment camps, especially in Canada, where this history was actively erased through the destruction of the Federal Internment records in the 1950s. Archaeologists can play a fundamental role in contributing knowledge where oral and documentary evidence is lacking. This paper focuses on one of Canada’s 24 WWI internment camps: the Morrissey Internment Camp. Through GPR survey and excavation, archival records retrieval, and oral histories, the PoW diet is analysed in order to confirm whether it was as poor as many prisoners had claimed. The material record adds a new line of evidence, contributing to a more nuanced perspective that aids in reducing the gaps in this dark facet of Canadian history.

摘要

迄今为止，在考古学上对第一次世界大战时期的拘留营知之甚少，尤其是在加拿大，由于 1950 年代联邦拘留记录的破坏，这段历史被积极抹去。在缺乏口头和书面证据的情况下，考古学家可以在贡献知识方面发挥重要作用。本文重点介绍加拿大 24 个第一次世界大战拘留营之一：莫里西拘留营。通过 GPR 调查和挖掘、档案记录检索和口述历史，对战俘饮食进行分析，以确认它是否像许多囚犯声称的那样贫穷。物质记录增加了新的证据，有助于形成更细致入微的观点，有助于缩小加拿大历史这一黑暗方面的差距。