Canada's First World War Internment Operations

Vernon

Hub of BC's Internment Camps


The land upon which Vernon was built has been home to the Syilx Okanagan people for thousands of years. European settlement first began in the early 1800s, with a steady influx of fur traders, missionaries, miners, and ranchers. By 1885, enough Europeans had settled in the region that a townsite was laid out, and shortly thereafter the community was officially named Vernon, after an early rancher. With the arrival of a railway line in 1891, the town grew much more quickly and was incorporated as a city. By the outbreak of the First World War, Vernon was prospering. It was also home to an important militia unit: the Okanagan Mounted Rifles. Soon after the war started, the federal government designated Vernon as the site of a large internment camp for so-called "enemy aliens." This camp was established on the grounds of the asylum, on what we today know as Macdonald Park. <<>> *Video credit: Armistice Films*

This project has been made possible by a grant from the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund.

We respectfully acknowledge that Vernon is located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan people.

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 Vernon

Then and Now Photos

Internees on Parade


Internees on Parade Internees on Parade
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Library and Archives 3379298

1914-1918

An audience watches internees in white summer clothes on parade during an afternoon of diversions at Vernon's Internment Camp.

Internee Families


Internee Families Internee Families
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Vernon Museum and Archives

1915-1920

Several families of internees, including a number of young children, pose for a photo in the first-class section of the camp.

Wind Mill


Wind Mill Wind Mill
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Library and Archives Canada 3379299

1914-1916

Several internees, including a couple men, women, a child, and a dog, pose for a photo beside a pole that has been fitted with an ornamental windmill. The internees had a lot of time for woodworking in the Vernon camp.

Children at Play


Children at Play Children at Play
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Malysh Private Collection

1915-1920

A group of interned children are photographed at the moment of the start of a footrace.

The Asylum in Winter


The Asylum in Winter The Asylum in Winter
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Vancouver Archives AM54-S4-2-: CVA 371-2192

ca. 1915

A side view of the old asylum building during winter months.


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