NOTES

When Ted Biggs first told me that Canada had "hosted" some 40,000 German prisoners of war during WWII, my initial reaction was surprise. When I got the same response recounting the story, it became clear that here was a piece of Canada 's "hidden history" waiting to be told. Our broadcasters, History Television and Historia agreed.

By 2005 we completed research and had identified interview subjects. There was a sense of urgency; our subjects were elderly, some reluctant to relive the past. Between March and June 2006 we filmed in Canada and Germany then spent the next months planning the re-enactment shoot which was vital to bringing the POWs' stories to life.

Our requirements for the re-enactment shoot far exceeded our budget. But Darul Uloom Islamic school in Bowmanville, who now manage the complex that comprises former Prison Camp 30, graciously donated use of their facility and history buffs Leone Fence Company and McFaul Fencing generously donated fencing and labour to build the camp's perimeter.

Over three long days in September director Douglas Williams put the large cast and crew through their paces. Not much had changed at Camp 30 since 1945, and the experience provided a real opportunity to connect with the past.

It was also a chance to look at the "lighter" side of a terrible war. Despite seperation from their homeland by the Atlantic Ocean and captivity in remote, sometimes hostile, locations, Canada 's POWs made some 600 escape attempts ranging from the bizarre to the humourous. Though only one managed to escape, former POWs are grateful for Canada 's hospitality and treatment, realizing that if it weren't for their time behind barbed wire, they might never have survived the war.

Hitler's Canadians has relevance today. In a time when prisoner of war camps like Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo ignore the Geneva Convention, we can look at our past for lessons and guidance. Canada 's treatment of the German POWs is an example every nation should strive to uphold today.

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