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This virtual exhibit explores a very important site located within the community of Bowmanville, Ontario. The site has had a long and industrious history within the community and beyond. It was first known as Darch Farm and then known as the Boys Training School, which operated on the grounds from 1925 to 1979. While many people call it by many different names the most popular and arguably the most important name is Camp 30. Camp 30 is the reason that this site holds national significance. The site was seconded by the federal government during WWII due to the fact that it could easily be converted to a Prisoner of War camp. In fact almost overnight, it was converted for this use. It operated as a Prisoner Of War camp from 1941 to 1945 and housed the highest ranking German officers captured by Allied Forces. Today, it remains one of the last intact Prisoner of War Camps in Canada. Many interesting and historically significant events happened behind the barbed wire in Bowmanville during those four years.
This exhibit of Camp 30 will explore the history of how Camp 30 came to be, tell the stories of the German POW’s housed there, describe famous escape attempts including the infamous Battle of Bowmanville, and comment on what life was like for a POW living far from home.
