From the beginning of settlement in the community, outside
help was needed. Very few were totally self sufficient. The
ranchers needed riders and the farmers needed labourers.
The hours of work were endless if a farm was to be productive,
for tools were hand operated and machinery was crude and
horse drawn, all of which made it next to impossible for one
man to efficiently operate alone.

The early years were reasonably prosperous, the markets were
good, and there was work to be had, but the First World War
and the drought of the 1930's made drastic changes.

To remember at all the "Great Depression" is to remember
an era of "Help One Another". Farmers were hard pressed
to make ends meet, and many never did, but never was
a call for help turned down, as the community became a
true family. They looked out for one-another and any
stranger that came by and was in need. Many of these
"strangers" ended up staying on as hired men.

'Hired man' was a term all too familiar in those days.
Every farm had at least one, and some had two or more,
depending on the nature of the farming operation. Dairy
cows were all milked by hand, sugar beets were loaded
with large beet forks, and hauled to the beet dump with
horse and wagon, after they had been topped by hand.
Grain was stooked, and later shoveled by manual labour.
Haying was no different, horse and man both sweating out
the long hot summer hours. Be it growing potatoes, or
corn or market gardens, or poultry, swine, beef or sheep,
most of the work was manual. Then, of course, the horses
themselves had to be taken care of.

With the depression came young men looking for work. All
over Canada they were on the move. The boys from the
east, riding freight trains to the west; boys from the west
'riding the rails' to the east, all with one hope in mind -- to
find employment. Along the way, they would stop at farms,
offering to chop wood, or do chores to earn a meal. Charity
was not asked, but they were seldom turned away. Many of
these transients were fourteen years and up in age, just trying
to survive. A common plea was "I'll work for just my room and
board" , but each farm could support only so many. Some had
to move on, and some found permanent employment.

Those who stayed on became part of the family and the community.
They doubled as babysitter, companion, and friend, to many of
the farm children. They joined many community functions,
and some eventually married there.

September 1939, World War II broke out. It was not long before
most of the young men, farmer's sons, and labourers alike,
joined the forces and left to defend their country. Farmers
were left without labour. Woman and children tried to fill
the gap, but more help was needed. After the bombing of
Pearl Harbour -- December 7, 1941 -- more than 23,000
Japanese were moved to internment camps inland, and were
distributed to various communities to help in the sugar beet
fields at first, but later were employed for general farm work.
Many of these came to the White School District, and some
remained to operate farms and businesses of their own in
later years.

Although some Japanese had settled in Alberta in the period
1900-1920, most of the Japanese had settled in British
Columbia, concentrating along the Pacific coast and in
the Fraser River Valley.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbour in 1941, there were fears
that the Japanese-Canadians living along the coast posed
a threat to the country's security. Almost immediately the
fishing boats of the Japanese were impounded and sold to
other operators, and the government ordered a complete
evacuation of the so-called Defence Zone

Beet growers in Southern Alberta were plagued with a
shortage of labour and were quick to seize any opportunity
to relieve the problem. The Beet Growers Association sent
a delegation to Vancouver to discuss the situation. The
meeting was a productive one and the members of the
delegation came away convinced that the Japanese would
come to the sugar beet fields of Southern Alberta.

In preparation for the movement of the Japanese from the
coast, Wm.. (Bill) Andrews was appointed as B.C. Security
Commission Representative in Southern Alberta. An office
was set up in the Metcalfe Building. Farmers made out
applications for Japanese families, and within a week the
first contingent of Japanese evacuees arrived from Mission, B.C.

The families experienced severe adjustment problems. Living
quarters were of a temporary sort, passable for summer, poor
for winter. There was a lack of a good water supply for people
known for their cleanliness. Medical facilities were inadequate;
the families felt isolated - out of the city on farms where the
nearest neighbor was miles away. Their work was seasonal,
and pay was minimal - not enough to support a family, but the
rule was they were not allowed to leave the farm to find other
employment. The B.C. Government provided relief funds for
many of the Japanese families during the first winter. Another
problem was the added school facilities necessitated by the
influx of Japanese evacuees. The B. C. Security Commission
paid an outright grant to the Province of Alberta which in turn
was distributed to school districts for the education of Japanese
children. (White School experienced the overcrowding after
1942 and was successful in assimilating the Japanese children
- additional rooms were found and additional teachers hired.)

For those who had owned farms, boats, and businesses, to be
reduced to long tedious hours of back-breaking labour in a
strange land must have been humiliating. That they were
able to adjust at all is a tribute to their fortitude. Many of the
evacuees accepted Southern Alberta as their new home.

Today people of Japanese ancestry can be found in nearly
every occupation and profession. The Japanese Canadian
farmer has played a significant role in South Alberta agriculture.

German prisoners were also a part of farm labour during the
war years. The P.O.W.'s, though confined, lived well, receiving
the same rations as Canadian troops stationed in Canada.
Carloads of sugar, jam, meat and other rationed items were
brought into the camp. This caused some resentment among
Canadians who were caught up in wartime rationing.From
Camp,No. 133 ...

There were 13,634 prisoners at P.O.W. Camp 133 at its
peak. At all times, it was the largest of its kind in Canada,
and covered one square mile of land, bounded by 5th and
14th Avenue and 28th and 43 Street, North Lethbridge.

At the time it was a boon to the agriculture industry in the
south, as most of our young men were in the forces or
overseas, and there was a definite labour shortage.
Towards the end of the war, some prisoners were billeted
on farms, with no guards, and were employed by the month.
Other prisoners were employed in lumber camps and
some also did general farm labour.

The first prisoners came to the Lethbridge P.O.W. Camp
#133 on November 8, 1942, and remained until June, 1946.

Prisoners were deployed to surrounding farms out of nine
manpower hostels established in the Lethbridge district.
Several hundred more went to farms daily from Camp 133
and returned each night. There were hostels at Barnwell,
Coaldale, Turin, Iron Springs, Park Lake, White School,
Welling, and Magrath. Most were for prisoners who stayed
there for several weeks during the sugar beet harvest.
All were volunteer workers. Guards accompanied them,
and farmers provided the transportation.

Each hostel accommodated 50 men; meals were supplied by
the military. Some had their German uniforms; some were
supplied uniforms with a large red bwls-eye on the back.
However, officers reported that not a single incident of
any kind happened from having the men work away from
the camp.

The farmers paid the Department of Labour $2.25 per day,
per man, out of which the P.O.W.'s received fifty cents.
Twenty cents was put aside for when they returned home.
Thirty cents worth of credits was used in the canteen for
such things as cigarettes, beer, laundry soap, shaving
supplies, shoe polish, toothpaste, etc.

After the war, many farmers sponsored former prisoners to
come to Canada. Many came and became Canadian citizens.
Some White School residents were among those sponsors.

Affluence after the war led to the purchasing of more
efficient machinery, and in a very few years the draft
horse and then the Hired Man became a part of history.
They both still exist, but in very small numbers. However,
don't let us ever forget that they helped build this country;
we could not have done it without them!

Prisoner of War Camp

Camp #133 at Lethbridge was built over the summer of 1942.
13,341 P.O.W.'s were moved into camp in November of that year.
The camp was divided into six sections each with six dormitories,
mess halls, kitchens and entertainment facilities.

Non-combat prisoners were engaged in their professions as
doctors and medical orderlies. Outside medical, dental,
and eye care services were provided to prisoners at no cost.

Housing and rations were the same standard as for Canadian
armed forces. This caused resentment, as local residents
were unable to obtain many of the same supplies on their
strict ration allowances.

With many young men away, local farmers began to request
labour assistance from the camp.

By 1943, P.O.W.'s were sent to work on farms in the Lethbridge
district. Most prisoners were transported to and from camp
daily, but some were housed at "lodges" near the farms the
prisoners worked. There was minimal guarding. Prisoners
were paid 50 cents a day for this work.

The Lethbridge camp closed December 1946 and the prisoners
were sent back to their homes. Several former prisoners have
returned and live in the Lethbridge and area with their families.

Miscellaneous Histories