If you drive east from Fredericton along Route 10, you will eventually reach Ripples. Here, just southwest of Minto, sits a strange concrete structure and a sign reading Internment Camp B70. This site was once a 24 hectare camp holding hundreds of European refugees and prisoners of war during the Second World War.

According to a recent report by CBC News, University of New Brunswick students recently visited the grounds to learn about this lesser known piece of Maritime history.

Bringing International Law Home

Second year law student Lidia Shibre and her international humanitarian law class joined UNB history students to explore the site. The trip is part of a project organized by the university’s Gregg Centre. The centre studies war and its impact on society.

Professor David Matyas uses the site to show how the Geneva Convention applies locally. “This is not something that happened far away,” Matyas told CBC. “It is something in our backyard.”

Shibre noted the shock among her classmates upon realizing an internment camp existed so close to their school.

Two Phases of Captivity

Internment Camp B70 operated as a prison facility. Barbed wire fencing, guard towers, and large floodlights surrounded the internees. When the camp opened in 1940, it housed European Jewish refugees. Many of these men fled Nazi Germany for Great Britain before authorities detained them and sent them to Canada.

Between 1941 and 1945, the camp entered its second phase. It held Germans and Italians, including merchants and some Canadians who opposed the war effort.

Life Inside the Wire

The students read from the diary of Henry Kreisel as they walked through the forested area. Kreisel, an Austrian refugee, documented his daily life at the camp. The men spent their time cutting trees and splitting firewood for the camp furnaces.

Cindy Brown, executive director of the Gregg Centre, said the diary reveals Kreisel’s joys, hardships, and deep yearning for freedom. He wrote to his mother regularly and focused on art and writing to survive his captivity.

Preserving the Past

The tour concluded at the New Brunswick Internment Camp Museum in Minto. The museum houses hundreds of artifacts, ranging from internee artwork to everyday items like toothpaste and shaving cream.

Third year history student Neil Waldshutz found the artifacts fascinating. He told CBC the items help students step into the shoes of the internees and understand their daily struggles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Internment Camp B70 located?

The camp is located in Ripples, New Brunswick, just southwest of the Minto area near Grand Lake.

Who was held at Internment Camp B70?

The camp initially held European Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. Later, it housed Germans, Italians, and some Canadians who opposed the war effort.

What is the New Brunswick Internment Camp Museum?

It is a museum in Minto that preserves artifacts from Camp B70, including artwork and daily living items used by the internees.