On the Way!

About the Book

On the Way! is about Lethbridge, Alberta and the role its citizens had in two world wars. In its chapters and appendices you will find a wealth of information about the remarkable military history of what was then, and still is today, a small Canadian city. It is a remarkable military history simply because of the width and breadth of military-related activities that occurred in Lethbridge and its surrounding communities from 1914 to 1945. Indeed, this book will tell the story of how the citizens of Lethbridge were introduced to the world because of war and how, in-turn, the war brought the world to Lethbridge's doorstep. In addition, and for the first time, this book will reveal and discuss the Canadian government's attempts to de-Nazify and democratise German prisoners of war held in Lethbridge and Canada during the Second World War.

Books, like this one, are in fact quite rare, as very few Canadian cities have had their complete military histories, or major portions, documented in a single book. In addition, there are only a small number of books about German prisoners of war held in Canada during the Second World War and none that discuss how the Canadian government attempted to re-educate these prisoners before sending them back home at the end of the war. This book deals fully with this issue and the many efforts undertaken by the Canadian government to de-Nazify and democratise German prisoners of war held in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and elsewhere in Canada. This was no simple undertaking, as some 60 years ago, Canada became the temporary home to almost 34,000 German prisoners of war, and the two largest prisoner of war camps in Canada were located in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, Alberta. Finally, it is hoped this book will do justice to those from Lethbridge who served their country, so many years ago, and that it will provide inspiration for those who live in Lethbridge, and throughout Canada, today.

About the Author

Colonel Chris Kilford was born in Bournemouth, England. In 1971 his family immigrated to Canada and he lived in Winnipeg until 1978, when he joined the Canadian Armed Forces.

In 1993, Chris was posted to Lethbridge, Alberta to be a Javelin Battery Commander and the Second-in-Command of 18th Air Defence Regiment. While there he began to explore the military history of the city and in 1996 he published his first book about Lethbridge's military history called 'Lethbridge At War.' By 2004, and with new information from Library and Archives Canada Chris decided to write a second book about Lethbridge with a more detailed focus on the thousands of German prisoners of war that called Lethbridge home during the Second World War. More recently, from July 2009 until July 2010 Chris was the Deputy Defence Attache at the Canadian Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. In July 2011 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and appointed as the Defence Attache at the Canadian Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. He retired from the military in August 2014.

In October 1992, Chris completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Manitoba with a major in Political Studies. He later earned a Masters Degree in War Studies and a Masters Degree in Defence Studies both from the Royal Military College and in May 2009 completed his PhD at Queen's University. Chris is married to Alison Kilford and they live in Ankara with their two cats.