“Refugee Stories: The Immigration and Resettlement of Germans in Western Canada, 1947-1960” is an oral history research project about the history of immigration to Canada. Our goal is to document the history and memory of the experiences of ethnic Germans from Eastern Europe and Germany itself–many of them refugees–who immigrated to Western Canada after the Second World War and started new lives here.
Click on the links below to find out more!
Overview of the “Refugee Stories” project
Learn about the origins of the project, and the partners working together on this research.
History of postwar German immigration to Canada
Learn more about the background behind the wave of German refugees and immigrants who came to Canada in the 1940s and 1950s.
Hear the stories of postwar German refugees and immigrants. This is the heart of the “Refugee Stories” project.
See documents, artifacts, and photographs relating to German immigration to Canada in the 1940s and 1950s.
Talk to Us
Were you or someone you know a German immigrant to Canada between 1947 and 1960? Do you have any pictures from that time you think we should have? Did you enjoy reading about this immigration history? Do you know someone who might want to be interviewed for the Refugee Stories project?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, we’d love to hear from you!
Photo of the Beaverbrae courtesy of Ian Boyle/Simplon Postcards, http://www.simplonpc.co.uk.