WWII: The Long Road Home

Frank Rowan (left) in POW camp.

Flying Officer Frank Rowan counts his blessings he made it out of the Second World War alive. Rowan, now 89, was captured as a prisoner of war (POW) by the Germans after they shot down his plane over Nuremburg in 1945. Along with about 200 other POWs, he was made to endure a grueling march eastward. Feet torn, starving and forced to pile together bodies of his comrades who had died along the seemingly endless road, Rowan's one concern was to get home in one piece.

Back in Ottawa, his mother and girlfriend presumed him dead. But Rowan was granted a second chance at life when, after Germany's surrender, they were marched toward Allied forces and released. Still, memories of his horrific wartime experiences clung to Rowan, who was plagued by nightmares after returning home.

Listen to Frank Rowan describe his harrowing experiences as a POW.

For more about Frank Rowan's experiences, read the June/July issue of Canada’s History magazine.

Map of German Prisoner of War Camps

Approximately 9,000 Canadians were captured by the enemy and held as prisoners of war (POWs) during the Second World War. Most of them were kept in German POW camps and were forced to endure long marches with meager rations, especially toward the end of the war.

But the nearly 1,700 Canadian POWs held in Asia faced worse conditions. The Japanese camps were often extremely brutal, providing very little food and forcing back-breaking manual labour in Japanese mines and shipyards.

Click and zoom in on this map showcasing German POW camps that held Canadians during the Second World War.