Introduction

In the year 1535 the French explorer Jacques Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence River, landed at a Huron Indian village known as Hochelaga by the natives and gave it the name Mont Real. In 1611 Champlain, the first Governor of French Canada, set up a military post on an island in the middle of the river directly in front of Mont Real which was by now a settlement of some considerable size. He named the island Ile Saint Hélène, after his young bride of that name. Shortly afterwards a fortress was built there and to this day the stark pile of stone and rock still stands. The building is a low edifice of two stories, built of massive stone blocks and encompasses on three sides a narrow courtyard facing out to the river. On the far side lies the main area of Montreal city rising to the imposing heights of Mount Royal beyond.

The island is now a beautifully kept public park much frequented for picnics in the summer by the citizens of Montreal and by tourists who come to enjoy the handsome gardens and the spectacular views of the modern city across the river. The fort serves as a museum. The interior is a series of rather uninteresting military exhibits with pictorial displays portraying the military history of the province of Quebec. These are labelled in English and French. At the end of one of the long and narrow second floor rooms, incongruously set amongst the military exhibits, are three wooden prison cells with iron barred doors. They are small and cramped, measuring some nine by five feet and affixed to one of them is a plaque with an inscription.

During the Second World War this fortress served as a prisoner of war camp for Nazi and Fascist prisoners. These are the punishment cells used for the more dangerous of them.

I spent three years in that camp and 30 days in those cells. This is the story of how I came to be there.