Thomas Thomson ~ Letters Home From Kananaskis

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025: Week 7 (LETTERS & DIARIES)

My great grandfather Thomas Thomson was a guard at Camp 130 – Kananaskis/Seebe (Camp K) during World War 2.

These 2 letters (each have 4 pages) were sent home during that time.

In the Scottish fashion he called his wife mammy, and signed his letters daddy even when not writing to the children. 

The first letter is addressed to Thomas' wife, Elizabeth, and his daughter Mary & new husband Clyde (my grandparents).

This second letter is addressed only to Elizabeth.

It was written just 2 months before Thomas died at Kananaskis.

The author of the letters (my great grandfather)

Thomas Thomson

Birth 10 MAY 1880 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland

Death 19 NOV 1940 • Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada

The recipient of the letters 
great grandma: 

Elizabeth Young Slicer

Birth 4 AUG 1882 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland

Death 24 JUN 1958 • Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
grandma:

Mary Elizabeth Thomson

Birth 20 DEC 1915 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland

Death 3 AUG 2005 • Beausejour, Manitoba, Canada
grandpa:

Clyde Robertson (AKA Max Pellack)

Birth 10 MAY 1910 • San Francisco, California, USA (Clyde claimed)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Clyde's claimed on military records)
homestead, SW, Section: 1, Township: 48, Range: 17, Meridian: W2, Gronlid, Saskatchewan, Canada (Max's actual birth place)

Death 11 JUL 1986 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Not included in the letters was Thomas' 1st born 

Marion Isabella (Maisie) Thomson

Birth 24 MAY 1914 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland

Death 14 SEP 1996 • Meadow Vista, Placer County, California, USA
married to

Wallace Mark (Wally) Reemelin

Birth 2 JUL 1918 • Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, USA

Death 29 DEC 2014 • Placer County, California, USA

Thomas & Elizabeth Young (nee Slicer) Thomson had the 2 daughters noted above. They lost an infant (or stillborn) son in Scotland after the birth of 2nd daughter Mary who remembered the birth of her brother. There were no further children for this couple.

In reading the letters I began to wonder about Camp 130 – Kananaskis/Seebe (Camp K), and found this video

Holding onto the last words!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Sources:

Camp 130 – Kananaskis/Seebe (Camp K). POWs in Canada. Research by Michael O'Hagan, PhD. Retrieved February 11th 2025 from
https://powsincanada.ca/pows-in-canada/internment-camps/camp-130-kananaskis/

Internment in the Canadian Rockies | Camp 130. Retrieved February 11th 2025 from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4ODHhRl-60

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

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