This year marks the 75th anniversary of the internment of tens of thousands of people of Japanese descent by the Canadian Government during the Second World War. Though few people may be aware of it today, North Delta once had a thriving Japanese community before racism and the fear of “enemy aliens” operating along our coast robbed them of their property and livelihoods.
To commemorate this dark chapter in our shared history, several members of the Delta Museum and Archives Society contributed to this month’s North Delta History feature to help shed light on the Japanese Canadians who helped build North Delta in those pre-war years.
Check out all four parts of the series below:
PART ONE: “Japanese settlement pre-World War Two,” by Nancy Demwell and John Macdonald
PART TWO: “Japanese internment during the Second World War,” by Nancy Demwell and John Macdonald
PART THREE: “‘Picture brides’ were part of the fabric of Japanese-Canadian community,” by Nancy Demwell, John MacDonald and Len Stroh
PART FOUR: “Japanese-Canadian history hits home,” by Mark Boyter
RELATED: “‘Gumboot Navy’ patrolled local shores during the Second World War,” by Nancy Demwell
