The postcard

The depicted person, Heinz Gerull, sent this card to his brother Friedrich. The post card was written on 12 November 1916 in the town Ruß or vicinity (presumably). The card was postmarked on 13 November 1916 in RU.. (OSTPREUSSEN). The Canadian 2-Cents stamp was stuck on it later. I think that Friedrich and Heinz came from the area of the town Ruß.

Ruß, d. 12.11.16

Lieber Bruder!

Send Dir hiermit meine Photographie 
und wünsch gleichzeitig eine 
frohe Weihnacht.
Dein treuer Bruder Heinz.

Schönen Gruß von Vater u. Mutter.

Rusne, d. 12.11.16

Dear Brother,
Send you here withwith my photograph
and wish the same time Merry Christmas.
Your faithful brother Heinz.

Best wishes of father and mother.

Friedrich Gerull

Between 1914 and 1920, thousands of Canadians of Ukrainian and Eastern European descent were imprisoned in internment camps across Canada, simply on the basis of their origins. For decades, their stories were buried under fear and shame

  Friedrich Gerull was one of these thousands. Who was Friedrich?   The first we learn of Friedrich being interred is by a post card that was sent to him in 1917 to Fort Henry Kingston Ontario that was in my grandfather's possession.  Was Friedrich a brother or Uncle?  He was obviously much cared about because family wrote to him.

  Internees at Fort Henry were removed by the end of 1917; however, it seems Friedrich was not released and instead ended up at another camp in Kapuskasing.  On October 27, 1919 he was Repatriated and sent back to Germany on the ship Pretorian.   His journey to come to the Americas for a better life came to a disheartening end.


If Friedrich was grandpa's brother they kept in touch up until WWII after which he heard nothing about anyone in his family.  What happened to Friedrich and the rest of the family?

click on image to take you to newspaper archive

What it was like for Internee's