Canadian Veteran who filmed German guards with a hidden camera.

[Flying10uk]

Many, years ago, late 1970's, I visited Canada and stayed with a friend of the family in Calgary, Alberta. While there I was introduced to a Canadian WW2 veteran who had been taken prisoner and spent some time in a German run POW camp. The chap was a very keen photographer and if I remember correctly still worked as a professional photographer when I met him. The chap explained, to me, that while in the/a POW camp he had made a "secret camera" that could be hidden inside his shirt with just the lens exposed and he had used it to photograph his German guards. Unfortunately the chap didn't still have the camera to show me but he did show me a magazine article which described his story in detail and which he had written sometime previous to my visit. If I remember his description correctly from 40 years ago, the camera body was round, thin and the camera only took a single exposure at a time but that description is only as good as my memory of 40 years ago.

I do believe that the chap passed away quite a few years ago, or so I understand. Unfortunately, I can't remember the chaps name because it is such a long time since I last met him. He did live in Calgary, Alberta and was not married when I met him and may well have been a bachelor. I think that he was a professional photographer?

I was wondering if any of our Canadian members remember this chap or perhaps someone may have the magazine article that tells his story? Perhaps someone knows more of his story of service/captivity?

Looking on-line, it would seem that he wasn't the only POW to film his German guards with a secret camera.

Information

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[Hildebrand]

Have no idea. But it's a quite interesting story, indeed. Such a brave pal. Once I met with an old german guy who was spying on for the British during WWII. He was very old and could barely remember the details of his story however it was very interesting to meet such a brave man. We were on a vacation in Greece when we met him and he told us that he had to leave his house behind, change his name with the help of Greek government, buy property in Athens and settle in. Later, as far as I remember, he meets with a Greek girl, gets married and never returns back to Germany even after the war. Probably he's already passed away by this time, may he rest in peace.

[Flying10uk]

He was an interesting chap and very modest as well as being a good photographer. He gave me some photography tips and the one which I remember and use to this day is "Only photograph what you are intending to photograph.". In other words, if for example, you are photographing a jeep (just a simple photograph of a jeep), people do not want to see a lot of ground in front of the jeep with a lot of sky above the jeep. It may seem blatantly obvious but it is surprising how many people get this basic principal wrong.

If I remember correctly, he said that he sent the photos taken inside the POW camp/s back to the allies. Why and how I have no idea. I never have quite figured out why he wished to photograph the Germans inside his POW camp, unless it was simply something to do.

I am sure that someone will remember him as there can't have been many former POW's living in Calgary in the late 1970's matching his description.

[Merle]

He was an interesting chap and very modest as well as being a good photographer. He gave me some photography tips and the one which I remember and use to this day is "Only photograph what you are intending to photograph.". In other words, if for example, you are photographing a jeep (just a simple photograph of a jeep), people do not want to see a lot of ground in front of the jeep with a lot of sky above the jeep. It may seem blatantly obvious but it is surprising how many people get this basic principal wrong.

If I remember correctly, he said that he sent the photos taken inside the POW camp/s back to the allies. Why and how I have no idea. I never have quite figured out why he wished to photograph the Germans inside his POW camp, unless it was simply something to do.

I am sure that someone will remember him as there can't have been many former POW's living in Calgary in the late 1970's matching his description.

perhaps it was for easier identification after the war?