The site’s historical marker.
built in 1915 and 1916. At its prime, the camp had stores, a hospital, a large heated in-ground pool and all the necessi- ties to maintain a large population. It even boasted six movie theatres, the remains of which can still be seen, as the con- crete blocks used as motor mounts for the projectors still remain on site. Te soldiers were housed around the central camp in tents. Te trenches were built to replicate the scale and quality that a battalion could expect when fighting in France. Tere were front lines, communications, travelling, support fire and reserve trenches. Across from them on higher ground, through a no-man's land of sorts, lay enemy trenches. Trenches were also constructed for the purposes of trench bombing and grenade training. Volunteer numbers for the war fell steeply in 1917 and
1918, thanks in part to horrific casualty numbers, leading to the suspension of training at Camp Hughes. Training resumed for militia units in the 1920s, but with Canada’s regular army numbering just 3,416 by 1926, the need for such camps dwindled. Te Department of National Defence, which formed in
1925, decided that the geographical restrictions that pre- vented further expansion of Camp Hughes meant that they would need to build a new training ground further south. What is now known as Canadian Forces Base Shilo was constructed between 1933 and 1936. At the same time, the buildings of Camp Hughes were dismantled. Treat of time and neglect
It is estimated that the Canadian war memorials at Vimy
A quiet cemetery exists for six of the soldiers who died here.
Ridge and Beaumont-Hamel in France represent roughly three-quarters of all authentic World War I battlefield ter- rain remaining in the world. Because of its scarcity, efforts have been made to preserve these places. However, Camp Hughes suffered and continues to suffer from long periods of neglect, allowing the trench systems to slowly fade away in some spots. Cattle farmers have used the ground as grazing pasture.
Tere are old corrals on the grounds, plus evidence of dump- ing everywhere with even an old upside-down Chevrolet truck in one of the trenches. Te site was named a provincial heritage site in 1993, but that has not stopped people from using metal detectors to do unauthorized digs that further compromise the integrity of the site. Camp Hughes cemetery
Just a short distance from the trench systems lays the Camp Hughes Cemetery. Here lie the graves of six sol- diers that died while training at Camp Hughes during 1916. Other soldiers died at Camp Hughes during the war, but their families chose to have their bodies returned. Te causes of death for the soldiers include pneumonia, menin- gitis, erysipelas, alcoholism and “sickness”. Camp Hughes today
Parts of Camp Hughes are visitable by the general public, and the Military Historical Society of Manitoba has a bro- chure on their website for self-guided tours. Tere is also an annual Camp Hughes Heritage Day, in which the Friends of Camp Hughes have displays of artifacts, equipment and host tours.
thehubwinnipeg.com
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