During the Second World War the Allies, including Canada, produced a tremendous amount of war material. But what happened to these objects after the war? As Canada transitioned from a war-time to peace-time economy, the War Assets Corporation (WAC) resold, recycled, destroyed and dumped millions of items, some of which ended up in surprising places, including the world’s oceans where they continue to pose environmental concerns. In this two-part special video edition of the On War & Society Podcast, Kyle Falcon sits down with Alex Souchen to his new book, War Junk: Munitions Disposal and Postwar Reconstruction Canada.
Alex Souchen is a historian specializing in warfare, society, and the environment in Canada. He received his PhD from the University of Western Ontario and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at RMC.