During the year of 1939, the South Peace area experienced an influx of people that came from Europe, they were called Sudeten's and this is their story. Listed by Canadian Immigration as German Czechs, Their homes were actually in the border districts of Bohemia and Moravia-Silesia of Czechoslovakia.
The Sudetens came to Canada and other parts of the world as refugees that had been prosecuted in their homeland. The Sudeten Germans have been often accused of having embraced the Nazi ideology without reservations, this is not true. The Sudeten's sought a solution for their cultural and economic problems from within Czechoslovakia through parliament parties such as the Social Democrats, the Agrarian Party or the Christian Socialists. However their parties were infiltrated by Hitlers henchmen. Fighting against both the Czechoslovakia government, who took their land by arms, and the Nazi regime. In 1938 a diplomatic "observer" from Great Britain was sent in, after the conclusion of his mission, he recommended that the Sudeten area which had a majority of "Germans", be transferred to Germany. Once in Germay's hands, they were quickly besieged by arms, their leaders being assissnated and the people being being put into concentration camps. The leaders of the Sudeten's then started plans to remove the refugees as fast as possible to other countries for asylum.
Many free countries were asked to accept the large amounts of refugees, Canada replied it's acceptance of all "physically fit" families who are suitable for land settlement. However this was conditional on having capital averaging $1500 per family in addition to transportation costs. Conscious of their responsibility for developments leading to this crisis, Great Britain and France agreed to financial assistance. The Canadian government then turned to the CPR and the CNR to assume responsibility for the settlement of the Sudeten's, with each company took on equal numbers of the refugees. The results were to Sudeten settlements in Canada. The CPR decided in favor of a location in the Peace River Country , now known as Tom's Lake, British Columbia. While the CNR concentrated in North Central Saskatchewan.
The following are heads of the households that arrived and settled in the Tom's Lake & Tupper area in British Columbia:
Alois Scholz, Wilhelm Pohl, Ernest Bartusek, Richard Hampl, Ernest Pickert, Frank Schoeder, Erhard Dill, Andrew Amstaetter, Frank Wanka, William Haeckel, Josef Barth, John Dill, William Wanka, Karl Fister, Franz Kuenzl, Josef Kreuzinger, Frank Wolfinger, Valentine Dittrich, Richard Gebhart, Franz Gebhart, Josef Weinhart, Josef Winter, Norbert Harles, Arnold Glas, Florian Riedl, Rudolph Voit, Ewald Jilg, Frank Snehotta, Artur Andersch, William Dietl, Frank Schneider, Karl Schoenstein, Alois Mollik, Karl Dittrich, Johann Gebaur, Paul EEnglisch, Henry Mazanek, Johann Baudisch, Herbert Lexa, Ernest Kreuzer, Karl Burdak, Alois Fischer, Max O. Siegert, Max K. Hirsch, Adolf Herold, Frank Klemmer, Frank Wedrich, Fredrick Krassa, Fridolin Reinelt, Ernest Weigel, Hermann Seidl, Karl Seidl, Arnold Brumlik, Frank Tamm, Georg Waller,Hubert Leinsmer, Josef Tillner, Alois Hilbert, Rudolf Papousek, Frank Ullmann, Willi Schoen, Herbert Wiesner, Frank Richter, Frederick Hillebrand, Harald Schwarz, Josef Heinrich, Gottfried Priegert, Alois Poppe, Alois Kutschker, Anton Kopp, Alfred David, Frank Mahrhofer, August Schneider, Ivo Schindler, Konrad Neubauer, Josef Netek, Franz Zapf, Robert Hoidn, Walter Schneider, Josef Koecher, Ernest Goldbach, Frederick Hanke, Alois Korbay, Rudolf Landsfried, Anton Neubauer, Frank Gabriel, Johann Wagner, Josef Nodes, Wenzel Roth, Johann Ziglarsch, George Scherbaum, Henry Frank, Anton Schindler, Carl Seidl, Franz Mueller, Anton Watzl, Frank Hegenbart, Rudolf Tschiedel, Edmund Langer, Frank Kuttig, Hermann Dostal, Hubert Eckert, William Schwertner, Linay Josef, Nicu Sommert.