1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Paul | AKA Napoleon Xavier |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Cross Point QC | Eastern Quebec | 1910-01-19 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
Transportation - Home Base to Hong Kong
Members of 'C' Force from the East travelled across Canada by CNR troop train, picking up reinforcements enroute. Stops included Valcartier, Montreal, Ottawa, Armstrong ON, Capreol ON, Winnipeg, Melville SK, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Jasper, and Vancouver, arriving in Vancouver on Oct 27 at 0800 hrs.
The Winnipeg Grenadiers and the local soldiers that were with Brigade Headquarters from Winnipeg to BC travelled on a CPR train to Vancouver.
All members embarked from Vancouver on the ships AWATEA and PRINCE ROBERT. AWATEA was a New Zealand Liner and the PRINCE ROBERT was a converted cruiser. "C" Company of the Rifles was assigned to the PRINCE ROBERT, everyone else boarded the AWATEA. The ships sailed from Vancouver on Oct 27th and arrived in Hong Kong on November 16th, having made brief stops enroute at Honolulu and Manila.
Equipment earmarked for 'C' Force use was loaded on the ship DON JOSE, but would never reach Hong Kong as it was rerouted to Manila when hostilities commenced.
On arrival, all troops were quartered at Nanking Barracks, Sham Shui Po Camp, in Kowloon.
Battle Information
We do not have specific battle information for this soldier in our online database. For a detailed description of the battle from a Canadian perspective, visit Canadian Participation in the Defense of Hong Kong (published by the Historical Section, Canadian Military Headquarters).
Wounded Information
| Date Wounded | Wound Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/22 | N/A | 36 |
Hospital Information
No record of hospital visits found.POW Camps
| Camp ID | Camp Name | Location | Company | Type of Work | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-SM-01 | Stanley | Fort Stanley, Hong Kong Island | Capture | 41 Dec 30 | ||
| HK-NP-01 | North Point | North Point, Hong Kong Island | 41 Dec 30 | 42 Sep 26 | ||
| HK-SA-02 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 42 Sep 26 | 43 Aug 15 | ||
| JP-To-5B | Niigata-Rinko | Niigata-ken, Nakakambara-gun, Ogata-mura, Japan | Marutsu, Rinko Coal, Shintetsu | Stevedore labor at port of Niigata (Marutsu), primarily foodstuffs; mining coal (Rinko Coal ) and labor at a foundry (Shintetsu) | 43 Sep 03 | 45 Sep 05 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD4B | Manryu Maru | 43 Aug 15 | 43 Sep 01 | Osaka, Japan | Brief stopover in Taihoku (Taipei), Formosa (Taiwan); then 2 day stopover at northern point for stool tests | Tony Banham |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital ship Marigold | taken from USS Brewster put onto hospital ship Marigold then admitted to Saipan Hosp, MI Dysentry |
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Post-war Photo
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Other Military or Public Service
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Death and Cemetery Information
| Date of Death (y-m-d) | Cause of Death | Death Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-06-12 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Perce Quebec Canada | Saint-Michel Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Links and Other Resources
There may be more information on this individual available elsewhere on our web sites - please use the search tool found in the upper right corner of this page to view sources.
Related documentation
- Our HKVCA Vault (Google Docs) may contain additional information, newspaper clippings, and documents which have been saved for this soldier. To access this information, click on the vault link and a Google Docs folder list will open in a separate tab. Use the first letter of the soldier’s service number, found at the top of this report, to open the correct folder. Each sub-folder is identified by service number. Scroll down until you reach the one of your interest.
- Facebook has proven to be a valuable resource in the documentation of 'C' Force members. The following link will take you to any available search results for this soldier based on his regimental number. Note: results may be contained within another related record. Facebook Search Results
- Find a Grave® is a valuable resource that may contain additional information on this 'C' Force member. When you arrive at the site search page, fill in as much detail as you can for best results.
General Comments
One Brother Dies, Another Caught With Rfmn. Bujold at Hong Kong
When the smoke of battle cleared after the fall of Hong Kong on that fateful Christmas Day, 1941, Rfmn. Paul Bujold took stock of what loss the Japanese had inflicted upon his two brothers and himself. He knew that he had been shot through the left arm, knew his younger brother, Rfmn. Hubert, was dead - because he saw him fall - but for a time he did not know what had happened to another younger brother, Rfmn. Edward. He found out where brother Edward was when he himself was placed in a foul - smelling prison camp, there to remain with a sore arm for what he at first thought would be a short time. The time of his imprisonment, however, amid filth and a little poor food, turned out to be almost four years. Then he and his brother, Edward, were set free by the Allies, leaving young Hubert buried in the soil he attempted to defend.
By this time, Rfmn. Paul Bujold will be resting in his home at Cross Point, Que., with his father, Lazare, and his three sisters, and his brother, Edward, is somewhere between there and the Far East, but still on his way home. Another brother, Joseph, a member of the Canadian Forestry Corps, is still to come home from England.
Rfmn. Bujold passed through Montreal yesterday, with seven other liberated prisoners of the Japanese, all members of the heroic Royal Rifles of Canada. The group, which arrived here from the Pacific Coast, are all on their way to their homes throughout the Province of Quebec and the Maritimes.
The other members of this latest group of former Hong Kong prisoners were: Rfmn. M. D. MacDonald, of Megantic, Que.; Rfmn. W. W. MacKinnon, of Gaspe. Que.; Rfmn. A Girard, of Barachois West, Que; RQMS. W. N. Henderson, of Ville Marie, Que.; Rfmn. Bernard Haley, of Matapedia, Que.; Rfmn. P. Duplessis, of St. Stephen, N.B., and Rfmn. E. S. Innes, of St. John's, Newfoundland.
Tales of maltreatment at the hands of the Japanese and of almost unbelievable conditions which existed in their camps, were related by the entire group, who looked exceedingly fit upon arrival here.
In addition to Rfmn. Bujold, Rfmn. Haley also lost a brother at Hong Kong. He was Rfmn. Reginald Haley, who died in prison.
Rfmn. Innes, who enlisted when he was only 16, gained 48 pounds since his liberation and expressed his feeling upon arriving here by jumping about and exclaiming. "Gosh, it's great to be back!"
The eight soldiers were met upon arrival at Windsor station by members of the Red Cross and the War Services Auxiliary of the Canadian Legion, who entertained them and catered to their needs during their brief stop - over The group boarded trains at Central Station early in the evening to complete the last lap of their long journey.
Rfmn. Emile Blanchette, of 5585 Phillips avenue, Outremont, and Gaspe, Que., arrived home on Saturday and was met by his sister, Miss Elsie Blanchette, and a party of friends at Central Station.
Two more repatriated prisoners from Hong Kong are due to arrive at Windsor Station at 11.15 a.m. today. They are Rfmn, E. E. Davidson of South Durham, Que. and Rfmn. K. Muir of Windsor Mills, Que.
'C' Force Family Connections:
- Stepbrother to E30145 John Bujold
- Brother to E30171 Hubert Bujold
End of Report.
Report generated: 15 May 2025.
Additional Notes
(These will not be visible on the printed copy)
- Service numbers for officers ("X") are locally generated for reporting only. During World War II officers were not allocated service numbers until 1945.
- 'C' Force soldiers who died overseas are memorialized in the Books of Remembrance and the Canadian Virtual War Memorial, both sponsored by Veterans Affairs Canada. Please use the search utility at VAC to assist you.
- Some birthdates and deathdates display as follows: 1918-00-00. In general, this indicates that we know the year but not the month or day.
- Our POW camp links along with our References link (near the bottom of the 'C' Force home page) are designed to give you a starting point for your research. There were many camps with many name changes. The best resource for all POW camps in Japan is the Roger Mansell Center for Research site.
- In most cases the rank displayed was the rank held before hostilities. Some veterans were promoted at some point prior to eventual post-war release from the army back in Canada. When notified of these changes we'll update the individual's record.
- Images displayed on the web page are small, but in many cases the actual image is larger. Hover over any image and you will see a popup if a larger version is available. You can also right-click on some images and select the option to view the image separately. Not all images have larger versions. Contact us to confirm whether a large copy of an image in which you are interested exists.
- The 'From' information box at the top of the report represents the enlistment location unless we have obtained updated information pinpointing where the member lived.
- In some cases the References displayed as part of this report generate questions because there is no indication of their meaning. They were inherited with the original database, and currently we do not know what the source is. We hope to solve this problem in future.
- We have done our best to avoid errors and omissions, but if you find any issues with this report, either in accuracy, completeness or layout, please contact us using the link at the top of this page.
- Photos are welcome! If a photo exists for a 'C' Force member that we have not included, or if you have a higher quality copy, please let us know by using the Contact Us link at the top of this page. We will then reply, providing instructions on submitting it.