Individual Report: E30729 Douglas REES

1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada


General Information

Rank: First Name: Second Name:
Rifleman Douglas Bartlett
From: Enlistment Region: Date of Birth (y-m-d):
St. John's NF Eastern Quebec 1921-03-13
Appointment: Company: Platoon:
Bandsman Bn HQ Band

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

No wounds recorded.

Hospital Information

No record of hospital visits found.

POW Camps

Camp ID Camp Name Location Company Type of Work Reference Arrival Date Departure Date
HK-SM-01StanleyFort Stanley, Hong Kong Island20, 31, 33Capture 41 Dec 30
HK-NP-01North PointNorth Point, Hong Kong Island41 Dec 3042 Sep 26
HK-SA-02ShamshuipoKowloon, Hong Kong42 Sep 2643 Jan 19
JP-To-3DTsurumiYokohama-shi, Tsurumi-ku, Suyehiro-cho, 1-chome, JapanNippon Steel Tube - Tsurumi ShipyardsVariety of jobs related to ship building943 Jan 1945 May 13
JP-Se-1B YumotoFukushima-ken, Iwaki-gun, Yumoto-cho, Mizunoya, JapanJoban Coal Mining Company13445 May 1345 Sep 15

Transport to Japan

Draft Number Name of Ship Departure Date Arrival Date Arrival Port Comments Reference
XD3ATatuta Maru43 Jan 19, left Shamsuipo Camp, 0500 hrs; left Hong Kong 1300hrs43 Jan 22, 0400 hrsNagasaki, JapanBoarded train, arrived in Tokyo on 43 Jan 24 at 0700 hrs, boarded electric train for 10 mile ride to campTony Banham

Transportation: SE Asia to Home

No related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.

Post-war Photo

Click for larger view


Awarded the Queen's Diamond Jublilee Medal in 2012.

Other Military Service

No 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 Death Ref
2019-03-18Post War
Cemetery LocationCemeteryGrave NumberGravestone Marker
Calgary Alberta CanadaEden Brook Memorial GardensField of Honour

Gravestone Image

Click for larger view

Image removed at family request.

Obituary / Life Story

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Douglas Rees on Monday, March 18, 2019 at the age of 98 years.

Doug was born in St. John’s, NL and at age 19 he joined the Royal Rifles of Canada (C Force) with whom he was deployed to Hong Kong during World War II. He was a Japanese P.O.W. for a very difficult four years. He rarely spoke of these times. Doug placed a very high value on freedom, democracy and human rights.

After returning to Canada he settled in Ontario and worked for Canada Post. In 1992, Doug and his wife, Carolynne, followed family and moved to Calgary. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and uncle, taking great pleasure and pride in his family.

For many years, Doug and Carolynne spent winters in Barbados where they enjoyed friends and watching beautiful sunsets from their balcony. In the summer, the two enjoyed boating and fishing in the Kawarthas. Doug loved music and playing the organ. He was also an avid sports fan, cheering for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Blue Jays every game they played. He always had a twinkle in his eye, a kick in his step and a positive outlook on life. He adored returning to Newfoundland to visit his brother, sister and the rest of his family. Doug enjoyed good health and independence until his final days.

Doug is survived and cherished by his daughter and son-in-law, Cheryl and Sid Viner; his grandchildren, Rebecca, Benny and Eliana; as well as his nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his loving wife Carolynne, his brother Lloyd Rees, sister Della Forward, brother-in-law Robert Forward, and brothers, Charles Whalen and Angus Rees.

A Private Family Service will be held. Condolences may be forwarded through www.mcinnisandholloway.com.

The family wishes to express their appreciation to doctors: Walker, Saar, Desy, Groshaus, Simon, Biala and Tanner – nurses: Savannah, Kim, Kimberley, Dennis, Lilia and Laura – and all the staff on Unit 71 and Unit 93 at Rockyview General Hospital. We also want to thank Dr. Brent Kinnie who provided exemplary care over many years and the staff at Mackenzie Towne retirement residence.

In living memory of Douglas Rees, a tree will be planted at Fish Creek Provincial Park by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Fish Creek, 14441 Bannister Road S.E., Calgary, AB, T2X 3J3, Telephone: 403-256-9575.

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.

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

Related documentation for information published in this report, such as birth information, discharge papers, press clippings and census documents may be available via shared resources in our HKVCA Vault. It is organized with folders named using regimental numbers. Use the first letter of the individual's service number to choose the correct folder, then scroll to the specific sub-folder displaying the service number of your interest.

General Comments

No comments found.



End of Report.

Report generated: 28 Mar 2024.


Back to 'C' Force Home Page

Additional Notes

(These will not be visible on the printed copy)

  1. Service numbers for officers are locally generated for reporting only. During World War II officers were not allocated service numbers until 1945.
  2. '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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.