1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Paul | |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Winnipeg MB | Manitoba | 1905-00-00 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| D | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/23 | N/A |
Hospital Information
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-WMH | 12/23/1941 | N/A | ||
| HK-BMH | 09/07/1942 | N/A | 118 |
POW Camps
| Camp ID | Camp Name | Location | Company | Type of Work | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-NP-01 | North Point | North Point, Hong Kong Island | N/A | N/A | ||
| HK-AS-01 | Argyle Street | Kowloon, Hong Kong | N/A | N/A | ||
| HK-SA-01 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | Capture | 42 Jan 22 | ||
| HK-NP-02 | North Point | North Point, Hong Kong Island | 42 Jan 22 | 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 02 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| admitted/NATS | SF | 1945-09-18 | USS Glory to Hospital ship Marigold |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-05-19 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Winnipeg Manitoba Canada | Brookside Cemetery | MLTY-7865-0 | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
On Friday, May 19, 1978, at the Health Sciences Centre. Mr. Paul Michalek age 73 years, of the Holy Family Nursing Home, 165 Aberdeen Ave. Mr. Michalek was born in Poland, and resided in Winnipeg for most of his life. During the Second World War he served with the Winnipeg Grenadiers, and was a prisoner of war four years.
He leaves to mourn his passing, one son Mitchell and daughter-in-law Lillian of Ottawa, Ont.; his three stepdaughters, Mrs. Vicki Shymanski, Mrs. Harry (Josie) Chambers, Mrs. Edward (Helen) Rogoski, all in Winnipeg: ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his second wife Janina Serszen in 1959.
Pallbearers were Mr. Bert Randall, Mr. Harry Chambers, Mr. Lou Koldy, Mr. Bernie Sexton, Mr. Norman Rogoski and Mr. Joe Rogoski. Funeral service was held on Tuesday, May 23 at 2:00 p.m. at the Cropo Funeral Chapel, 1442 Main St. at Luxton Ave. Interment followed at Brookside Cemetery.
If friends so desire, donations may be made to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, 1031 Portage Ave. or the charity of your choice.
MICHALEK, Paul - On Friday, May 19, 1978, in Winnipeg General Hospital, Paul Michalek, husband of the late Jaina Serzen; beloved father of Mitchell, of Ottawa; Helen (Mrs. E. Rogoskie), Winnipeg Veturan of World War II with the Winnipeg Rifles. Interment Brookside Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Ontario Heart Fund.
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
Pte. P. Michalek of Winnipeg relaxed in the Great Northern station Friday, pleased that he is back on home soil after four years of hunger and drudgery as a Jap prisoner.
Four Years of Hell, Says Orient Repat
Another Canadian Tells of Going Barefoot to Work in Jap MinesFour Canadians with bitter marks of Japanese experience engraved in their memories arrived by Great Northern Railway Friday afternoon in hopes of starting anew lives which had been but a mockery for four grinding years.
Pte. Paul Michalek of the Winnipeg Grenadiers was badly wounded in the back by a trench mortar bomb when Hong Kong fell. Having the dreaded disease of beri beri for three years was the least of his sufferings. He knew what it was to go barefoot daily through eight feet of snow to work in coal mines three miles away from the prison camp, guarded by 12 bayonet-armed Japanese. It wasn't until the winter of 1945 that he got shoes from the scanty Red Cross supplies the Japanese allowed through.
FOUR YEARS OF HELL
Rfl. Don McDavid, en route to his home in Matapedia, Quebec, after four years of hell across the Pacific, told of losing "a lot of my possessions" and brightened up when he heard news of the Red Cross plan to give repatriates all they have ever had taken from them. "It was rugged," he said, "nothing but the pick and shovel day after day and bits of rice between times."
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.