1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Frank | Maxwell |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Manson MB | Manitoba | 1918-09-27 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| B | 12 Plt | |
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.Commemorative Feature
A map detailing the location of this feature can be found in this soldier's vault. (See Vault explanation below in the Links and Other Resources block) .
| Site Description | Location | Province | Map Reference | Lat/Long | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foord Lake | northwest of Tadoule Lake, Manitoba | Manitoba | 64 J/14 | 58 48' 39"; 99 17' 13" | 1972 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941-12-22 | Killed In Action | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Cape Collinson Road Chai Wan Hong Kong China | Sai Wan Memorial | Column 26. | NA |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Born: September 27, 1918 Trossack, Saskatchewan Enlistment: September 6, 1939 Winnipeg, Manitoba Son of William and Veronica Foord, of Pierson, Manitoba. Husband of Muriel Evelyn Foord of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Pte. Frank Foord: Two days after war was declared by Britain on Germany ¡n 1939, Pt. Frank Foord joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Son of Mr. and Mrs. W A Foord of Manson, Man,. Pte Foord has two brothers in the Canadian Active Army—Lloyd In the Royal CanadIan Artillery and Wilbur with the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps. Pte. Foord’s widow resides at 246 Colony ST.
Photo Foord Family Dec. 1933 Manson, Manitoba
This portrait was taken at Christmas time at Uncle Ed's farm. from left to right; Edith, Isobel, Mom (Verna), Bert, Dad (Will) & Frank. From left to right in front of Isobel is Jim, beside him is Ted, then Lloyd. Kae is front of Lloyd with his hands on her shoulders.
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
submitted by Rob Foord nephew of Frank Foord after a visit to Hong Kong fall of 2014- Our primary purpose was to visit and pay our respects at the Sai Wan Bay Memorial in remembrance of my fathers brother Frank Maxwell Foord who was killed in action on Mount Cameron, December 22nd 1941 and having no known grave. We left two photos at the memorial (attached), one of my uncle taken in Winnipeg and the second was with his wife Muriel (McLean) on their wedding day. From what we know and from his military transcripts they were together as man and wife less than two weeks. Frank was given a 3 day leave to marry, and a 14 day pass just prior to sailing but was recalled after 10 days. The visit to the memorial was very emotional for me as I do not recall a time in my life when I did not want to do this especially for my dad who was very close to his brother.
End of Report.
Report generated: 16 Apr 2024.
Additional Notes
(These will not be visible on the printed copy)
- Service numbers for officers 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.
- 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.