1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
Red River Métis
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Lance Corporal | Clifford | Joseph |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Portage La Praire MB | Manitoba | 1918-12-06 |
| 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.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-SA-01 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | Capture | 42 Jan 22 | |||
| HK-NP-02 | North Point | North Point, Hong Kong Island | 33 | 42 Jan 22 | 42 Sep 26 | ||
| HK-SA-02 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 42 Sep 26 | 43 Aug 15 | |||
| JP-Os-3B | Oeyama | Kyoto-fu, Yosa-gun, Yoshizu-mura, Sutsu, Japan | Nippon Yakin Nickel Mine & Refinery | Mining nickel & work at the refinery | 8 | 43 Sep 01 | 45 Sep 02 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD4A | 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
No related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Post-war Photo
GOOD NEWS: Hong Kong veterans held a reunion Saturday night at Duke's Dine and Dance. Here, three of the vets, G. Carpenter, F. Newfield and E. Bergen, look at a newspaper clipping which claims their former Japanese camp commandant had been trapped in the United States. They said the news made the reunion complete.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-04-19 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Winnipeg Manitoba Canada | Assumption Cemetery | Yes |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
CLIFFORD J. CARPENTER - Suddenly on Saturday, April 19, 1986 at Health Sciences Centre, Mr. Clifford Joseph Carpenter, aged 67 years. Mr. Carpenter was born at Elie, Man. On December 06, 1918 to Albert and Blanche Carpenter and moved to Portage la Prairie at an early age, where he was raised and educated. He lived in Portage la Prairie until 1939, when he moved to Winnipeg. He leaves to cherish his memory his beloved wife Jean of 44 years married; one son Richard, his wife Gail and their children, Nicole and Richie; his daughter Linda Stewart, her husband Ken and their children, Tom and John; his daughter Lora Kirby and her son Jared, all of Winnipeg and his many nieces and nephews, friends and comrades. He was predeceased by his mother and father and sister Albertine. Mr. Carpenter was a veteran of the Second World War. He joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers on September 09, 1939 and was honourably discharged on April 06, 1946 as a Lance Corporal. He served in Jamaica for 17 months. He returned from Jamaica, married Jean Dutkiewicz on October 15, 1941 and on October 25, 1941, he left with his regiment in defence of Hong Kong. He was taken prisoner of war in Hong Kong for almost four years, two years in Hong Kong and two years in Japan proper at Oyama Prison. Mr. Carpenter was a member of the Hong Kong Veterans Association and the Royal Canadian Legion No. 2. He retired from the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1973, after 28 years of service at Weston Shops and also was a member of the Carmen’s Lodge Jubilee No. 6. Cliff was a devoted husband, father and grandfather who enriched his families lives with his warmth, kindness and generosity. He has left a void that will never be filled and is deeply loved by all. Flowers gratefully declined. Friends so wishing may make donations to the Heart Foundation, the Cancer Society or the Diabetic Association. Active pallbearers will be members of the Hong Kong Veterans Association, Ike Friesen, Art Jackson, Tom Dwar, Frank Harding, George Peterson and Harry Atkinson. Prayers will be said 7:00 p.m. Tuesday evening, April 22 at the Bardal Chapel. Funeral service 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 23 at the Bardal Funeral Home, 843 Sherbrook at William with Fr. G. Killen officiating. Interment in Assumption Cemetery. Parking at rear of chapel. BARDAL FUNERAL HOME, in care of arrangements. 774-7474.
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: 03 May 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.