1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Reginald | Arthur |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Fisher Branch MB | Manitoba | 1916-11-19 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| A | ||
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
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-BMH | 08/18/1942 | 09/23/1942 | 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 | 41 Dec 20 | 41 Dec 22 | ||
| HK-AS-01 | Argyle Street | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 41 Dec 22 | Dec 26 | ||
| 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 Dec 15 | ||
| JP-Os-3B | Oeyama | Kyoto-fu, Yosa-gun, Yoshizu-mura, Sutsu, Japan | Nippon Yakin Nickel Mine & Refinery | Mining nickel & work at the refinery | 44 Jan 06 | 45 Sep 10 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD5B | SS Soong Cheong / Toyama Maru | 43 Dec 15 | 44 Jan 04 | Moji, Japan | Arrived at Takao, Formosa, 43 Dec 20; Transferred to Toyama Maru, 43 Dec 30, went to Oeyama | Tony Banham |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-03-29 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Comox British Columbia Canada | . | Cremation | |
Gravestone Image
Fisherton Community Cemetery, Fisherton, North Interlake Census Division, Manitoba, Canada PLOT 41-39E
Obituary / Life Story
Reg was born in Bexhill, England in 1916. He came to Canada when he was four years old and was raised in Manitoba. He joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers in 1939 and spent eight months in Bermuda and eighteen months in Jamaica. He went to Hong Kong in 1941 and was taken prisoner on December 24th the same year by the Japanese. He spent three years and nine months as a prisoner of war and returned to Canada in October, 1945.
Beg and Mickey were married in December of the same year. Reg spent his working years as a carpenter building houses in the far north for the Inuit. Reg and Mickey moved to Courtenay in 1965 taking up employment with the D.N.D. who he worked with until retirement in 1981. Reg was a very active and loyal member of the Masonic Order, Past Master of Cumberland A.F. & A.M. Lodge #26, Member of Gizeh Temple, Member of Comox Valley Shrine Club, and a long standing member of Cumberland Royal Canadian Legion Branch #28.
He is survived by his wife Mickey of 49 years; three sons, Ken (Sandra), Mervin (Debbie), Stuart; two daughters, Laureen (Dick), Shelley (Dave); nine grandchildren; two great-granddaughters; two brothers, Allan and Harry; three sisters, Jean, Elsie and Nancy; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Predeceased by his parents and one sister Kay.
Mini-Auto-Biography
(date of composition is unknown)
I joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers on the 23rd of September 1939, along with Herbert Mabb; his regimental No. was H6530 and mine was H6531.
As there was no barracks available at that time, we were allotted living out allowance and had to find our own board and room. For the first month or so we boarded in a rooming house on William Avenue. There were approximately twelve soldiers boarding there at $16.00 per month! We had to catch a bus, in the morning, to get to Minto Armories as that is where we received our training. However, Herbert and I weren't satisfied with conditions at the boarding house so we moved to a private house on Baanning Street. It was just like home, but cost us more money. It even exceeded our allowance, but it was worth it! We also were within walking distance of Minto Armories.
Either the end of November or first part of December we all put into Fort Osborne Barracks, and remained there until May, 1940, at which time we were drafted to Bermuda and Jamaica. I spent three months in Bermuda. My company which was "A" Coy was dropped off there on the way to Jamaica but at the end of three months, we were moved to Jamaica to make room for a couple of hundred "Royal Scots" (survivors of Dunkirk). They were brought to Bermuda to convalesce.
I then spent approximately 14 months in Jamaica. Most of my tour there was spent attached to H.Q. Co. as a driver mechanic.
In October of 1941, we returned to Canada, then after two weeks leave we were transported west by train to Vancouver where we boarded an Australian or New Zealand ship, (I'm not quite sure which). It was called "The Awatea" and our destination at that time was unknown. We were not aware of our destination, until after we left Singapore. We were then told we were going to Hong Kong. This journey took 21 days. Our main meat diet in those 21 days was mutton. When we got off ship at Hong Kong we were all going BA! BA! BA!.
Everything went well in Hong Kong until December 8th, 1941. That's the day the Japanese declared war on us.
After fighting a losing battle, the governor of the island, was forced to surrender on the 25th of December, 1941.
We were all taken "Prisoners of War". My first internment was at North Point Camp on the island of Hong Kong but, after a few months, we were all taken over to our original barracks at Kowloon which was on the mainland of China. On arriving in Kowloon, I was much rejoiced for there I was reunited with Herb Mabb. We had been separated during the conflict and after the surrender were taken to different camps. But, unfortunately, about a year or so later, he was stricken with diphtheria and passed away. Altogether, I spent two years in Hong Kong. In Kowloon Prison Camp, I worked as an orderly, in the hospital, for most of those two years.
After the two years in Hong Kong, I was transferred to Japan, to a place called Oyama. Here we worked in a surface mine. I spent one year and nine months in this camp. Then, in August of 1945, the war with Japan was over.
In the three years and nine months of our imprisonment, our main diet was mostly rice with potato top soup - no meant on other vegetables. At war's end, I weighed 107 pounds. It was thirty days, from the time I left Japan, until I arrived in Winnipge. I had at that time gained 60 pounds! I now weigh 167 pounds.
Altogether I spent 1,347 days Prisoner of War.
After returning home we were given six months leave. I arrived home, in October of 1945, and was discharged, in March of 1946. (All dates are approximate).
I now reside in Courtenay, with my wife Mickey (Hendrickson).
Links and Other Resources
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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.
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General Comments
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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.
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- 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.
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