Canadian Chaplains Service
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Honourary Captain | Uriah | |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Vancouver BC | British Columbia | 1896-05-28 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Protestant Padre | Bn HQ | Attd WG |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/22 | N/A |
Hospital Information
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-QMH | 12/22/1941 | N/A |
POW Camps
| Camp ID | Camp Name | Location | Company | Type of Work | Reference | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-SA-02 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 44 May 11 | 45 Sep 10 |
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
Honorable Captain Uriah Laite, MC DD, Chaplain, Winnipeg Grenadiers, POW in Hong Kong and Japan 1941 to 1945. "In every respect this good man possessed the finest qualities of his corps and cannot be too highly commended for his courage and selfless devotion to duty." (MC citation)
Decorations Received
| Image | Name of Award | Abbreviation | References | Precedence | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Military Cross | MC | 37, 38, 123 | 05 | |
MC CitationHonorary Captain Honorary Captain Laite was Regimental Chaplain to the Winnipeg Grenadiers at Hong Kong in December 1941.On 18 December at Wong Nei Chong Gap he was with a small group of men holding a position which denied the use of the main road across the Island to the Japanese. Early on the morning of 19 December the enemy attacked this area and the position was cut off from all contact. Practically all personnel at Wong Nei Chong were casualties, including officers. Water, food and ammunition were rationed. No medical personnel were present. Due to the strategic value of the position it was constantly under attack, but due to the determination and gallantry of the defenders, held out for three days until 22 December when, with all ammunition, food and water gone, no further resistance was possible. Of a total of approximately forty, thirty-six were wounded. During this long and trying period Honorary Captain Laite tended the wounded night and day without medical supplies, as well as giving spiritual and moral comfort. Undoubtedly his efforts not only saved some lives, but assisted materially in the recovery of health of many of these men. Due to his efforts in interceding with the Japanese after the capitulation of the post; many of the wounded were taken prisoner instead of being murdered on the spot, as the Japanese intended to murder all those who could not walk. The Japanese were so impressed with the good work of Honorary Captain Laite in attending to the wounded that they released him and directed him to return to the Battalion Headquarters. Throughout the term of imprisonment, Honorary Captain Laite worked tirelessly for the benefit of his men, frequently endangering his health by close contact with the many dangerous diseases ravaging the prisoners of war. In every respect this good man possessed the finest qualities of his corps and cannot be too highly commended/or his courage and selfless devotion to duty. | |||||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-08-12 | Post War | NAC, RG24, Vol.12705 | |
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Burnaby British Columbia Canada | Ocean View Cemetery |
Gravestone Image
No related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Obituary / Life Story
No related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Links and Other Resources
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: 19 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.