1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant | Frederick | Victor |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Winnipeg MB | Manitoba | 1902-10-22 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
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 | 1942-04-14 | 1942-05-04 | From Margaret Dennis Owen: My father, Frederick Victor Dennis was in hospital during his time as prisoner of war. In 1942 he contracted diphtheria and was hospitalized for a month, from April to May of 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-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 | 45 Sep 10 | ||
| HK-SA-02 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 43 Aug 19 | 44 May 11 | ||
| HK-SA-02 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 44 May 11 | 45 Sep 10 |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Admiral CF Hughes | Victoria, BC | 1945-10-09 | Manila to Victoria BC |
Received from daughter, Margaret Dennis Owen in Dec 2020: "As far as I know, my father sailed on a ship from Hong Kong to Vancouver. I believe that they stopped in Manila. He came by train to Winnipeg from Vancouver, arriving at the CPR station on Monday evening, October 15, 1945."
Post-war Photo
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-04-01 | Lung Cancer | Post War | |
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Winnipeg Manitoba Canada | Thomson "in the Park" Cemetery | Yes | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
FREDERICK VICTOR DENNIS
On April 1. 1969 at the Deer! Lodge Hospital, Frederick Victor Dennis, beloved husband of Lucy Anne Dennis of 574 Montrose Street. Funeral services will be held in St. George's Anglican Church (Grosvenor and Wilton) Saturday, April 5 at 1:00 p.m. Rev. W. A. Duff officiating. Burial will be in Garry Memorial Park. The Thomson Funeral Chapels are in care of arrangements 783-7211. Honorary pallbearers will be Ronald E. Birchard, E. R. P. Nesbitt, Donald L. Aiken, T. A. Marsland, Neil 0. Bardal and 0. C. Keenan. Active pallbearers will be members of the Canukeena Club and the Crescentwood River Heights Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. Mr. Dennis was born in Hornchurch, England on October 22nd, 1902. He came to Canada in 1926, joining the Bank of Montreal, and moved to Winnipeg in 1927. He retired from the Bank in 1964. Mr. Dennis received his early military training as a member of the Honourable Artillery Company of London, England. On coming to Winnipeg he received his commission with the Machine Gun Corps joining with the reserve battalion of the Winnipeg Grenadiers in 1936. During the Second World War, Mr. Dennis served with the Grenadiers in Jamaica and in Hong Kong being discharged in 1946 with the rank of Captain. Since the war, Mr. Dennis has been active in Veterans' organizations. He was a past president of the Crescentwood - River Heights Branch, Canadian Legion and treasurer of the Canukeena Club for many years prior to his death. He was a devoted vestryman of St. George's Anglican Church, serving as an envelope secretary for several years. Surviving besides his widow are two daughters. Mrs. William Owen (Margaret), and Mrs. D. A. Fisher (Barbara), one son F. Roger Dennis, and five grandchildren, all of Winnipeg: also a brother Stanley Dennis of Winkleigh, Devon, England and two sisters, Miss Elsie Dennis of Hawkhurst, Kent, England and Mrs. Thomas Rowan of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.Links and Other Resources
Online Version of Hopscotch and Heartache While Daddy was at War. Written by daughter, Margaret Owen.
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
Victor Dennis with his three children before he left for Hong Kong
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.