Victoria Cross
John Robert OSBORN, Warrant Officer Class II
At Hong Kong on the morning of 19th December 1941 a company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers to which Company Sergeant-Major Osborn belonged became divided during an attack on Mount Butler, a hill rising steeply above sea level. A part of the company led by Company Sergeant-Major Osborn captured the hill at the point of the bayonet and held it for three hours when, owing to the superior numbers of the enemy and to fire from an unprotected flank, the position became untenable, Company Sergeant Major Osborn and a small group covered the withdrawal and when their turn came to fall back, Osborn single-handed engaged the enemy while the remainder successfully rejoined the company. Company Sergeant Major Osborn had to run the gauntlet of heavy rifle and machine-gun fire. With no consideration for his own safety he assisted and directed stragglers to the new company position exposing himself to heavy enemy fire to cover their retirement. Wherever danger threatened he was there to encourage his men.
During the afternoon the company was cut off from the Battalion and completely surrounded by the enemy who were able to approach to within grenade-throwing distance of the slight depression which the company were holding. Several enemy grenades were thrown which Company Sergeant-Major Osborn picked up and threw back. The enemy threw a grenade which landed in a position where it was impossible to pick it up and return it in time. Shouting a warning to his comrades this gallant Warrant Officer threw himself on the grenade which exploded killing him instantly. His self sacrifice undoubtedly saved the lives of many others
Company Sergeant-Major Osborn was an inspiring example to all throughout the defence which he assisted so magnificently in maintaining against an overwhelming enemy force for over eight and a half hours and in his death he displayed the highest quality of heroism and self-sacrifice.
Distinguished Service Order
Wells Arnold BISHOP, E.D., Major
Major Bishop commanded "C" Company, the Royal Rifles of Canada at Hong Kong in December 1941. At about 1930 hours, 18 December, the Japanese landed at Sau Ki Wan, Hong Kong, where positions were held by the 5/7 Rajput Regiment on the left flank of "C" Company positions in Lye Mun Gap. The enemy quickly infiltrated through this line and attempted in considerable force to penetrate through Lye Mun Gap towards Brigade and Battalion Headquarters at Tai Tam Gap. Major Bishop, with great skill, so manoeuvred his force that, although heavily outnumbered and forced to retire slowly, he was able to prevent the enemy penetrating into Tai Tam Gap and saved the situation from turning into a complete disaster. During this action Major Bishop personally covered the retirement of his force, and his courage, skill and devotion to duty so inspired his men that they were able to cope with enormously superior forces until reinforcements became available to assist him. During the entire period of battle this officer continued to display conspicuous qualities of bravery and leadership and to inspire not only his own men but all ranks in the East Brigade sector and contributed greatly to the maintenance of the high morale necessary to sustain a continuous defence against increasingly overwhelming odds in an obviously hopeless situation. During captivity Major Bishop continued to display outstanding qualities of unselfishness, resolution and fortitude. He participated in all activities essential to the maintenance of health and morale, and contributed in a conspicuous manner in every way. This officer acted continuously in such a manner as to uphold the highest traditions of the service.
Ernest HODKINSON, Major
Major Hodkinson commanded Headquarters Company, the Winnipeg Grenadiers at Hong Kong in December 1941. On 19 December his commanding officer ordered him to take a composite company consisting of three platoons to relieve "D" Company at Wong Nei Chong, clear the area of enemy and attack Wong Nei Chong police station, a Japanese strong point. After overcoming enemy resistance, Major Hodkinson succeeded in reaching "D" Company Headquarters, and after reorganizing the company, proceeded with a patrol through the Japanese lines on a reconnaissance of the police station, Enroute, Major Hodkinson and his patrol successfully annihilated a Japanese section controlling a roadblock and removed it. Returning, he prepared his plan of attack on the police station which provided for a frontal assault in which he was to take part with a small patrol. This was to precede a major flanking attack by the remainder of the company. This plan was then put into effect, but was defeated by a superior enemy force estimated at one battalion. While unsuccessful in dislodging the enemy from the police station, Major Hodkinson and his patrol were successful in drawing the enemy's attention which permitted the remainder of his company to advance to its limit line. During this assault, Major Hodkinson was seriously wounded and all the members of his patrol were casualties.By this daring and well planned attack Major Hodkinson succeeded in a portion of his task by moving his company into a useful vantage point, inflicting many casualties and demoralized the enemy, Only greatly superior numbers prevented this attack being a complete success.
Military Cross
Frederick Temple ATKINSON, Captain
During the defence of Hong Kong in December 1941 Captain Atkinson was Adjutant of the Royal Rifles of Canada. From 5 to 25 December 1941, and particularly between the date of the Japanese landing on the Island of Hong Kong (the night of 18/19 December) up to the conclusion of hostilities, this officer displayed great energy, initiative and courage. In the early hours of 19 December Captain Atkinson went forward from Battalion Headquarters to select a position for "C" Company which was being heavily pressed and gradually enveloped by the Japanese attackers. The situation on this part of the front was such that definite information could not be obtained until Captain Atkinson, by his initiative and courage contacted the company commander and brought back information that was vital to the defence of the area and to the correct disposition of the battalion.
Again, on the morning of 20 December, he went forward on his own initiative with the attacking company, and, after obtaining information about the enemy, returned to Battalion Headquarters. Besides his onerous duties of Adjutant, Captain Atkinson performed many useful and hazardous functions which assisted materially in prolonging the defence.
Uriah LAITE, Honorary 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 for his courage and selfless devotion to duty.
Robert William PHILIP, Captain
On the night of 18/19 December 1941, "D" Company the Winnipeg Grenadiers were in their allotted positions at Wong Nei Chong, Hong Kong. A Japanese landing in force cut through this area--the centre of the Island--and isolated "D" Company Headquarters from No. 17 and 18 Platoons. The Japanese assaulted the company headquarters, beginning at 0700 hours the morning of 18 December and secured the medical shelter about seventy-five yards from the headquarters shelter. At approximately 0800 hours the company commander was killed while attempting to dislodge snipers, leaving Captain Philip in command. Captain Philip advised the battalion commander of the situation and was told to hold his position and deny enemy use of the main road crossing the island. Relief and reinforcements were promised, but due to strong Japanese positions so close to the shelter this promise could not be fulfilled. The strength of Captain Philip's command at this time was approximately forty men of whom twelve were casualties. By 1400 hours Captain Philip was severely wounded by an enemy grenade, losing his right eye and suffering chest and leg wounds from shrapnel. Nine other casualties were also reported. This gallant little band, under constant fire and within grenade throwing distance of an aggressive and merciless enemy, held out for three days, at which time every one of the forty had been wounded, thirty-six severely and the other four slightly Throughout this long and dangerous battle, Captain Philip, although seriously and painfully wounded retained control of the situation, receiving the reports of his Second-in-Command, Lieutenant Blackwood, and directing him in the defence of the position. So stubborn was the struggle put up by this small and badly battered group that the Japanese used a great number of men in many futile assaults and repeatedly urged them to surrender. On the morning of 22 December, realizing that the situation was hopeless, no ammunition, food or water being left, line communications being cut, and every man a casualty, Captain Philip consulted a Lieutenant Colonel of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps who was seriously wounded and present in the shelter at the time and advised him of the situation. The Lieutenant-Colonel instructed Captain Philip to surrender, no other course being open. The action of this gallant group of men denied the use of the Island road to the Japanese and prevented exploitation of their initial success, undoubtedly gaining valuable time for the re-organization of the Island defence, Over two hundred enemy dead were estimated by Captain Philip prior to leaving the position, and unquestionably the overall casualties inflicted by this small body of men must have proved a serious drain on the enemy. Of this action, Major-General Maltby, commander of Hong Kong says: "A company of Winnipeg Grenadiers fought so magnificently the Japs believed the sector was held by two battalions. When it was over, the Nips would not believe they had been opposed there for three days by only one company. They were incredulous and indignant and they showed it by slapping the faces of the Canadian officers of that company when they interrogated them."
Thomas Alexander BLACKWOOD, Lieutenant
Lieutenant Blackwood was attached to "D" Company Headquarters the Winnipeg Grenadiers at Hong Kong, December 1941. On the night of 18/19 December this headquarters was located at Wong Nei Chong where a Japanese landing in force brought it under immediate attack. As this post controlled the main road across the Island orders were received to hold on at any cost. Early in the action the company commander was killed, and the Second-in-Command, Captain Robert W. Philip, was severely wounded. Lieutenant Blackwood displayed great courage and marked skill in carrying out the orders given him by Captain Philip. The fact that this small body of forty men beld out for three days, although short of ammunition, food and water, and caused very heavy enemy casualties, is in no small way attributable to Lieutenant Blackwood. The fact that the Japanese were denied the use of the main road across the Island undoubtedly assisted and prolonged the defence of Hong Kong materially. During this time a report was received that an officer who was obviously wounded was lying about sixty yards in advance of the foremost position and was unable to get to shelter due to his wounds and intense enemy small arms fire. Lieutenant Blackwood and H.6132 Private William Morris volunteered to bring the officer in. After considerable difficulty they brought back safely to shelter Lieutenant-Colonel R.D. Walker, OBE, MC, of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps Lieutenant-Colonel Walker was found to be suffering from gunshot wounds in both legs. This difficult and dangerous task took place when the Japanese were in complete possession of the area surrounding the post, and located so close to it they could at times crawl within grenade throwing distance. Lieutenant Blackwood's courage and devotion to duty throughout this arduous period were a source of inspiration to all those around him.
Collinson Alexander BLAVER, Lieutenant
During the Hong Kong operation, Lieutenant Blaver commanded No. 9 Platoon of the Royal Rifles of Canada. Throughout the period 8 to 25 December 1941 this officer displayed great courage, dash, coolness and leadership, and particularly on the night of 18/19 December when he was ordered, with a force of forty men to proceed to Mount Parker and clear the Japanese from it. This necessitated a climb of some fifteen hundred feet of precipitous mountain slopes under great difficulties. On nearing the top of the mountain, the enemy opened up heavy mortar, machine gun and hand grenade fire at very close range. As the attack developed it became evident that the enemy greatly outnumbered the attacking force and were strongly entrenched. The order was given to withdraw and Lieutenant Blaver with two non-commissioned officers remained behind to cover the withdrawal of the men. Both non-commissioned officers were killed and Lieutenant Blaver wounded, but he managed to bold the enemy for a sufficient length of time to allow his men to withdraw to a new position. Lieutenant Blaver's courageous action undoubtedly saved the lives of many of his men and his conduct throughout the operation was consistently in the best traditions of the service.
William Francis NUGENT, Lieutenant
Lieutenant Nugent was a platoon commander of the Winnipeg Grenadiers at Hong Kong. On the night of 24th December 1941 his platoon was in a defensive position on Bennet's Hill when at about 1900 hours the Japanese heavily shelled it with mortar fire for about one hour and then attacked in force, hoping to secure the heights which commanded the only cross Island road left in our hands at this time. His platoon sergeant was seriously wounded as well as two of his remaining non-commissioned officers, and Lieutenant Nugent received a crippling leg wound. In spite of these conditions, he succeeded in driving off the main force of the Japanese attack and, in addition, his platoon inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. Although the platoons on his flanks were driven back by the fierceness of the enemy attack, Lieutenant Nugent held his position until relieved the next day when he was hospitalized. This officer's bravery, leadership and ability in action denied a vital position to the enemy.
Francis Gavan POWER, Lieutenant
Lieutenant Power commanded No. 17 Platoon "D" Company the Royal Rifles of Canada at Hong Kong in December 1941. He showed conspicuous courage and leadership throughout the entire defensive action from 18 December to 25 December. On 21 December in the face of heavy machine gun fire he led an attack on enemy positions on Bridge Hill which was pressed home with the utmost vigour and daring. By this successful attack, during which many enemy were killed, a general advance on the Bridge Hill main position was made possible, which when completed, relieved the general situation temporarily. During this engagement Lieutenant Power displayed qualities of courage, dash and coolness which were an inspiration to his men and contributed greatly to the successful outcome of the operation. Again on 25 December his platoon took part in an attack on Stanley Village. In the face of heavy enemy fire and without support by artillery or mortars, Lieutenant Power led his platoon with conspicuous success and again displayed outstanding courage and leadership. During this action Lieutenant Power was wounded.
Distinguished Conduct Medal
Colin Alden STANDISH, Company Quartermaster-Sergeant
Standish was Company Quartermaster-Sergeant of "C" Company, Royal Rifles of Canada at HongKong in December 1941. During the night of 18/19 December at Lye Mun Gap he showed conspicuous bravery in maintaining a constant supply of ammunition to the forward positions of this company which were heavily engaged with the enemy. During the course of his duties he came under extremely heavy mortar and rifle fire. His vehicle received a direct hit during the course of the action, but despite this, he made necessary repairs under fire to maintain his supply. In an endeavour to cut the supply line, the enemy had infiltrated behind our lines, submitting supply personnel to heavy and constant sniping fire. This did not stop Standish from travelling back and forth over this dangerous ground to keep forward positions supplied. During intervals of unloading vehicles in the forward area, Standish took an active part in the action, His conduct was an inspiration to all ranks, and due to his gallantry and efforts it was possible to bold this position until the order arrived to withdraw. This non-commissioned officer never relaxed in his duty, and was conspicuous in his bravery during the entire campaign in securing and delivering food, water and other supplies to the outposts under fire and against heavy odds. At times when transport was not available be carried rations on his back, taking time off to hunt snipers who were a constant threat to all personnel During the whole period as a prisoner of war he carried on with the same spirit of self-sacrifice, and although quite ill, be always saw that his men received all that was available to reduce the misery of Japanese camp life.
Derek Everard RIX, Corporal
Corporal Rix was in command of a section of the Winnipeg Grenadiers at Hong Kong in December 1941. At dawn of 19 December when the Japanese attacked the Wong Nei Chong area, Corporal Rix and his section were cut off from their platoon. They worked their way from their open position on the hillside above the Blue Pool Valley to join a section of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps who were holding pill box No. 2 on the slope of Jardine's Lookout and cooperated in the defence of the pill box during the remainder of the morning. At about noon a patrol of Japanese succeeded in reaching pill box No. 1 (about fifty yards further up the steep hillside) and heavily engaged the crew, who were soon in a very difficult situation. After an unsuccessful relief attack by some of the crew of pill box No. 2, Corporal Rix with a mixed party of Winnipeg Grenadiers and Hong Kong Volunteers made another attempt. They were under fire from across the valley and had to climb a steep hillside in the face of the enemy, but succeeded in wiping out the surviving Japanese around pill box No. 1, thereby regaining control of both pill boxes for some hours longer. As pill box No. I was no longer of use due to the machine guns being damaged, and the loopholes being under continuous close range rifle fire, Corporal Rix took up a very precarious position close to pill box No. 1 until he was wounded in the right hand when be returned to pill box No. 2 for treatment. Later when enemy pressure increased and there was no sign of relief, the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps officer in command gave leave to walking wounded to retire, but Corporal Rix preferred to stay and see the action through to a finish. Corporal Rix proved himself an able and courageous non- commissioned officer and his conduct throughout was a credit to his unit and the Canadian army.
Military Medal
Stanley Walter WRIGHT, Company Quartermaster-Sergeant, Royal Rifles of Canada
Emile BERNARD, Sergeant, Royal Rifles of Canada
Selden Grant STODDARD, Sergeant, Royal Rifles of Canada
Cecil Thomas WHALEN, Sergeant, Winnipeg Grenadiers
Murray Thomas GOODENOUGH, Lance-Sergeant, Royal Rifles of Canada
Lionel Curtis SPELLER, Corporal, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
Ronald Edward ATKINSON, Lance-Corporal, Winnipeg Grenadiers
Meirion PRICE, Lance-Corporal, Winnipeg Grenadiers
John Leslie VARLEY, Lance-Corporal, Royal Rifles of Canada
Ernest Irwin BENNETT, Rifleman, Royal Rifles of Canada
William MORRIS, Private, Winnipeg Grenadiers
Gordon Edward WILLIAMSON, Private, Winnipeg Grenadiers
Mentioned in Despatches
Henry William HOCK, Major
Malcolm Thomas Gordon MACAULEY, DCM, ED, Major
William Barker BRADLEY, Lieutenant
Leonard Bertram CORRIGAN, Lieutenant *
John Edward DUNDERDALE, Lieutenant
James Forsyth ROSS, Lieutenant (killed in action)
Arthur Beresford SCOTT, Lieutenant
Maurice D'AVIGNON, Sergeant
George Stuart MACDONELL, Sergeant
Kenneth Edward PORTER, Sergeant
Charles John SHARP, Sergeant, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (killed in action)
Leslie Robert STICKLES, Sergeant
James Murray THOM, Sergeant
Charles WATSON, Sergeant
John Joseph FITZPATRICK, Corporal (killed in action)
Edwin HARRISON, Corporal (killed in action)
Lorne Rayburn LATIMER, Corporal (killed in action)
Ernest Charles MCFARLAND, Corporal
George William MCRAE, Corporal (killed in action)
Sydney Albert SHEFFER, Corporal
Edwin George SMITH, Lance-Corporal
Frank BROWN, Private
Bernard CASTONGUAY, Rifleman
Robert DAMANT, Rifleman, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (killed in action)
Morgan Isaac DAVIES, Rifleman
Aubery Peacock FLEGG, Private
Nelson Carlyle GALBRAITH, Private
Norman Charles MATTHEWS, Private
Lloyd Logan ROBLEE, Rifleman
James Austen WALLACE, Rifleman
* added in June 2022 as was not included in original document