Beyond the Call

Prologue

In late October, 1941, “C” Force, a contingent of 1975 Canadians, sailed in two ships from Vancouver to help defend the British colony of Hong Kong against anticipated Japanese aggression. Among the group of mostly young Canadian soldiers was a Brigade Headquarters which included thirty-three men of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (R.C.C.S.) trained as telephone and wireless operators, linemen and dispatch riders. During the subsequent battle of Hong Kong members of this unit would be called on to not only carry out their Signals duties under severe and dangerous conditions, but to fight for their lives. Four were killed in action, and two more succumbed to their wounds. Three others died during their captivity as prisoners of war. Those who survived suffered through three and a half years of forced labour, starvation and general ill-treatment at the hands of the Japanese. The men who made it back to Canada brought with them not only memories of almost four years spent overseas, but also notebooks, diaries, letters and other mementos of their time in the Far East. These memories and keepsakes, plus voluminous official government records and reports have provided a rich resource for the telling of the Signals’ story.

The men of “C” Force were the first Canadians to engage the enemy in World War II. The first Canadian casualties of the war were at Hong Kong: two members of the Signal Corps. Those who survived the battle and imprisonment were among the last to make it back home to Canada at the end of the war. Specifically regarding the Signals, the official history of the Corps has this to say:

Hong Kong was the occasion for the first Canadian brigade signals to go into action in the Second World War, and it acquitted itself commendably. These Signalmen, in the words of the British Chief Signal Officer, “did all he could have hoped.” In addition, they performed in the last stage as infantry, and fought valiantly. ^[1]

By any measure, these men performed well above and beyond the call of duty.

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The Sai Wan Bay War Cemetery is situated on the northeast side of the island of Hong Kong, a short distance from the bustling city of Victoria. The graves of two hundred and eighty-three Canadian soldiers are located here, including five members of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals. It is quiet and serene with dramatic rows of white grave markers stretching on and on down a slope towards the sea, against a panoramic view of distant wooded hills. Further south on the island on the Tai Tam Peninsula is Stanley Military Cemetery. Twenty Canadians are buried here including four Signals. The graves are located on a hillside flanked by grassy slopes with flowering shrubs and ornamental trees. The peace and tranquility of these two sites belie the events of December, 1941 when the island hills were the scene of fierce and bloody fighting as the days of the battle for Hong Kong raged on.

Who were these thirty-three members of the Signal Corps and what brought them here to this tiny British colony across the Pacific? What awful circumstances led to nine of them never coming home to Canada? What happened to their fellow Signals who survived? A full exploration of these questions will truly ensure that, “we will remember them.”

Names below are linked to more detail on the HKVCA website 'C' Force Individual Reports.