1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Vincent | Archie |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Hamilton ON | Central Ontario | 1919-05-10 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| HQ Coy | ||
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
No record of hospital visits found.POW Camps
| Camp ID | Camp Name | Location | Company | Type of Work | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-SM-01 | Stanley | Fort Stanley, Hong Kong Island | Capture | 41 Dec 30 | ||
| HK-NP-01 | North Point | North Point, Hong Kong Island | 41 Dec 30 | 42 Sep 26 | ||
| HK-SA-02 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 42 Sep 26 | 43 Jan 19 | ||
| JP-Fu-5B | Omine | Kawasaki-machi, Fukuoka pref., Kyushu Island, Japan | Furukawa Industries Omine | Coal mining | 43 Jan 23 | 45 Sep 22 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD3B | Tatuta Maru | 43 Jan 19, left Shamsuipo Camp, 0500 hrs; left Hong Kong 1300hrs | 43 Jan 22, 0400 hrs | Nagasaki, Japan | Tony Banham |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS General Howze | SF | 1945-10-15 |
Excerpt from Vince Calder's account on the HKVCA web site.
On the 14th of September, we left for Manila and because you had to sign through as either a British subject or an American when you left and my buddies were all Americans, I signed through as an American merchant marine. We travelled aboard a B24 and it was a thrilling ride, especially when the bomb bay slid open and all there was below was water, water and more water. We landed in Manila 5 hours later and were sent to repatriation camp #29 where we were again given clothing and full army equipment.
I got impatient and went over to the Canadian camp and after a medical check-up, I was drafted for home. I left on the 28th aboard the naval ship 'Admiral Hawse'. We settled down to enjoy the trip as much as possible. Below decks, it was hotter than hell and we slept on deck most of the time. We got up at 3:00 am for breakfast and they served 2800 men which took 5 hours to do. The trip was uneventful and seemed slow to us as we were very eager to get home. We steamed into San Francisco on the 15th of October and received a very nice welcome. They didn't seem to care if we were Canadian or American and one old lady said 'tell your mother I welcomed you home for her'. We went to Ft. McDowell and saw Admiral 'Bull' Halsey's fleet coming in. It certainly meant a lot to us to see those high powered giants of the sea coming in after the part they played in the South Pacific. We were given good feather beds to sleep in at Fort McDowell and received the best possible treatment from them. We all sent telegrams home via the Red Cross. Believe it or not, I actually met Jimmy Smith and Jack Burns just hauling in on the 16th, so having beat them home, I got the last laugh after all We left Frisco on the evening of the 16th and arrived in Portland, Oregon the next night. We had a 5 hour stopover and everyone wanted to see the city so we were told that if we did, to come on to Victoria or else Seattle and of course I missed the train. However, we managed to arrive in Victoria without any real problems, and then went on to our homes.
Post-war Photo
Taken in 1950 at a cabin in the Lake of the Woods area. Submitted by nephew Bill Calder January 2017
Other Military 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-12-15 | Cancer | Post War | |
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Simcoe Ontario Canada | Oakwood Cemetery | Section 67, Grave 16 | Yes |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
In memory of Vincent A. Calder, Son of the late Mr. & Mrs. John A. Calder,who passed away at Norfolk General Hospital,Simcoe, Ontario, on Sunday, December 15th,1974, in his 56th year. FUNERAL- Mr. Calder rested at the Marvyn M. Veale Funeral Home, Norfolk St., S., Simcoe,where service was conducted on Tuesday,December 17th, at 2:00 p.m.OFFICIATING CLERGY Rev. L. W. Loader Bloomsburg, Ontario CREMATION Hamilton, Ontario
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
Picture taken in 1950 at a cabin in the Lake of the Woods area. Submitted by nephew Bill Calder January 2017
End of Report.
Report generated: 23 Nov 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.