1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Charles | Joseph |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Quebec QC | Eastern Quebec | 1924-03-22 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| C | 14 Plt | |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/21 | leg wound | 36, 63 |
Hospital Information
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-UNK | N/A | N/A |
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 | 44 Jul 14 | ||
| JP-Fu-5B | Omine | Kawasaki-machi, Fukuoka pref., Kyushu Island, Japan | Furukawa Industries Omine | Coal mining | 43 Jan 23 | 44 Jul 14 |
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 |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944-07-14 | Crushed by a large rock while working; fracture of cranium, brain compression, skull internal hemorrhage | Died while POW | |
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Jido-Yuenchi-Dori Hodogaya Japan | Yokohama War Cemetery | Cdn. Sec. A. E. 14. | NA |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
His full name is Charles Joseph Bigaouette-Fitzpatrick. Son of Walter Patrick Bigaouette-Fitzpatrick and Yvonne Pépin dit Lachance of Québec, Québec. Brother of Corporal John Joseph Fitzpatrick, regimental number E-21822, who died in the service of the Royal Rifles of Canada in Hong Kong on December 22nd, 1941. Served in Québec, Newfoundland with W Force, Hong Kong with C Force, Japan as a prisoner of war. He had 1,408 days of service, including 991 overseas.
Citation(s): 1939-1945 Star, Pacific Star, War Medal 1939-1945, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp.
Source: Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Links and Other Resources
There may be more information on this individual available elsewhere on our web sites - please use the search tool found in the upper right corner of this page to view sources.
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
E30684 Charles FITZPATRICK brother to E21822 John FITZPATRICK
After long years of pressing anxiety and as an epilogue to the death of one son at Hong Kong in 1941, stark tragedy reinvaded the home of Mr. and Mrs. Walter P. Fitzpatrick, 54 Ste. Julia Street, when unofficial news arrived disclosing that her second son, Rfm. Charles Fitzpatrick, had died sometime "during the summer" in a Japanese prison camp shortly before V-J Day.
The news arrived via a letter, written by Rfm. William Tuppert to his mother, Mrs. H. Tuppert, 15 Burton, which simply stated that Rfm. Fitzpatrick died "during the summer from pneumonia."
The late Rfm. Fitzpatrick left St. Patrick's High School in 1940 and enlisted with the Royal Rifles on his sixteenth birthday, March 22nd, of that year.
Mrs. Fitzpatrick, whose son, Cpl. J.J. Fitzpatrick was killed in action at Hong Kong in 1941, said she had expected at least one son to return but, in spite of having as yet received no official confirmation, her long-held high hopes have now tumbled.
Rfm. Fitzpatrick's family is very well known in Quebec, where his father is an inspector of the Federal Customs and Excise Departmert. He was a nephew of the late Sir Charles Fitzpatrick, ex-Lieutenant Governor of Quebec and former Chief Justice of Canada.
In addition to their parents, the Fitzpatrick boys are survived by two other brothers, George and Stephen; five sisters, the Misses Patricia, Charlotte, Antoinette, Muriel and Emilie; one uncle, Albert Lachance, of Montreal; two aunts: Lady Fitzpatrick and Miss Emily Fitzpatrick, Mr. and Mrs. Emile Ampleman, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Lachance, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Lachance, of Jonguiere; and Mr. and Mrs. Georges Belair, of Quebec.
Quebec Chronicle - Telegraph
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.