The men of the Signal Corps and the rest of “C” Force returned to a Canada much different than the country they had left in October, 1941. A booming economy, lots of jobs, veterans’ benefits, education opportunities and a general feeling of prosperity provided a marked contrast to the depression-era conditions they had been familiar with before going overseas. As well, family situations had changed. Over the four years there had been relocations, marriages, births and deaths. All in all there was much to cope with as the returning soldiers adjusted to post-war life in Canada.
On top of everything, for many of the men, including a large number of Signals, the health issues raised by the Adjutant General became a reality. Some had long stays in hospitals such as Shaughnessy in Vancouver, which became a familiar place for many of the B.C. repats, if not as patients, at least as visitors. Mel Keyworth was in for five and a half months before being discharged, “as ‘A’ fit, given a box of tranquillizers and sent on my way.”[1340] Don Beaton recalled,
These friends of mine were in the hospital in Shaughnessy, up here in Vancouver. I used to go up and visit them…actually I should’ve been in there with them but I couldn’t be bothered.[1341]
The medical conditions, illnesses and symptoms presented by the ex-POWs were often unfamiliar to Canadian doctors. In particular, the psychological effects of their ordeal often went undiagnosed or untreated. Problems with crowds of people, nightmares, and general ill-health plagued many of the men from the Signals Corps for years to come. Unfortunately, a number of them suffered premature deaths, a grim legacy of their mistreatment at the hands of their Japanese captors.
Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, a few of the men stayed in the Signal Corps and became career soldiers. One of them reasoned that if he did have health problems, at least the army would look after him if he were still in the service. A few went back to the jobs they had left – Blacky Verreault at Bell Telephone, Jim Mitchell at the Falconbridge mine, and Jack Rose, at least temporarily, at the CPR as a telegraph operator. Others took on new careers in the trades, business and government.
Many of the men maintained friendships established while in Hong Kong and Japan. Bob Acton was best man at Gerry Gerrard’s wedding, as was Lee Speller for Howie Naylor.[1342] Ron Routledge was in Don Penny’s wedding party, and post-war buddies Ray Squires and Larry Dowling stood up for fellow Brigade Headquarters soldier Les Canivet.[1343] Some of these friendships lasted for many years. Wally Normand and Larry Dowling who both moved to White Rock, B.C. spent a lot of time there together.
Not only did they have their war-time experiences in common, but as Hong Kong veterans these men were also linked by a long, drawn-out struggle with the Canadian government for recognition and compensation. It wasn’t until 1998 that the demand for compensation for their time spent as POWs and slave labourers was finally settled, resulting in $24,000 payments to the veterans or their widows. Some, like Lee Speller, had been advocating strongly that the Japanese government should be paying the compensation, not Canadian taxpayers. But after more than forty years, most were just happy to have received something.
While the common attitude among returning ex-POWs about the Japanese was understandably negative, as the years went by, for many these feelings were generally tempered by the passage of time, and memories that focused on individual tormentors rather than ethnicity alone. For a few, their position regarding the Japanese was more demonstrative. Will Allister returned to Japan in 1983, looking to resolve inner conflicts and find inspiration for his artistic talents. Many paintings, “marrying East and West” resulted, as did a 1995 documentary which offered parallel portraits of Will the artist and a Japanese-Canadian architect who had been interned in Canada during the 1940s.[1344] It was this issue of the internment of Japanese-Canadians that prompted Jack Rose to speak out in favour of redress for this group of people. Addressing a rally in Vancouver in 1988, he said,
But as a human being, I am most concerned about the rights of freedom and disposal of property which was taken away from Canadian people, living in Canada by the Canadian government without just cause or reason.[1345]
While some of his fellow ex-POWs may not have agreed with his activism on the issue, there would have been little disagreement that they originally signed up during the war to fight to protect the very freedoms Jack was concerned about.
Like most other members of “C” Force, men from the Signal Corps were reluctant to share details of their wartime experiences once they had returned to post-war life in Canada. Other than the occasional interview, it wasn’t until the 1980s that some of them began to tell their stories in a more public way. Will Allister not only painted, but also wrote books based on his experiences. The Hong Kong Veterans Association, and, since the late 1990s, the Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association have provided opportunities for members of “C” Force to share their memories. Veterans Affairs Canada also has played a role, taping interviews with many former soldiers.
With few of the veterans still alive (only two former Signals at the time of writing) it is important for family members to “take up the torch” and ensure that the story of the battle of Hong Kong and the following years of imprisonment are not forgotten. Even though most of the participants are no longer with us, their experiences live on through the letters, diaries, service records and other documents held by families and various archives, and through the shared stories passed on to sons, daughters, grandchildren and other relatives. These are all important elements to be valued, protected and shared, as a way of honouring not only the thirty-three members of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals, but all members of “C” Force. “We will remember them.”