Naming of Edward Bolton Crescent

From Mike Babin on Nov 13, 2013

I attended and spoke at the naming of a street in Oshawa, ON last Friday. The street, Edward Bolton Crescent., was named after a Hong Kong Veteran, one of nine Canadians from Oshawa who formed part of C Force.

I’ve attached a photo of the street sign with several of Mr Bolton’s family members who were present at the unveiling. And here is an excerpt from the remarks made by Regional Councillor Bob Chapman, the MC of the event:

• Edward Charles Bolton was with the Royal Rifles of Canada. His regimental number was B38358. He was a Rifleman in Company C. His hometown was Oshawa Ontario and he enlisted in Central Ontario where he was placed in the Royal Highland Light Infantry, No. 2 District Depot.

• He subsequently transferred to the Royal Rifles of Canada. On October 23, 1941 he left Toronto on a CNR troop train for Vancouver and arrived there on October 27, 1941.

• He boarded the HMCS Prince Robert and arrived in Hong Kong on November 16. He was stationed at Nanking Barracks awaiting his orders. After the initial attack on December 7, Edward Bolton fought with the Royal Rifles in the Lye Mun Area. He was acting as a Battalion Reserve and Security Force against rioting at Sau Ki Wan Town and after a few weeks of fighting ended up at Stanley Fort on December 25, 1941. He surrendered to the Japanese at 1800 hrs. He was sent to Sham Shui Po Camp in Kowloon and spent the rest of the war in a prison camp.

• Edward Bolton and some Canadian POW’s were sent to Omine POW Camp in Kyushu Japan where they worked as slave labourers in coal mines: “The state of the mines was frightful and frightening, the work dangerous and exhausting. Shafts were constructed to accommodate the smaller Japanese bodies. Therefore the POW’s had to stoop constantly and painfully.” Edward Bolton was in Omine POW Camp from Jan 23, 1943 to 45 Sep 22, 1945.