1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Russell | Lincoln |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| East Windsor ON | Western Ontario | 1914-02-12 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
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 | 45 Sep 10 |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Admiral CF Hughes | Victoria, BC | 1945-10-09 | Manila to Victoria BC 141 CDNs |
District Men From Far East Due Home
The headquarters of M.D. 1 announced this morning that eight Canadian liberated prisoners of war from the Far East will arrive at San Francisco on the vessel Admiral Hughes this weekend. The time and date of arrival of the personnel in London is not yet known. Two of the men are from Windsor and one from Kingsville.
Rfn. Arthur K. Pifher, Arthur J. Pifher (father), Box 892, R.R. 2, Jaris, Ontario; Cpl. Jack Porter, Mrs. Olive Porter (wife), R.R. 2. East Devine street. Sarnia: Rfn. John T. Snively, Mrs. Freda Snively (wife), Kingsville; Rfn. Robert W. Taylor, Mrs. Rose Broughton (mother), 239 Church street, Windsor: Rfn. John A. Williams. Mrs. Clara Williams (mother), No. 1 District Depot, London; Rfn. Russell L Woodrich, Mrs. Emelda Woodrich (wife), 726 Josephine avenue, Windsor: Capt. Gordon C. Gray, Mrs. M. I. Gray, 1-A Langley avenue, Toronto, and Rfn. John F. Chard, Mrs. A. Chard (mother), 226 McDonell avenue, Toronto.
Post-war Photo
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Other Military or Public 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-08-01 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
Gravestone Image
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Obituary / Life Story
Mr. Russell L. Woodrich, 65, 1477 N. Page Drive, Deltona, died Wednesday. Born in Detroit, he moved to Deltona seven years ago from Hazel Park, Mich. He was a machinist for 20 years at XLO Corp., Detroit. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church, Campbell Park Shuffleboard Club, Uwanna Squares Square Dance Club, Masonic Lodge 570, F&AM, Hazel Park and a Canadian army veteran of World War II. Survivors: wife, Esther K.; stepsons, William Anderson, Warren, Mich., Gerald Anderson, San Diego, Calif.; stepdaughter, Mrs. Elaine Bersche, DeLand; brothers, William, Robert and Herman, Windsor, Ontario, Canada; sister, Mrs. Toots Webb, Windsor; and five grandchildren. McFall Funeral Home, Deltona.
The Orlando Sentinel 03 Aug 1979, Friday, Page 32
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.
Related documentation
- Our HKVCA Vault (Google Docs) may contain additional information, newspaper clippings, and documents which have been saved for this soldier. To access this information, click on the vault link and a Google Docs folder list will open in a separate tab. Use the first letter of the soldier’s service number, found at the top of this report, to open the correct folder. Each sub-folder is identified by service number. Scroll down until you reach the one of your interest.
- 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
- Find a Grave® is a valuable resource that may contain additional information on this 'C' Force member. When you arrive at the site search page, fill in as much detail as you can for best results.
General Comments
Prisoner In Hong Kong Windsor Soldier Held: Another Known Here Also Is Captive
The long list of Canadian soldiers now prisoners of war at Hong Kong, published yesterday, brought joy to at least two Windsor homes. For included in the list were one Windsor soldier, Private Russell Woolrich, 1770 Aubin road, and another who has many relatives and friends here, Private Michael Zedan.
AWAITED NEWS
Relatives and friends of these soldiers, who fell into the hands of the Japs with the fall of Hong Kong last Christmas Day, have been anxiously awaiting news of them for the past nine months. Yesterday's list, published in The Windsor Star, advised them that although the soldiers are prisoners of war, they are at least alive.
Mrs. Woodrich is today the happy owner of a small printed letter, for it is the first word received from her husband in nearly a year. Sharing her joy are her two small daughters, Margaret and Dorothy. This letter was one of those which arrived in Canada aboard the Gripsholm, which brought back Canadian repatriates from the Far East.
NATIVE OF DETROIT
Private Woolrich was born in Detroit, but lived in Windsor most of his life. He first enlisted with the Essex Scottish Regiment, but was later transferred to the Quebec Royal Rifles and was with them at Hong Kong. He first donned the uniform of the Scottish in February, 1941, and was transferred to the other unit after several months' training at Camp Borden.
This word about Private Russell is the second good news to be received this week by the Woodrich family regarding one of its soldier sons. They were notified on Monday that Private Harry Woodrich, in England with the Essex Scottish Regiment, had returned safely from the Dieppe raid.
RESIDE IN WINDSOR
The father, two sisters and three other brothers of the Hong Kong
soldier live in Windsor. The father is PRIVATE RUSSELL WOODRICH Herman Woodrich, the sisters, Mrs. Olive Mousseau, 1286 Francois road, and Mrs. Myrtle Webb, 841 Charlotte street, and the brothers, Harry, Bob and William. Private Woodrich attended Gordon McGregor School and was working at Ford's when he enlisted.
End of Report.
Report generated: 27 Apr 2025.
Additional Notes
(These will not be visible on the printed copy)
- Service numbers for officers ("X") 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.
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