1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Lance Corporal | Russell | Vernon |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Caledonia ON | Central Ontario | 1910-02-02 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| D | 18 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
Killed in action at "Bungalow C". 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.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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941-12-25 | Killed In Action | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Stanley Village Hong Kong China | Stanley Military Cemetery | 1. C. Coll. grave 13-17. | NA |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
KILLED IN ACTION
Caledonia, Jan. 7 - Mrs. Comer McCauley received word today that her brother, Corp. Russell Vernon Poag, is listed as killed in action at Hong Kong. Corp. Poag enlisted at Hamilton where he worked as a garage mechanic for 17 years. He was a native of Seneca township. On his last leave, a fellow worker gave him a token which went through the Boer war and the great war. He is survived by his father, Samuel Poag of Hamilton, two brothers, Douglas, Stratford; Maxwell, Detroit, and his sister.
Special to The Star
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.
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General Comments
Son of Hamiltonian Dead at Hong Kong
Russell Poag, Missing More Than Year, Now Reported Killed in Action
Caledonia, Jan. 7 - Missing for over a year at Hong Kong. Cpl. Russell Poag, son of Samuel Posg of Hamilton, is officially reported killed in action at Hong Kong, according to advice from military headquarters at Ottawa last night to his sister, Mrs. Comer McCauley, at Caledonia.
Corporal Poag was born 36 years ago near Caledonia, and before enlisting he was a garage mechanie in Hamilton for 18 years.
He joined up at Hamilton early in the war, and served in the Far East with the Quebec Regiment. Besides his father, and sister at Caledonia, he is also survived by two brothers, Maxwell, of Detroit, and Douglas, Stratford.
Killed in Action
Special to The Star Caledonia, Jan. 7
Mrs. Comer McCauley received word today that her brother, Corp. Russell Vernon Poag, is listed as killed in action at Hong Kong. Corp. Poag enlisted at Hamilton where he worked as a garage mechanic for 17 years. He was a native of Seneca township. On his last leave, a fellow worker gave him a token which went through the Boer war and the great war. He is survived by his father, Samuel Poag of Hamilton, two brothers, Douglas, Stratford; Maxwell, Detroit, and his sister.
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Son of Samuel Poag and Jane Douglas, of Caledonia, Ontario. Husband of Beatrice Viola Draper. Father of Mary Arlene Poag. Birth Place: Caledonia, Ontario, Canada. Residence Place: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
He first enrolled with the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, was deployed on 18 October 1941 to the 1st Battalion, Royal Rifles of Canada, and he served in Ontario, in Québec, and in Hong Kong with Force C. He had 513 days of service, including 59 overseas.
Citations: 1939-1945 Star, Pacific Star, War Medal 1939-1945, Canadian Volunteer Service Medals and Clasp
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.
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