1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Roderick | Morrison |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Powell River BC | Central Ontario | 1900-08-03 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| D | 18R 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
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 | 43 Aug 15 | ||
| JP-To-5B | Niigata-Rinko | Niigata-ken, Nakakambara-gun, Ogata-mura, Japan | Marutsu, Rinko Coal, Shintetsu | Stevedore labor at port of Niigata (Marutsu), primarily foodstuffs; mining coal (Rinko Coal ) and labor at a foundry (Shintetsu) | 43 Sep 03 | 44 Mar 03 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD4B | Manryu Maru | 43 Aug 15 | 43 Sep 01 | Osaka, Japan | Brief stopover in Taihoku (Taipei), Formosa (Taiwan); then 2 day stopover at northern point for stool tests | Tony Banham |
Other Military or Public Service
He served with the 38th Dufferin Rifles, then with the 215th Battalion, CEF, service number 270445, from 15 June 1916 to 11 April 1917 because he was too young for overseas service, and with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Central Ontario Regiment, service number 3310783, from 20 January 1918 until he was demobilized on 17 June 1919.
Death and Cemetery Information
| Date of Death (y-m-d) | Cause of Death | Death Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944-03-03 | Amoebic Dysentry, Beri Beri, Chronic Enteritis | Died while POW | |
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Jido-Yuenchi-Dori Hodogaya Japan | Yokohama War Cemetery | Cdn. Sec. B. C. 4. | NA |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Rfn. Roderick McLeod, whose sister is Mrs. Mary Baker, Box 177, Powell River. Taken a prisoner at Hongkong, Christmas, 1941. Rfn. McLeod died on March 3 in a Japanese prison camp at Tokyo as a result of beri-beri.
Born and educated at Brantford, Ont., Rfn. McLeod enlisted in 1939 with the Lincoln and Welland Regiment and transferred to the Royal Rifles of Canada before going to the Far East.
Last word from him was received by his sister last August, which she reports was not his handwriting. The letter said he was "well taken care of."
Unknown newspaper clipping
Son of William Chamberlain Pearce and Harriet Mary Langdon. Husband of Mary May Hall, of Toronto, Ontario. Father of Leslie Hall Chamberlain, Richard William, Claudette and Garret Michael Pearce. Brother of Private Charles Pearce, who fought in Europe with the Canadian Army. He survived the war. Served for three years at the Lord Strathcona Horse at Tuxedo Barracks in Winnipeg, Manitoba, enlisted in the 1st Bridge Company of the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps, fought in Hong Kong with Force C. He had 1,121 days of service, including 344 overseas.
Citation(s): 1939-1945 Star, Pacific Star, War Medal 1939-1945, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp.
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.
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
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General Comments
B41357 Roderick MCLEOD- Died March 3, 1944 in at the age of 43 in Niigata, Japan
Born in Glasgow, Scotland. Enlistment:July 22, 1940 Niagara Camp, Ontario
Son of John and Millicent McLeod.
Residence Place: Powell River, Vancouver, B.C.
Next of Kin: Mary Baker. Relationship: Sister
BLACKIE- How many of us remember Blackie McLeod? Blackie was a member of "D" Company, and as I recall, he was a bit of a lone wolf; but what I remember most about Blackie is the way he used to provide lights for our cigarettes, those of us who had them in the prison camp.
Blackie had a "punk box", a small round can like the ones that ointment comes in. In the can he had a scrap of cotton which he had burned to a char. To get a light, he would open the can, and with a piece of steel, say an old table knife, and with a piece of stone, he would strike the knife until a spark became lodged in the "punk". When the punk started to glow, he would blow on it until there was a coal big enough to light a cigarette. When he put the cover back on the can, the fire went out and his punk box was ready for the next time.
Needless to say, Blackie's services were often in demand, because matches didn't exist.
Not only were cigarettes hard to come by, but after a while matches also were not available. Blackie McLeod solved the problem. Blackie got a small, flat can with a tight cover, one such as ointment used to come in. In it he put a swatch of cotton, and burned it until it was charred. Then he clapped the cover on it to extinguish the fire. He called it a "punk box". Then, when he wanted a light for his fag, he would open the punk box, and strike a piece of steel with a piece of stone over it until a spark appeared in the charred cotton.
Then he would blow on the spark until it glowed red. Then it was ready to give a light to a cigarette. Then the cover was replaced, and the punk box was ready for the next time someone wanted a light.
Blackie was very patient with everyone, never refusing to perform. He was a quiet fellow. I don't remember ever hearing him say much. He obviously had been around and had seen much of life before entering the army. In the Royal Rifles, he was one of a kind.
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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