1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Donald | |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Hamilton ON | Central Ontario | 1923-12-31 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMCS Prince Robert draft 7 | Esquimalt, BC | 1945-10-20 | Manila to Esquimalt, BC |
Canadian repatriation Draft #7 will embark at Manila, berth 116, on H.M.C.S. Prince Robert for Vancouver, Canada, 29 Sep 45.
Post-war Photo
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-07-07 | 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
GERAGHTY, Donald December 31, 1923 - July 7, 2007 In loving memory of my husband, my friend, my love. - Always, Esther
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
Veteran Profile: June 2007 Don Geraghty, RRC -by Tim Hodkinson, HKVCA member
I had the pleasure of talking to Don Geraghty (RRC) over the phone recently, and from our brief chat wrote up this profile of him. I hope Ive got the basic facts right. My apologies to Don if Ive made any mistakes.
Don was born in Hamilton, Ontario in December of 1923. Apart from his mother and father, the family was just Don and his two sisters. Like most people during the Depression, Dons father worked at anything he could find, even spending some time as a Bailiff, repossessing cars and furniture. Dons family moved around quite a bit during those days and he received his education at 11 different schools, including West Hill Secondary School. Don had to quit school at 16 so he could work. The wide variety of jobs Don has worked at throughout his life is worthy of a book. His first job was a junior position in a factory making army Great Coats (overcoats). At the age of 16, Don went to work for 16 cents an hour, he told me.
One day on his lunch break, Don took a walk and strolled past the local armory, which was only a block and a half away. He had been in the militia before, which was a once a week thing Wednesday night soldier, as Don put it) and also in Sea Cadets, but this time, after seeing a sign that said, Enlist Now, he attempted to sign up for the regular army in the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders. His 1923 birthdate meant he was only 16 and would have to wait two years. He was turned down.
On his way out an officer spoke with him and wanted to know what had happened. Hearing that he was too young, the officer went back to the recruiters, and then came back and told Don to go back in and try again. When Don did this he discovered his birthdate had been changed from 1923 to 1921 and he was now 18 years old, as far as the army was concerned. He was later transferred to the Royal Rifles of Canada and went off to Hong Kong in 1941. Although surviving the Battle of Hong Kong and the subsequent 3 years and 8 months as a Japanese POW, Dons health upon arriving back in Canada required him to stay in hospital for another 2 years.
Don's post-war working life started with ajob for the Government working in the Unemployment Insurance department for minimum wage. Although hes always lived in the Hamilton/Burlington area, hes worked at many different jobs and quite a wide variety too. After the Government, he then moved on to (I hope Ive got this right) Remington Rand, a steel warehouse, then to Westinghouse to make noiseless refrigerators. Trying his hand at a few other jobs, like selling cars, he then went to work for Robertson Irwin Steel, where he stayed for 14 years.
The job Don liked the most was his last one. A friend of his called him to tell him about a company, called Caravan that sold academic, paperback books to schools. Don wasn't too interested at first, but his friend told him to try it out because, it's a job and car for 6 months. Don stayed with Caravan for the next 19 years, right up until retirement when he turned 65. Don enjoyed the great team of people he worked with and the many teachers and school principals he met over the years.
Don has 3 children; Paul, Michael and Cathy, from his first wife, who unfortunately passed away from cancer. He has 2 grandsons from his daughter, Cathy. Don remarried 22 years ago to Esther, who has 5 grandchildren.
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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