1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Matthew | James |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Toronto ON | Central Ontario | 1920-02-05 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| D | 16 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
| Date Wounded | Wound Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | N/A | 36 |
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 |
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-10-29 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| . | Cremation | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
POW in the 2nd World War. Enlisted to the Queen's Own Rifles then transferred to the Royal Rifles of Canada, he was sent to Hong Kong and taken as prisoner by Christmas of 1941. He returned to Gordon Head British Columbia on October 8, 1945, and never returned to good health. Passed away at his home in Collingwood, on Thursday, October 29, 1998, in his 79th year. Matt Sandford, beloved husband of Evelyn Sandford (Mitchell), of Collingwood. Dear father of Ted Sandford and his wife Judy Phelan, of Collingwood. Loving grandfather of Cary and Kylie. Dear brother of Francis Sandford, of Dobinton. Cremation. At the request of Mr. Sandford, no funeral service will be held. Friends and family are invited to gather for a time of fellowship and a luncheon on Tuesday, November 3, 1998 at the Royal Canadian Legion, in Collingwood from 12:30 until 3:30 p.m. Funeral arrangements entrusted to the Chatterson-Long Funeral Home, Collingwood (705)445-4700. Memorial donations to the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated.
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
B64169 Matthew SANDFORD- Matthew James Sandford- Born in Lanarkshire, Scotland. At Age 6 Arrival 18 Jul 1926 aboard Vessel Doric. Port of Arrival Quebec, Canada. Port of Departure Greenock, Scotland
Died Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
Picture shows Camp N Shampuipo- Matt Sandford 2nd from right front row
The Globe and Mail, Friday, September 7, 1945
Rfmn. Mathew J. Sandford, son of Mr. and Mrs. Mathew Sandford, 706 Ontario St, who has been a prisoner since the fall of Hong Kong, has been liberated from Sham Shui Po Camp, near Kowloon, according to a Canadian Press dispatch. He enlisted in the Queen's Own Rifles in 1940 and trained for several months in Newfoundland and Camp Borden. He volunteered for service in the Orient and was transferred to the Royal Rifles. Born in Wishaw, Scotland, Rfmn. Sandford came to this country with his family at the age of five. He attended St Anne's and Bolton Ave. Schools. Postcards from Rfmn. Sandford were received from Hong Kong in February 1945.
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.
- Photos are welcome! If a photo exists for a 'C' Force member that we have not included, or if you have a higher quality copy, please let us know by using the Contact Us link at the top of this page. We will then reply, providing instructions on submitting it.