1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Ray | Donald |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Chesley ON | Central Ontario | 1921-05-03 |
| 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
Killed in action at Stone Hill. 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941-12-23 | Killed In Action | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Cape Collinson Road Chai Wan Hong Kong China | Sai Wan War Cemetery | VIII. C. 16. | NA |
Gravestone Image
Ray Jackson's watch was found on the HK battle field in 2017. See the story below or search for Ray Jackson
Obituary / Life Story
After a year of waiting, Mr. and Mrs. George Jackson of Lot 25, Concession 5, Elderslie received word that their son, Private Ray Jackson had been killed in action.
Ray enlisted in May 1941 and arrived in Hong Kong in October 1942. Prior to going overseas, he trained at Camp Borden and North Bay, and then went back to Camp Borden where he joined the Royal Rifles Regiment.
Picture shows Ray Jackson father and mother- second and third from the left.
Ray Donald Jackson joined the Canadian armed forces on 9 June 1941 in Toronto, Ontario. It is thought he originally joined the Royal Regiment of Canada He had no previous military experience. He was single. He had not attended high school. He left school at age 14. Had no formal training of any kind. Could read and speak English. He was employed by his father as a farm hand for 6 years before applying to join the army. Stated he did not want to engage in farming after the war. He was 5 foot 8-1/2 inches tall, 145 pounds. Dark complexion, green eyes, dark brown hair. He had a large scar below his right knee cap. He was a member of the United Church. Had originally been buried in Stone Hill His father was George Clement Jackson (1881 - 1971). His mother was Charlotte Allen (1880 - 1956) residing at R. R. No. 3 Chesley, Ont. His sister, Ida Pearl Jackson married Clifford Harold Burgess on 9 September 1925 in Grey County, Ontario. Ida had been born on 8 July 1904.
This SAI WAN MEMORIAL honours over 2000 men of the land forces of the British Commonwealth and Empire who died in the defence of Hong Kong during the Second World War. The SAI WAN MEMORIAL is in the form of a shelter building 24 metres long and 5.5 metres wide. It stands at the entrance to Sai Wan Bay War Cemetery, outside Victoria, the capital of Hong Kong. From the semi-circular forecourt, two wide openings lead to the interior of the building. The names are inscribed on panels of Portland stone. The dedicatory inscription reads:
1939 - 1945 The officers and men whose memory is honoured here died in the defence of Hong Kong in December 1941 and in the ensuing years of captivity and have no known grave.
The northern side of the Memorial is open and four granite piers support the copper roof. From a commanding position 305 metres above sea level, it looks out over the War Cemetery where some 1,500 men lie buried, and across the water to Mainland China - a magnificent view of sea and mountains.
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
The discovery of a watch belonging to a Royal Rifle who was killed just before the surrender. The watch was found at Stone Hill in Hong Kong by an amateur historian, in a spot very close to where the soldier, Pte Ray Donald Jackson, was believed to have been killed. The historian, Dave Willott, recognized that the watch belonged to a Canadian soldier by the engraving he found on its back, and contacted the HKVCA to see if we could locate his next-of-kin so that the watch could be returned to them. Happily, we located his closest relative, a great nephew, who lives near Toronto. The folks in Hong Kong made a beautiful presentation box for the watch before shipping it to Canada. Submitted by Mike Babin May, 2017
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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- 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.
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