1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Frederick | Arthur |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Sutton West ON | Central Ontario | 1919-10-02 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| C | 15 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 Jan 19 | ||
| JP-To-3D | Tsurumi | Yokohama-shi, Tsurumi-ku, Suyehiro-cho, 1-chome, Japan | Nippon Steel Tube - Tsurumi Shipyards | Variety of jobs related to ship building | 43 Jan 19 | 45 May 13 |
| JP-Se-1B | Yumoto | Fukushima-ken, Iwaki-gun, Yumoto-cho, Mizunoya, Japan | Joban Coal Mining Company | 45 May 13 | 45 Sep 15 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD3A | Tatuta Maru | 43 Jan 19, left Shamsuipo Camp, 0500 hrs; left Hong Kong 1300hrs | 43 Jan 22, 0400 hrs | Nagasaki, Japan | Boarded train, arrived in Tokyo on 43 Jan 24 at 0700 hrs, boarded electric train for 10 mile ride to camp | Tony Banham |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| flew to SF | SF |
Liberated Men Coming Home
These happy liberated prisoners of war who recently flew across the Pacific to San Francisco, reached Vancouver en route home. Here they pose for the photographer beside the railway coach that bore them from the California city. All members of the famed Royal Rifles of Canada, they are shown here in the front row (from left to right): Rfn. G. H. McKee, Chapleau, Ontario; Rfn. J. E. Glenn, Trenton, Ontario; Rfn. C. A. Wurm, Arnprior, Ontario; Rfn. M. T. Murray, Oshawa, Ontario. Back row: Sgt. E. E. Dissing, London, Ontario; Rfn. J. A. Gauthier, Flint, Michigan, USA; Rfn. D. E. Southworth, Campbellford, Ontario; Rfn. K. R. Inche, Oshawa, Ontario; Rfn. Frederick A. Cooper, Sutton West, Ontario.
From Fred Cooper : Yokohama, Japan - boarded battleship Wisconsin September 10th, 1945. Traveled to Guam Island, September 12th 1945. Stopped at Johnston Island, flew to Hawaii then to Oakland. Departed Oakland by boat, traveled to San Francisco. Traveled by train from San Francisco to Vancouver, BC October 3rd, 1945. Left Vancouver, by train and arrived at Union station in Toronto, Ontario October 8th, 1945.
Post-war Photo
Other Military 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-01-04 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Keswick Ontario Canada | Keswick Cemetery | Yes | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Peacefully at his home in Keswick, on Friday, January 4, 2019 at the age of 99 years. Frederick, beloved husband of the late Delilah. Dear father of Bill and his wife Suzanne, Gord and his wife Carol, Lois and her husband John Leppan, Ron, Darlene and her husband Phil Comartin, and Dianne and her husband Eric Day. Loving grandfather of ten and great grandfather of ten. Fondly remembered by his extended family and many friends. Resting at the Forrest & Taylor Funeral Home, Sutton on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 from 11:00 – 12:00 with a Funeral Service in the chapel at 12:00. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association at www.HKVCA.ca would be appreciated by the family. Memorial condolences may be made at www.forrestandtaylor.com
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.
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
→ Related documentation for information published in this report, such as birth information, discharge papers, press clippings and census documents may be available via shared resources in our HKVCA Vault. It is organized with folders named using regimental numbers. Use the first letter of the individual's service number to choose the correct folder, then scroll to the specific sub-folder displaying the service number of your interest.
General Comments
Fred Cooper was on the Awatea
July 1, 1941 joined Royal regiment of Canada, at Exhibition Grounds, Toronto, Ontario. Transferred to Royal Riffles in October 1941
Battle Information- Dec. 26th, 1941 We had been held up in a Pill Box at the base of Sugar Loaf Mountain. The Lieutenant of Hong Kong regiment and 2 Japanese Guards had been looking for us, (there were four of us, Alan Harper, & Ken Campbell, myself and 1 other soldier) The Lieutenant asked us to put our guns down, as they were now prisoners of the Japanese.
Submitted by Fred & his daughter Dianne Day January 2017
End of Report.
Report generated: 21 Nov 2024.
Additional Notes
(These will not be visible on the printed copy)
- Service numbers for officers 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.