The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Signalman | Wallace | George |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Montreal QC | Eastern Quebec | 1921-03-30 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Despatch Rider | Brigade Headquarters | |
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
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-UNK | N/A | N/A |
POW Camps
| Camp ID | Camp Name | Location | Company | Type of Work | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 141 CDNs |
From the records of Gene Labiuk: USS transport ship Admiral C.F. Hughes.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-09-07 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Surrey British Columbia Canada | Sunnyside Lawn Cemetery | Engraved | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Wallace Normand was born on March 30, 1921 and passed away in White Rock, BC and is under the care of Victory Memorial Park & Funeral Centre. Graveside Service will be held on September 13, 2013 at 1:00 pm at Sunnyside Lawn Cemetery, 14850 28 Avenue, Surrey, BC.
PRISONER OF WAR
SGNM. WALLACE GEORGE NORMAND, reported missing after the fall of Hong Kong, is now officially listed as a prisoner of war, according to advice reaching his father, A. J. Normand, 3453 Peel street. Sgnm. Normand was a dispatch rider with the Headquarters Company of the Royal Rifles. Twenty years of age, he was born in Montreal, and educated at St. Leo's, Westmount.
WRITES FROM HONG KONG
The first direct word from SGMN WALLACE GEORGE NORMAND, captured by the Japanese after the fall of Hong Kong, DeceMber 25, 1941, has just been received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Normand, 3453 Peel street. The message which reached them by cable reads as follows: "I am well and please don't worry. I nope everyone in the family is well too. This is about all I can say but, if possible, could you send me some syrup, brown sugar or jam for rice, pictures of all, and thick sweetened chocolate, and cigarets."
Sgmn. Normand was born in Montreal 20 years ago and was educated in St. Leo's School, Westmount. He was a dispatch rider with the Headquarters Company of the Royal Rifles. Prior to the cable, he had sent word of his capture through the International Red Cross at Geneva in February, 1943.
Son's Letter Arrives After Year's Waiting
For four years, Mrs. Grace Normand of 3453 Peel street had waited for good news of her son Wallace. When he was 19, he enlisted as a dispatch rider with the Headquarters Company of the Royal Rifles. He went overseas in October, 1941, was captured by the Japanese after the fall of Hong Kong. Two years later, Mrs. Normand received a terse cable informing her that her son was still alive. Each day since then she had read newspaper accounts of other mothers receiving good news from sons overseas. Each day she had thought: "Maybe next time it will be my turn."
Yesterday her turn came. Late in the afternoon a messenger rang the bell at 3454 Peel street, handed Mrs. Normand a crumpled postcard that had journeyed from Shamshupo Prison Camp, Hong Kong. It read: "Dear Mother: I am feeling fine and hope that you don't worry. Take care of yourself until I come home. Wallace."
Said Mrs. Normand: "I know he is well his handwriting is so strong and firm."
CABLES FROM MANILA:
Sgmn. Wallace George Normand, of Montreal, recently liberated from a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp near Hong Kong, has arrived safely in Manila, according to a cable received yesterday by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Normand, 3453 Peel street. In his cable Sgmn. Wallace, who was a dispatch rider with the headquarters company of the Royal Rifles, lauds the hospitality and care extended to the ex- prisoners-of-war by the people of Manila.
Now 24 years old, Sgmn, Wallace was born and educated in Montreal. Following the fall of Hong Kong in 1941, his parents received no word from him until February, 1943, when news of his capture was received through the International Red Cross. His parents received only three other brief messages from him during his entire captivity and are now anxiously awaiting his return to Canada.
Links and Other Resources
Read more about RCCS 'C' Force members in Burke Penny's book Beyond the Call published by HKVCA.
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
For more information, Search for "Interview with Wallace Normand" on HKVCA.ca in the upper right hand corner of this page
Son of Alfred Joseph Normand and Grace Musgrave
Facebook comment February 2018- Philip Cracknell- He was a Dispatch Rider and an " amateur drummer" (Allister Page 9).
Facebook comment February 2018- Burke Penny- Wally and his soon to be close friend Bob Damant originally signed up with the Canadian Motorcycle Regiment in Montreal in July 1940. They transferred to the Signal Corps a year later. On December 19 1941 Wally had to bury his good friend who had been killed, along with three other Signallers, by shellfire.
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.