1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Lance Sergeant | Joseph | Maurice |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Harvey NB | Eastern Quebec | 1914-10-12 |
| 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
| Date Wounded | Wound Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/18 | 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 | 43 Aug 15 | ||
| JP-To-5B | Niigata-Rinko | Niigata-ken, Nakakambara-gun, Ogata-mura, Japan | Marutsu, Rinko Coal, Shintetsu | Stevedore labor at port of Niigata (Marutsu), primarily foodstuffs; mining coal (Rinko Coal ) and labor at a foundry (Shintetsu) | 43 Sep 03 | 44 Jan 18 |
| JP-To-15B | Niigata-Tekko | Niigata-ken, Niigata City, Yamanoshita, Akiba-dori, Japan | Niigata Ironworks Company | 44 Jan 18 | 45 Sep 05 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD4B | Manryu Maru | 43 Aug 15 | 43 Sep 01 | Osaka, Japan | Brief stopover in Taihoku (Taipei), Formosa (Taiwan); then 2 day stopover at northern point for stool tests | Tony Banham |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Ozark Passenger List A | SF | 1945-10-02 | evacuated from Japan via USS Ozark |
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.
Decorations Received
| Image | Name of Award | Abbreviation | References | Precedence | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Mentioned-in-Despatches | MiD | 39, 40, 124 | 13 | Citation not found |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-01-14 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Hopewell Hill New Brunswick Canada | Holy Ghost Catholic Cemetery | Yes | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Maurice Joseph McCarron Maurice Joseph McCarron, 80, of Jones Street, Moncton, passed away on Saturday, January 14, 1995 at The Moncton Hospital after a lengthy illness.
Born on October 12, 1914, in Harvey, Albert County, he was the son of the late Phillip and Agnes (O'Connor) McCarron. Mr. McCarron was a retired Park Superintendent with Parks Canada. He began his career at Fundy National Park. He attended St. Augustines Roman Catholic Church and was also active in the Knights of Columbus. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #6 Moncton. Mr. McCarron served with the Royal Rifles of Canada in the Pacific during the Second World War. As a ranking NCO, he was mentioned in dispatches. He spent 44 months as a prisoner of war in Hong Kong and Japan.
He is survived by his wife, Gladys (McKinley) McCarron; one daughter, Helen Bilek of Halifax, N.S.; four sons, Phillip and wife Jeanette of Vancouver, B.C., John and wife Jane of Whitby, Ont., Gerald of Brackley, PEI., Joseph and his wife Mary of Victoria, B.C.; four sisters, Mrs. Alice Culbert of Woodstock, Sister Vera McCarron, SFO of Tampa, Fla., USA., Mrs. Mary Morris of Montreal, Que., Mrs. Berthenia Morris of Riverview; eight grandchildren; several nieces and nephews. Mr. McCarron was predeceased by two sisters, Bernice McCarron and Grace Johnston; one brother, John McCarron. Resting at Tuttle Brothers Funeral Home, 171 Lutz Street, Moncton, with visiting hours.
Unidentified newspaper clipping
The funeral mass for the late Maurice McCarron was held January 17, 1995 from St. Augustine's Church, Moncton, with Rev. Peter McKee officiating. Hymns sung were, "Be Not Afraid", "How Great Thou Art", and "Here I Am Lord". Active Pallbearers were Lloyd Culbert, Lou Bilek, James Quillian, Eugene Leaman, Ryan McCarron, lan Bilek. Honorary pallbearers were Hong Kong Veterans James Darrah and Graham Boudreau. Relatives and friends attending were from Victoria and Surrey, B.C., Whitby, Ont., Halifax and Antigonish, N.S., Brackley, P.E.I., Sussex, Tidehead, Centreville, Moncton and Albert Co., N.B. Interment in spring in Holy Ghost Cemetery, Hopewell Hill, N.B.
Unidentified newspaper clipping November 9, 1942
The family of the late Maurice McCarron wish to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to all those who helped in so many ways during the recent loss of our loved one. Special thanks to Berthenia and other relatives and friends who visited Maurice at home and in the hospital. To all those who brought food, visited the funeral home, sent flowers, sympathy cards, masses, made charitable donations, phoned condolences, or attended the funeral, please know your support was greatly appreciated. Our gratitude, to Fr. McKee for his comforting words, to the pallbearers, readers Ann Breault and Margaret Lowell, soloist Pauletta Theriault, to the C.W.L. members for the reception following the funeral. Sincere thanks to Dr. W. Taylor, Dr. Douglas, for their care over many years, to the Extra-Mural nurses for their care and concern shown to Maurice during his lengthy illness. Thanks also to his fellow legionaires Branch #6 Moncton for their moving memorial service. Your kindness will always be remembered.
Gladys, Philip, John, Helen, Gerald and Joseph.
Unidentified newspaper clipping
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
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General Comments
Receive Card From Son In Japanese Prison Camp
RIVERSIDE, Albert County, Feb. 26—(Special) —Sgt.-Maj. J. Maurice McCarron is "safe and well" in a prisoner
of war camp in Tokyo, Japan, according to a card received from him by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Philip McCarron. The card, which bore no date, stated also that he had received word from them.
This is the second direct word that they have received from their son, a similar card having arrived some time ago, dated June 4, 1942, and bearing the same message. He went to Hong Kong with the Royal Rifles of Canada and was taken prisoner there in 1941, and was later taken toTokyo.
Unidentified newspaper clipping
WITNESS RETURNS FROM WAR TRIALS
Maurice McCarron, Alma, Testified in Japanese Prison Camps Case
MONCTON, April 17 - (C.P.)- Maurice McCarron is back in his home in Alma, today from Japan, where he had been called to give testimony in the war crimes trial of 36 Japanese civilians. These men had been the war-time bosses of concentration camps in which McCarron had been imprisoned for nearly four years.
McCarron, Company Sergeant-Major of the Royal Rifles of Canada, was captured in the Hong Kong
Christmas Day battle in the Second World War and had been imprisoned at Niigata Camp until V J Day August, 1915. During this period he had worked in the iron and steel mills, at the coal yards and on the docks at Niigata. Civilians had been in charge of the camp and although reluctant to discuss his treatment, he described it "very bad."
A supervisor in the new national park at Alma, McCarron was recalled to Japan for war trials and had given testimony over a period of eight days. Permission was given him to return home after his evidence had been taken and he had been warned not to discuss the evidence given at the trials.
McCarron took a couple of days off from his duties at the trial to visit the camp in which he had been imprisoned. It was a day's drive from Yokahama, where the trials are being conducted. He found the Japanese much changed from the days when they were in power and he was a prisoner.
"They seem to be accepting American discipline well," he said.
Unidentified newspaper clipping
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.
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