1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Lance Corporal | Harold | Simon |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Danville QC | Eastern Quebec | 1913-06-22 |
| 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| admitted/NATS | Oakland | 1945-10-08 |
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
E29840 Harold Heath - wedding picture of Harold Heath and Helen Gallup.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-04-13 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Sechelt British Columbia Canada | St. Hilda's Memorial Garden Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
HEATH, Harold Simon - Born June 22, 1913 in Compton, Quebec, passed away suddenly on April 13, 2006 at Totem Lodge, Sechelt, BC. Dad was predeceased by his wife Helen (nee Gallup), parents George and Caroline, brother Graydon and sisters Mary Louise, Elsie and Phyllis. He leaves to mourn sister Harriet (Ken) Healy, Ottawa, daughter Sharon (Serge) Planidin, Sechelt, BC, son Stuart, Victoria, BC, and many nieces, nephews and friends throughout Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. Mom and Dad grew up and lived in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, settling in Danville. Dad enlisted in the Royal Rifles of Canada in 1940 and was sent overseas to defend Hong Kong in 1941 where, after a fierce battle, he was taken prisoner. After four years in deplorable conditions he was rescued and sent home. After the war, he worked for Canadian Johns Manville, in Asbestos, Quebec, as a Fibre Inspector until his retirement. Mom and Dad enjoyed travelling in their retirement, by car, plane and ship, to various places around the globe. Ln 1977 they moved to British Columbia and in 1979 they settled in Sechelt (Davis Bay), BC. Dad was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, both in Danville and in Sechelt for many years. After Mom passed away, Dad moved into an apartment where he lived until late 2003. Despite all he had gone through, Dad was a fun-loving, kind and gentle man with a great sense of humour who will be deeply missed. No service by request. A reception to remember Dad will be held at a later date. Internment will be in St. Hilda's Memorial Garden, Sechelt, BC. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association, Suite 164, 1 Stafford Road, Nepean, Ontario, ICH 1B9 are appreciated. The family would like to thank the staff at Totem Lodge for the wonderful care they gave Dad during his short time there
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 Eastern Townships can take justifiable pride in the number of families who have contributed two or more sons to the Canadian active army and pictured here are brothers from two Asbestos families who took part in the gallant defence of Hong Kong until that British garrison fell Christmas Day.
Standing at right are Rifleman Lorne C. Findlay (left), and L/Cpl. George K. Findlay, sons of Mr. And Mrs. Clifton Findlay, of Asbestos. Rifleman Lorne Findlay is twenty years of age and enlisted with the Royal Rifles of Canada just five weeks before that unit left Canada for Hong Kong. Lance Corporal George Findlay joined the Royal Rifles in July, 1940. He was married in September, 1941 to Miss Laura Heale, of Saint Johns, Newfoundland.
Pictured at top are, at left, L/Cpl. J. Graydon Heath, and at right L/Cpl Harold S. Heath, sons of Mr. and Mrs. George heath of Asbestos.
L/Cpl. Graydon Heath enlisted with the Royal Rifles in July, 1940. He was married in March, 1934, to Miss Leila V. Findlay, of Asbestos, and they have two children, Margaret, age 7, and George, age 5.
L/Cpl. Harold Heath, who joined the Royal Rifles in July, 1940, was married to Miss Helen Gallup, of Asbestos, in September 1941.
They are brothers of Mrs. J. Reed, Minto Street, Sherbrooke.
Unknown Newspaper clipping
’C’ Force Family Connections:
- Brother of E29915 James Heath
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.