1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Sergeant | Samuel | |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Cornwall ON | Eastern Quebec | 1903-01-04 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| HQ Coy | 4 Carrier | |
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 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 | 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 |
Ottawa Area Troops Returning From Japan
Seventeen Canadian soldiers from Military District No. 3, prisoners of the Japanese for several years, are returning to Canada. They docked at San Francisco on the U.S.S. Ozark on Tuesday, and are now en route to their homes.
They include: Rfn.. Clarence F. Bevan, Cobourg; Rfn: George Clarke, Arnprior; Rfn. Wendell F. Coughler, Aultsville; Rfn. William H. Gagne, Brighton; Pte. Richard N. Grieves, Haliburton; RQMS. William N. Henderson, Ville-Marie; Rfn. Thomas G. Jones, Pembroke; Rfn. Gordon J. Lalonde, Martintown; Rfn. Walter R. Lançour, Chalk River: Rfn. Clayton K. MacPherson, Cornwall; Rfn. Wilfred Maloof, Noranda; Rfn. Harold E. Maynes, Plainfield; Rfn. Lee E. Porterfield, Noranda; Rfn. Samuel Shane, Cornwall; Rfn: William G. Tainsh, Lindsay; Rfn. Clarence W. Thompson, Port Hope, and Rfn. Percy T. Weaver, Fenelon Falls.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-06-05 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
Gravestone Image
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Obituary / Life Story
Samuel, of Lauderhill formerly of Lawrence, L.I., NY passed away Thursday, June 5, 1997. Beloved husband of Sara; loving father of Douglas and Susan; dear brother of Rose; adored grandfather of four; and cherished great grandfather of four.
South Florida Sun Sentinel 06 Jun 1997, Fri Page 41
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
Three District Men Among Prisoners
The Canadian (active) army in its 186th overseas casualty list of the war last night listed the names of 69 Hong Kong prisoners of war - 41 of them members of the Royal Rifles of Canada from Quebec and 28 from the Winnipeg Grenadiers.
The army on Saturday released the names of 123 soldiers of the Royal Regiment of Canada now officially reported prisoners of war as a result of the fighting at Hong Kong last December.
Included in Saturday's list was the name of Rifleman Samuel Shane, a brother of William Shane of 62 Lennox street, Cornwall.
Among the names in Sunday's list were those of two Ottawa and district men. They are Rifleman Nicholas Danyluck. son of Mrs. Effie Danyluck, Black Donald, Renfrew county, and Rifleman John Thomas Ferrigan, son of Thomas Ferrigan, Campbell's Bay.
The Ottawa Citizen 26 Oct 1942, Mon - Page 13
District POW Freed
The Department of National Defence announced officially last night that Rfn. Samuel Shane, brother of William Shane, 111 Adolphus street, Cornwall, has been liberated from a Japanese prisoner of war camp.
A member of the Royal Regiment of Canada, Rfn. Shane was taken prisoner in December, 1941, while serving in Hong Kong with that regiment. No further word of the liberated soldier's condition or whereabouts were made known in the list which brings the total number of men officially released as 315 persons.
The Ottawa Citizen 13 Sep 1945, Thu - Page 10
Cornwall Man With Hong Kong Forces Reported Missing
CORNWALL, Jan. 19.-(Special) - Mrs. Harold Thompson received word today that her brother, Pte. Clayton MacPherson, with the Quebec Royal Rifles in Hong Kong is listed as missing. The word came from the headquarters of the unit at Quebec and said more details will be forwarded as soon as obtained through the International Red Cross and Department of National Defence.
This was the first official word received by any relative as to the fate of eight local and district boys known to have been in Hong Kong fighting the Japanese.
Clayton MacPherson has two sisters, Miss Edna MacPherson, Cornwall, and Miss Ann MacPherson in Toronto. He enlisted early in 1940 in the first battalion Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders and transferred to the Quebec Royal Rifles in October last. He is a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Alexander (Sandy) MacPherson, of Finch township.
It was learned today that Pte. Samuel Shane, brother of William Shane of Cornwall was also in Hong Kong. He resided here for more than a year before enlisting in the Quebec Royal Rifles in August, 1940. A native of Drummondville. Que., he is a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Shane. William Shane is a Sgt. Major in the second Battalion of the S. D. and G. Highlanders. He has not yet recived any word as to the fate of his brother.
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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