1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Allen | Campbell |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Bury QC | Eastern Quebec | 1910-11-01 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| 13 | ||
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 | 45 Sep 10 |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Gosper | Victoria | 1945-10-12 | Manila to Victoria, BC 1936 British and CDNS |
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.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-08-02 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Bury Quebec Canada | Bown Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Allen Campbell Kelso, a Hong Kong veteran of World War 11, was born November 1, 1910 at Adderly in the township of Inverness, Megantic County, Province of Quebec. He passed away at the Sherbrooke Hospital on August 2, 1984 after a long illness.
Allen C. Kelso was the son of John and Della McGillivary, descendents of the Scottish settlers who came to Megantic County, Quebec from the Isle of Arran, Scotland in 1829. The family consisted of five boys: - Kenneth, Russell, Lorne, Allen, and Murray. Allen C. Kelso grew up on the family farm and attended a little country schoolhouse close by. During the 1930’s Allen C. Kelso went to Scotstown and Canterbury in the Eastern Townships of Quebec where he lived and worked for three years before enlisting in the Royal Rifles of Canada July 26, 1940 (regimental number E29936).
Rifleman Allen Campbell Kelso of the Royal Rifles of Canada was captured and taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese in Hong Kong on December 25, 1941 He was released in August 1945. During his capture, he and his comrades suffered great and unbelievable hardships with little to eat. Allen C. Kelso was never willing to discuss this period of his life as it brought back too many difficult memories.
Rifleman Allen C. Kelso returned home in late 1945. His niece Lorraine can remember her Uncle Allen’s arrival home, dressed in military uniform to her parent’s farm (the farm where Allen C. Kelso was born and spent his early years).The Kelso family put on a party at the Court House in Inverness, Quebec to welcome Rifleman Allen C. Kelso’s safe return to Canada.
Shortly after his return to Canada, Allen C. Kelso settled on a farm in Bury, Quebec (the town that he enlisted in) where he had many friends. He had a great love for horses which was evident in the pride he showed in exhibiting his horses at the Compton County Fair in Cookshire, Quebec. Allen C. Kelso’s health had been greatly affected as a result of his prisoner of war experiences which resulted in his having problems with his heart and legs throughout his life.
A military funeral service was held for Rifleman
Allen Campbell Kelso at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Bury, Quebec on August 5,
1984. A Legion service was conducted at his graveside in the Bown Cemetery. His
wishes were that his beret and service medals be presented to his nephew and
then be passed on to his nephew’s son to remain in the Kelso family. A tree has
since been planted in Ontario’s Grand River Valley in loving memory of Allen
Campbell Kelso.
Barry Crawford, October 30, 2005
(Revised from information received from Allen C. Kelso’s niece Lorraine)
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
Mementos:
☜ See photo.
Press article (1945)
Among the members of Canadian Army personnel reported liberated from Japanese prisoner-of-war camps is Rifleman Allen Kelso, E-29936, Royal Rifles of Canada. His brother, Lorne Kelso, Adderley, received two cablegrams from the Director of Record, Ottawa, with the news he was safe in Allied hands, and in good health. A card from Rifleman Kelso gave the same news. Rifleman Kelso enlisted in Bury, Que., and is a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Kelso, Adderley, Que. He sailed for Hongkong in November 1941. Christmas Day he became a prisoner-of-war of the Japs.
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.