1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Allison | Ronald |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Wyer's Brook NB | Eastern Quebec | 1922-10-17 |
| 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 Apr 16 |
| JP-Se-4B | Ohashi | Iwate-ken, Kamihei-gun, Katsushi-mura, Ohashi, Japan | Nippon Steel Company | 45 Apr 16 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-12-28 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Yes | |||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
MacDonald Allison(WWII Hong Kong Prisoner of War)Passed away suddenly in Oshawa on Sunday, December 28th, 2014, in his 93rd year. Beloved husband of Margaret for 65 years. Loving father of Garry (Louise) and the late Pam (Mike) Swaga. Cherished grandfather of Tracy, Chad, Dana, Holly, Adam, Scott, and great grandfather of 9. Predeceased by his 10 brothers and sisters. The family would like to thank the paramedics and the staff at Lakeridge Health Oshawa emergency department and all who helped and cared for Allie and our family during this difficult time. Memorial visitation will be held at OSHAWA FUNERAL HOME, 847 King Street West (905-721-1234) on Saturday, January 3rd from 10:00 a.m. until time of Memorial Service in the chapel at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society or Multiple Sclerosis Society would be appreciated. Online condolences may be made at www.oshawafuneralhome.com
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
Brothers At Hong Kong
Day and night Mr. and Mrs. John MacDonald wait at Upsalquitch, Restigouche County, for word of the fate of their four stalwart sons who were at Hong Kong with the Royal Rifles of Canada. They are the parents of the five soldiers shown above, all of whom except Raymond, second from the left, were in the fighting in the Orient. Raymond, discharged as physically unfit, is now a worker in a munitions plant.
All were riflemen in the R.R.C. Reading from left to right: Alexander, aged 27, Regimental No, E29964; Raymond, 25, E30026; George, 24, E29972; Donald, 20, E29973, and Allison, 19, E29974. All but Raymond were in "B" Company. He had been a member of "C".
The five MacDonald brothers enlisted at Matapedia, Aug. 1, 1940, training with the regiment at Valcartier, Sussex, Newfoundland and Saint John. They left New Brunswick in October and were in Hong Kong within a month. They cabled home Nov. 21 to announce their same arrival in the old Crown fortress which fell to the Japanese Christmas Day.
Mrs. MacDonald has been in communication with her sister, Mrs. A. H. McLeod, 66 Erin Street, since word came announcing the fall of Hong Kong. Two of Mrs. McLeod's sons, cousins of the MacDonald boys, are members of the 3rd N. B. Coast Brigade, R.C.A., here and recall that the Royal Rifles did coastal defence duty in their own defence area but did not know at the time they had relatives in the units. The local soldiers are Gnr. D. McLeod and Gnr. R. O. McLeod. Also in the same coastal battery is a son-in-law of Mrs. McLeod's - Gnr. John Asseltine.
Another member of the MacDonald family, Mrs. MacDonald's son-in-law, was rejected as medically unfit when he attempted to enlist in the Rifles.
St. John Times Globe, January 12, 1942
'C' Force Family Connections:
- Brother to E29964 Alexander MacDonald
- Brother to E29973 Donald MacDonald
- Brother to E29974 Allison MacDonald
- 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.
End of Report.
Report generated: 27 Apr 2025.
Additional Notes
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