Individual Report: E30171 Hubert BUJOLD

Rank:	First Name:	Second Name:
General Information
Rifleman	Hubert
From:	Enlistment Region:	Date of Birth (y-m-d):
Cross Point QC	Eastern Quebec	1921-08-19
Appointment:	Company:	Platoon:
	A

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.

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
1941-12-23		Killed In Action
Cemetery Location	Cemetery	Grave Number	Gravestone Marker
Cape Collinson Road Chai Wan Hong Kong China	Sai Wan Memorial	Column 24.	NA

Gravestone Image

Obituary / Life Story

Son of Lazare Bujold and Brigitte Laetitia (alias Laura) Boudreau, of Pointe-à-la-Croix, Québec. Step-brother of Joseph Édouard Bujold, service number E-30145, and Napoléon Xavier (alias Paul) Bujold, service number E-30178, both served with the 1st Battalion, Royal Rifles of Canada, and were made prisoners of war in Hong Kong and in Japan; they both survived the war.
Hubert served in Québec, in Newfoundland with Force W, in Hong Kong with Force C. He had 502 days of service, including 57 overseas.
Citation(s): 1939-1945 Star, Pacific Star, War Medal 1939-1945, Canadien Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp.
Canadian Virtual War Memorial

This SAI WAN MEMORIAL honours over 2000 men of the land forces of the British Commonwealth and Empire who died in the defence of Hong Kong during the Second World War. The SAI WAN MEMORIAL is in the form of a shelter building 24 metres long and 5.5 metres wide. It stands at the entrance to Sai Wan Bay War Cemetery, outside Victoria, the capital of Hong Kong. From the semi-circular forecourt, two wide openings lead to the interior of the building. The names are inscribed on panels of Portland stone. The dedicatory inscription reads:

1939 - 1945 The officers and men whose memory is honoured here died in the defence of Hong Kong in December 1941 and in the ensuing years of captivity and have no known grave.

The northern side of the Memorial is open and four granite piers support the copper roof. From a commanding position 305 metres above sea level, it looks out over the War Cemetery where some 1,500 men lie buried, and across the water to Mainland China - a magnificent view of sea and mountains.

Links and Other Resources

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General Comments

One Brother Dies, Another Caught With Rfmn. Bujold at Hong Kong
When the smoke of battle cleared after the fall of Hong Kong on that fateful Christmas Day, 1941, Rfmn. Paul Bujold took stock of what loss the Japanese had inflicted upon his two brothers and himself. He knew that he had been shot through the left arm, knew his younger brother, Rfmn. Hubert, was dead - because he saw him fall - but for a time he did not know what had happened to another younger brother, Rfmn. Edward. He found out where brother Edward was when he himself was placed in a foul - smelling prison camp, there to remain with a sore arm for what he at first thought would be a short time. The time of his imprisonment, however, amid filth and a little poor food, turned out to be almost four years. Then he and his brother, Edward, were set free by the Allies, leaving young Hubert buried in the soil he attempted to defend.
By this time, Rfmn. Paul Bujold will be resting in his home at Cross Point, Que., with his father, Lazare, and his three sisters, and his brother, Edward, is somewhere between there and the Far East, but still on his way home. Another brother, Joseph, a member of the Canadian Forestry Corps, is still to come home from England.
Rfmn. Bujold passed through Montreal yesterday, with seven other liberated prisoners of the Japanese, all members of the heroic Royal Rifles of Canada. The group, which arrived here from the Pacific Coast, are all on their way to their homes throughout the Province of Quebec and the Maritimes.
The other members of this latest group of former Hong Kong prisoners were: Rfmn. M. D. MacDonald, of Megantic, Que.; Rfmn. W. W. MacKinnon, of Gaspe. Que.; Rfmn. A Girard, of Barachois West, Que; RQMS. W. N. Henderson, of Ville Marie, Que.; Rfmn. Bernard Haley, of Matapedia, Que.; Rfmn. P. Duplessis, of St. Stephen, N.B., and Rfmn. E. S. Innes, of St. John's, Newfoundland.
Tales of maltreatment at the hands of the Japanese and of almost unbelievable conditions which existed in their camps, were related by the entire group, who looked exceedingly fit upon arrival here.
In addition to Rfmn. Bujold, Rfmn. Haley also lost a brother at Hong Kong. He was Rfmn. Reginald Haley, who died in prison.
Rfmn. Innes, who enlisted when he was only 16, gained 48 pounds since his liberation and expressed his feeling upon arriving here by jumping about and exclaiming. "Gosh, it's great to be back!"
The eight soldiers were met upon arrival at Windsor station by members of the Red Cross and the War Services Auxiliary of the Canadian Legion, who entertained them and catered to their needs during their brief stop - over The group boarded trains at Central Station early in the evening to complete the last lap of their long journey.
Rfmn. Emile Blanchette, of 5585 Phillips avenue, Outremont, and Gaspe, Que., arrived home on Saturday and was met by his sister, Miss Elsie Blanchette, and a party of friends at Central Station.
Two more repatriated prisoners from Hong Kong are due to arrive at Windsor Station at 11.15 a.m. today. They are Rfmn, E. E. Davidson of South Durham, Que. and Rfmn. K. Muir of Windsor Mills, Que.

'C' Force Family Connections:

Stepbrother to E30145 John Bujold
Brother to E30178 Paul Bujold

End of Report.
Report generated: 27 Apr 2025.
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Additional Notes

(These will not be visible on the printed copy)
1. Service numbers for officers ("X") are locally generated for reporting only. During World War II officers were not allocated service numbers until 1945.
2. '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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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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