1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Harry | Vernon |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Campbellton NB | Eastern Quebec | 1923-09-28 |
| 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 | 45 Sep 10 |
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
At the hospital in Manila.
Crop of photo submitted by Bob Sweet, in Nov 2016.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-10-21 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Campbellton New Brunswick Canada | Campbellton Rural Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
buried beside his brother Raymond Adams E301220. Died about 2 months apart
Obituary / Life Story
Harry Adams- Final tribute was paid by a large number of friends to Harry Vernon Adams, who was fatally injured during a train accident near his home at Tide Head, Wednesday, October 21st,,1953. The funeral was conducted from his home Sunday, October25th at 2:30 p.m. Rev. W.H. Thomas, minister of the Tide Head United Church, officiated at the home, assisted by members of the Campbellton Branch Canadian Legion, who performed military honours at the Rural Cemetery, Campbellton, N.B. cemetery. Included in the service was the singing of Alfred Tennyson's 'Crossing the Bar' by Rev. W.H. Thomas. Other hymns were sung by the United Church Choir. Representatives of No. 124 Hong Kong Branch, Matapedia and No. 35 Atholville Branch Canadian Legion, were in attendance. The procession to the cemetery was led by the former Hong Kong Prisoners of War. Honorary pall bearers were Dudley Dimock, Doherty Mann, Anker Madsen, Allison Ryan, Paul Harquall and Herbert Adams. Active pall bearers were Robert Worrell, William Flann, Royce Calder, Earl Robertson, William McNaughton and Raymond Corbin. He leaves to mourns his mother Mrs. Henry Adams; Seven brothers Robert, at home, Alward, Yukon, N.W.T., Dennis, Victoria, B.C., Harvey, New Carlisle, P.Q., Douglas, Nanaimo, B.C., Raymond, St. John, New Brunswick, Francis home from England, and five sisters Mrs. Lloyd Moore, Terrace Bay Ontario, Mrs. Samuel Boyd, Terrace Bay Ontario, Mrs. Robert Edwards, Montreal P.Q., Miss Ramona Adams, Moncton, N.B., and Miss Rose Marie Adams at home. His father was killed in a railway accident in May, 1943. Harry had been a victim of Japanese imprisonment for four years, but his courage and spirit had never ceased in spite of his physical handicaps. His presence will be greatly missed by those that knew him. Among those attending from out of town were: L.A.C.F.F. Adams, RCAF North Luffenham, England; Mr. & Mrs. Robert Edwards, Montreal, Mr. & Mrs. Harvey Adams, New Carlisle, Mr. Raymond Adams, St. John, Miss Ramona Adams, Moncton, Mr. & Mrs. Harry Culligan, Toronto, Mr. & Mrs. Earl Chesser, Miss Beth Devinney and Mr. Les McAuley, all of Moncton. Many organizations and friends expressed grief at Mr. Adams passing. Many floral and wreath tributes were listed on original obituary.
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
WWII Royal Rifles of Canada: Out of the 962 members of this Regiment, 30 were part of the Irvine clan- served in Hong Kong- survivors became Japanese POWs- 10 died. This information is taken from a family history book by George Russell in 2000 for the Irvine Family of the Mann Settlement. calvary@sgci.com
Grenadiers Hold First Reunion
Presentation of a huge birthday cake was the highlight of the first annual reunion of the Winnipeg Grenadiers' Association, Friday. Four veterans came from Shaughnessy hospital for the regimental celebration. Danny Dyck, Dick Grant, Harry Adams and Jack Porter are still under treatment for after-effects of their war service. They renewed acquaintance with many others who were interned with them in Hong Kong. Most the veterans have completely recovered from their experience, and all were in good spirits. The Winnipeg Grenadier ex-servicemen were guests of former members of the 78th Battalion C.E.F. at the Buffaloes Hall. The Province 19 Oct 1946, Saturday, Page 6
'C' Force Family Connections:
- Brother to E30120 Raymond Adams
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.