1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Corporal | Wilfred | Joseph |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Noranda QC | Eastern Quebec | 1921-03-21 |
| 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 Dec 15 | ||
| JP-Os-11B | Narumi | Aichi-ken, Aichi-gun, Narumi-machi, Arimatsu Mura 114-3 | Nippon Rolling Stock Company and Daido Electric Steel Company | Men employed as slaves for Daido Electric Steel Company and made wheels at the Nippon Wheel (Vehicle) Mfg. | 44 Jan 06 | 45 Sep 04 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD5A | SS Soong Cheong / Toyama Maru | 43 Dec 15 | 44 Jan 04 | Moji, Japan | Arrived at Takao, Formosa, 43 Dec 20; Transferred to Toyama Maru, 43 Dec 30, went to Narumi | 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not recorded | |||
| 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
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
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
Canadians Bare Jap Brutalities
Evidence of Horrors Given At Hong Kong
HONG KONG, Aug. 30 — (B.U.P.)- Canadian and British prisoners of war were kicked into the water by Japanese sailors when they tried to climb aboard Japanese ships after their prison "hell ship" Lisbon Maru was torpedoed in October, 1942, it was testified before the war crimes court here today.
Lieut. Geoffrey Hamilton, Second Battalion, Royal Scots, said the prison ship appeared to be an ordinary armed transport.
His affidavit was read at the war crimes trial of Genichiro Niimori, Japanese civilian interpreter, charged with direct responsibility for the death of 846 Canadian and British prisoners of war.
Aboard the "hell ship" on which 1,816 prisoners of war were being transported from Hong Kong to Japan, Hamilton testified, "the air soon became absolutely foul and acrid, with the stench of sweating bodies packed closely together, and also due to the fact that there were no sanitary arrangements whatsoever." Only 970 survived the voyage. Hamilton's affidavit said several of the sick were in a dying condition and that "two died during one night after screaming for water and air."
Canadian Affidavits
Testimony in the form of affidavits by Canadian soldiers highlighted the trial, telling of Japanese atrocities against Canadians, including the hanging of one man for three hours by his hands. Niimori, a small horse-faced man of 40 years, is being tried on 11 counts of war atrocities.
Robert H. Challis, formerly RSM, Middlesex Regiment, England, testified that Niimori ordered Japanese sentries to open fire on prisoners of war when they broke out of the hold of the sinking prison ship after it was torpedoed.
Sapper Arthur P. Noxby, London, in an affidavit, swore that Japanese patrol boats opened rifle fire on prison ship survivors struggling in the water. He said that after being picked up from the water by Japanese ships Niimori took all the survivors' clothing.
Niimori kicked several men from the Second Battalion, Royal Scots, who were unable to stand due to dysentry, the court was told in further sworn statements. The survivors later were transferred to a prison camp at Kobe, Japan.
Brutalities to Sick
Aboard the prison ship before it was torpedoed, prisoners testified that a number of men were sick with dysentry and diphtheria, and when they asked the Japanese guards for water they were handed down a bucket of urine.
"I was one of the men who actually handled this bucket of urine," a statement from George A. Haywood, Pilsley, Derbyshire, said.
The brutally-treated Canadian and British prisoners who survived the torpedoing were forced to work in Nagoya steel mills in Japan, the war crimes tribunal was told. Kenneth Muir, Windsor Mills, Quebec, testified that he and 50 other survivors were jammed into a 20-by-30-foot hold in the Tokyo Maru for the trip back to Japan. He said the box-like room was filled with vermin and the weakened prisoners could not all lie down at the same time.
Other testimony was given concerning alleged filthy conditions aboard the prison ships and Niimori's alleged order to Japanese guards to fire on prisoners who tried to escape when the ship was torpedoed. Niimori denied all knowledge of the execution of four Winnipeg Grenadier members who escaped from North Point camp, Hong Kong, in August, 1942, according to his affidavit introduced at the trial here.
Other affidavits sent from Canada by fellow prisoners of war stated the escapees were last seen in the custody of Japanese gendarmes after being recaptured.
Helped Escape
Corp. George Cyril Meagher, Winnipeg, swore he helped four men successfully escape during a typhoon on the night of Aug. 19 despite the heavy guard and an electric fence.
Pte. Alexander Baraskiwich, Fox Warren, Man., stated that he learned the men were later seen in the custody of gendarmes, after which they were not seen. Niimori testified he did not know who executed them.
Maj. John Albert Bailie, Winnipeg, testified that four escapees were picked up by a Japanese patrol boat when the sampan in which they were fleeing began to sink. Bailie said the escapees subsequently were court martialled. The proceedings of the court martial were held in Japanese without benefit of an interpreter.
Other affidavits from members of the Royal Rifles of Canada testified to various brutalities, beatings and bad treatment they underwent during their imprisonment and transfer to Japan or within Japan.
Cpl. Wilfrid Maloof, Noranda, who was imprisoned at the Narumi camp in Japan declared that an American soldier there died within two weeks, during which time he was given one spoonful of rice and one thimbleful of tea three times daily.
George Clarke, Ottawa and Leo Edward Portersfield, Noranda, stated that one prisoner was brutally beaten with fists, tools and rifle butts for trying to sell a portion of his clothing during the trip to Japan aboard the Toyama Maru.
Victim Succumbed
This man subsequently died in Japan, Muir testified. He said when the prisoners reached Japan they were forced to work in the foremost war plant, the Nagoya steel mills. No prisoners were injured when American planes bombed Nagoya, he told the court.
Muir's testimony was further confirmed by Murdo Neil MacArthur, Milan, Que., and Renwick Lynn Thompson, Sawyerville, Que.
Corp. James Thomas Murray, East Kildonan, Man., said he was brutally beaten while interned at Bowen Road hospital, and was hung for three hours by his hands when the Japanese accused him of stealing. Similar testimony was given in affidavits by Rifleman James William Archibald, now a patient at Sussex Military Hospital in New Brunswick, by Rifleman Clifford Roye, Bury, Que., and Sgt. Arthur Edward Budd, Winnipeg. Testimony from Corp. Samuel Kravinchuck, Winnipeg Grenadiers, now in Regina, told of a long series of brutalities inflicted on him and other prisoners, and similar evidence was heard from Pte. John Frankiewicz, Fort Whyte, Man.
Maj. Cecil Boon, RASC, now facing a court martial in London, regularly permitted Japanese guards to beat and mistreat British and Canadian prisoners at the Shamshuipo camp here, it was alleged in an affidavit.
Corp. Kenneth Stanley Vincent, formerly of the Royal Rifles of Canada, now living in York County, N.B., swore that whenever prisoners complained to Boon about sickness or bad treatment Boon acquiesced in their beating by the Japanese.
Unknown Newspaper clipping
Marriage in 1951 Rouyn-Noranda, Qc Wilfred Maloof and Hilda Steeves.
'C' Force Family Connections:
- Brother of E30287 Stephen Maloof
- 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
(These will not be visible on the printed copy)