1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Ernest | Edwin |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Magdalen Islands QC | Eastern Quebec | 1922-02-11 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| HQ Coy | 1 Signals | |
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-Fu-5B | Omine | Kawasaki-machi, Fukuoka pref., Kyushu Island, Japan | Furukawa Industries Omine | Coal mining | 43 Jan 23 | 45 Sep 22 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD3B | Tatuta Maru | 43 Jan 19, left Shamsuipo Camp, 0500 hrs; left Hong Kong 1300hrs | 43 Jan 22, 0400 hrs | Nagasaki, Japan | Tony Banham |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Glory | Esquimalt, BC | 1945-10-27 | Manila to Esquimalt, BC 37 CDNs sick and 119 fit |
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
Ernest Welsh and his great friend John Shalala E30441. You can tell they kept in touch and visited after the war
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-08-20 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
Gravestone Image
Yokohama gravestone shows only S as initial
Obituary / Life Story
A museum on Entry Island honors the men from there that served in the wars. This plaque is in the museum. From Michael Weiss on FB 2019
Ernest E. Welsh 1922 1993
One year ago today family and friends were deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Ernest Edwin Welsh at the Centre Hospitalier De L Archipel in the Magdalen Islands. Born on Entry Island he was the son of the late Sarah (Dickson) and Ruben Welsh. Beside his parents he was also predeceased by three brothers Allan, Charles and Lloyd and two sisters Emily Chanella and Alice McLean.
On August 27. 1941, he along with his brother Allan enlisted in the Canadian Army and served with the Royal Rifles of Canada. A service of which he was extremely proud. In early December 1941, his regiment was sent to defend Hong Kong and within days were thrown into what came to be known as the Bloody Battle of Hong Kong. Fighting against impossible odds they became Japanese Prisoners of War on Christmas Day 1941. Held for four years under inhumane conditions his brother died in October 1942. Upon his release in August 1945 he chose to leave the army and return home to the Magdalena where he worked as a fisherman for many years and then with Hydro Quebec for 23 years until his retirement in 1982.
After retiring he spent the winter months at his home in Charlottetown but spring always called him back to his favourite place Entry Island.
Funeral services were held in the All Saints Church, Entry Island, Reverend Richard MacConnell officiated, assisted by Ernests brother George who delivered a beautiful Eulogy. Pallbearers were nephews, Barry Aitkens, John Hubert, Brad Cassidy, Thomas, Norman, Vernon, Allan and Steven Welsh. He was laid to rest in the Church cemetery.
Left to treasure his memory are his wife Nancy (McLean), their four children, Jean (Syl Cormier), Lewis (Suzanne), Myles, Ellen (Glenn MacAusland), and ten special grandchildren. Also devoted brothers and sisters, George, Charlottetown, Foster Caribou, NS., Bernard, Westville, NS., Luella Aitkens, Magdalen Islands, and Mildred Cassidy, Charlottetown and many nieces and nephews.
Time cannot steal the treasures we hold in our hearts... Nancy and Family
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
Facebook 2018 Ellen Welsh, daughter - The 5 men are Ernest WELSH E30395, John Shalala E30441, George Borden Chanell E30379, Bahan (Edward) Chanell E30403 and Ancil Josey E30390. All POW's . This was the first time that my father and John has seen each other in 30 years since the end of the war. John had dad's address on a matchbox cover and he came to Entry island and surprised him. What a beautiful reunion that was!
’C’ Force Family Connections:
- Brother of E30395 Allen Welsh
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.