1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Lance Corporal | Walter | Charles |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Stornoway SCT | Eastern Quebec | 1918-11-28 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| HQ | 1 | |
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 May 13 |
| JP-Se-1B | Yumoto | Fukushima-ken, Iwaki-gun, Yumoto-cho, Mizunoya, Japan | Joban Coal Mining Company | 45 May 13 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Ozark Passenger List C | SF | 1945-10-02 | picked up in Guam then to USA |
Received from Colin Henderson, 3rd son in November 2023:
Left Tokyo aboard a 4 engine plane on the afternoon of 9/12/45 for an 8 hour flight to Guam.
He was hospitalized for a series of health checks In Guam and there came across a friend Don MacIver that he had been separated from and not seen since 1942.
Set sail aboard the USS Ozark and crossed the International Date Line on 9/21/45.
Expected to arrive in Honolulu on 9/24/45.
Expected to sail from Honolulu and be in San Francisco by 9/28 or 9/29/45.
Post-war Photo
Mom and Dad during early retirement in better time” (health wise) was taken at their home in Sherbrooke Quebec in the early 1980’s
Other Military 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-05-19 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Canmore Alberta Canada | Canmore Cemetery | Yes | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
HENDERSON, Walter Charles - Walter Charles Henderson passed away in Canmore, Alberta, on May 19, 1999 at 80 years of age. A native of Stornoway, Scotland. Walter emigrated to Canada in 1929 and was raised in Scotstown, Quebec. It was in the Eastern Townships of Quebec that he met his wife Jean, the schoolteacher from Waterloo, Quebec and together they raised three sons. Walter was a WWII Veteran with #1 Platoon, HQ, Company, Royal Rifles of Canada 1st Btn. "C" Force and was an active contributor to the Hong Kong Veterans Association in that group's 50 year struggle for acknowledgement of POW hardships suffered during the war. In 1973, his failing health caused him to retire early after twenty-eight years of dedicated service to the Ingersoll Rand Company in Sherbrooke, Quebec. In his retirement years, Walter pursued his love of walking, gardening, song and clocks. His yards were always a wash of floral colour, the Snowshoe Club Choir brought many a smile to the elderly and his machinist expertise helped many others keep their timepieces ticking along with his own wonderful collection of antique clocks. In 1991, as Walter continued his battle with Parkinson's disease and Glaucoma, as well as his wife's Alzheimer's condition, he moved to the mountains of Alberta to be closer to his sons. Having continued with his hobbies as much as he could, Canmore is now graced with a few more lilacs, the seniors at the Extended Care Wing enjoyed a good tenor in their weekly service while the soft chimes of his hand- made grandmother clock echoed the passing hours throughout the corridors. Walter was predeceased by his wife Jean, and will be remembered by his loving sons, lan of Banff, Alberta; Garth and his wife Kathleen of Canmore, Alberta and Colin and his wife Joanne and grandson Martin of Cochrane, Alberta. A special thanks to Walter's caregivers, Melinda Molenkamp and Colleen Caines, for their wonderful sup- port and attention. The bagpipes will sound below the peaks of Mount Lady MacDonald as Walter makes his final journey on May 26, 1999 at 2:00 p.m. and is laid to rest beside his beloved wife of fifty-two years at the Canmore Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Hong Kong Veterans Association, c/o Kenneth Ewing. Treasurer. RR 4. Kemptville, ON, KOG 1J0.
RECORD PAGE 14 FRIDAY, MAY 21, 1999
Picture shown here was taken at his last home in Canmore Alberta, 05/22/09, with just a few of his antique clock collection in the background, including his time clock punch from the Ingersoll Rand Company of Sherbrooke Quebec, where he worked his whole career upon returning from Hong Kong in 1945 till his early retirement, rising from apprentice machinist to division superintendent, all due to health issues stemming from his years of captivity as a POW in Japan during WW2.
Dad was the youngest of 6 brothers who ALL were in different theaters of WW2 and ALL made it back home safely! Mom had no word from him while prisoner for over 3 years yet he told me that because he got married just before the war, it was for her that he kept up the faith & strength to push thru, most of his buddies with only girl friends back home gave up saying they would be with another guy before they ever got home.
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.
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→ Related documentation for information published in this report, such as birth information, discharge papers, press clippings and census documents may be available via shared resources in our HKVCA Vault. It is organized with folders named using regimental numbers. Use the first letter of the individual's service number to choose the correct folder, then scroll to the specific sub-folder displaying the service number of your interest.
General Comments
Walter HENDERSON married Jean Graves in St. Lukes Church Waterloo, Quebec, September 12, 1941. This photo was taken his first night back in Montreal after the war, with Jean (Graves), at the Mount Royal Hotel sometime in the fall of 1945.
Battlefield: "I was running across the courtyard in front of the RepulseBay Hotel as mortars were hitting, they (the Japanese) were good, one long, one short and then they had you, and was carrying extra ammo wrapped up in my shirt. My buddies thought that I was hit as I was crouched over as I ran to them to keep the shells from falling out of my shirt."
Forced labour, Long Point: "We were digging out the hillside and carrying bucket full's of dirt down to the new airport runway, we had dug into an old grave site with bones, the guards scattered like rats fearing the dead spirits!
Camp Life: " I woke up with a rat standing on my chest, trying to steal a scrap of bread that I had saved and put on the shelf above my head, I knocked him flying. Should have caught him for the soup that night"
Ship transport to Japan: "I was losing my sight (vitamin deficiencies & malnutrition) as every day I could not see as far or the numbers on the other ships"
Shipyards: " we used to play stupid and hot rivet the pliers to the ship plates (act of subtle sabotage) but would not be punished as it was deemed that the Japanese workers had not properly instructed us, so they got the beating"
Camp Life: "They (the Japanese) were always trying to prove they were better. They had us all line up in the yard and had their soldier challenge one of ours, a Brit, with dummy guns in hand to hand combat. You had to fight back or would be beaten anyways. The (Jap) screamed and lunged at the Brit in a fake bayonet charge, the Brit leaned to the side grabbed his dummy gun by the barrel and whacked him across the head on the follow thru, knocking him flat, all of us went silent expecting the worse for him, the (Jap) got up, bowed and then was dragged off by his own, for a severe beating as he had disgraced not only himself but the Japanese military"
Camp Life: "The young ones (guards) were the worse, they would knock you down whenever they had the chance and kick you when no one was watching" (The Kamloops Kid (former Japanese Canadian) was singled out for such abuse and worse in war crime trials after the war)
Coal Mines: " there was this one old guard/worker in the mines, he showed me how to just lift my pick and let it fall to save my energy, he seemed to understand our plight?"
End of War Looming: "We used to march to the mines and kids would throw garbage at us on the way. One day on the way back, the mother pulled the kid back from the fence? Then the guards started disappearing in the camp. We thought if we didn't march to the mines and work, we would end up with a beating. After a few days of no guards, we just stayed in camp. The rumor mill had all sorts of stories going around. Then later that week, an American plane flew in low over the camp and wagged his wings, we then knew the war was nearing an end!"
Starvation: "A Yank (American) plane flew over and dropped food and supplies. One of the crates hit the hill side and I ran up to find pineapple juice flowing down in the mud, I dove down and drank up as much as I could"
The voyage home " The Yanks (sailors) were so good to us, as soon as I got on board he gave me a bottle of coke, it was so sweet that I couldn't keep it down. They sent us to the showers and then gave us new gear (sailor work clothes) and had thrown away everything else we brought on board, including my spoon that I was so worried about losing, anything lost brought on a beating, my mind still had me in the camp"
End of Report.
Report generated: 13 Dec 2024.
Additional Notes
(These will not be visible on the printed copy)
- Service numbers for officers 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.
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- 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.
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