1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Lance Corporal | William | John |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Chatham NB | Eastern Quebec | 1919-01-01 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| B | ||
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
Killed in action at Stanley Mound. 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941-12-22 | Killed In Action | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Cape Collinson Road Chai Wan Hong Kong China | Sai Wan Memorial | Column 23. | NA |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
RFMN. W. JOHN SMITH, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Smith, of Chatham, who was killed in action at Hong Kong when that place fell to the Japanese. Rfmn. Jackie Smith enlisted at the age of 19 with the Royal Rifles of Canada and trained in New Brunswick, Quebec and Newfoundland before going to Hong Kong. He was born at Chatham in 1921 and received his education in Chatham schools and St. Thomas College. He is survived by his parents, three brothers, Harold, R.C.N.V.R. Halifax; Sgt. Ted Smith, Sussex and Cpl. Fred Smith overseas; four sisters, Mrs. John F. Allen, Pinehurst, Mass.; Mrs. James Currie, Chatham; Virginia and Ada at home. Another Northumberland County man, Rfmn. Alex Ross, Loggieville is reported a prisoner of war at Hong Kong. Rfmn. Smith is the only casualty from Northumberland County at Hong Kong.
Unknown newspaper clipping
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
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.
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General Comments
Received from Gary Silliker, researcher from Miramachi Region in February 2018
Miramichi soldier, Lance Corporal William John “Jack” Smith was the son of Joseph and Mary Smith; he was born in Chatham on 1 January 1919.
Jack served as a reserve soldier in the North Shore Regiment from 1937 to 1940. He enlisted in the Royal Rifles of Canada (RRC) of the ‘active army’ in New Carlisle, Quebec, on 9 September 1940 (the next recruit, standing behind Jack that day, was Alex Nolan of Loggieville). At the time of his enlistment Jack stated that he had been operating a service station in Chatham. In December of 1940 he went to Gander Newfoundland with the RRC for garrison duty. The regiment returned to Canada in August, 1941, and then were shipped off to Hong Kong in late October.
Lance-Corporal Smith was killed in action on 22 December, 1941. He was the first Miramichi soldier to be killed in a ground combat action during WW II. Jack was a member of B Company and was killed at Stanley Mound on the island of Hong Kong. The body of Lance Corporal William John Smith, who was an acting sergeant at the time of his death, was hastily buried at Stanley Mound. The grave was never marked. He has no known grave and is commemorated on Panel 23 of the Sai Wan Memorial, Hong Kong, China.
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.
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