1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | William | John |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Tide Head NB | Eastern Quebec | 1922-07-02 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| C | 14 Plt | |
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 | 42 Oct 07 |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942-10-07 | Acute Enteritis | Died while POW | |
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Cape Collinson Road Chai Wan Hong Kong China | Sai Wan War Cemetery | VIII. A. 10. | NA |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
We believe it to be his high school graduation picture. He lied about his age and enlisted right after graduation. From a relative (Clara Tarjan) on Facebook, Nov 2022.
Rifleman William John Barclay (E30450), son of Hamilton and Lucy Barclay of Tide Head, NB, was born on July 2, 1921. He had two siblings, Auley and Kathleen. During the Second World War he served with the 14th Platoon, C Company, of the Royal Rifles of Canada. He took part in the battle for Hong Kong and, after the allied troops surrendered, he was taken by the Japanese as a prisoner of war on Christmas Day 1941. He died a year later in Sham Shui Po Camp on October 7, 1942 of acute enteritis and is buried at Sai Wan War Cemetery.
He is commemorated on page fifty-six of the Second World War Book of Remembrance.
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.
- 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
Rifleman William "John" Barclay, born July 2, 1922, Tide Head Restigouche County New Brunswick, Canada, son of Hamilton and Lucy Barclay, died of diphtheria on October 7, 1942 at the age of 20, while in prison camp in Hong Kong where he had been helped a captive since Christmas Day 1941 along with approximately 2,000 other soldiers.
Bill as he was known, joined the Royal Rifles of Canada in Matapedia in July 1940, one month after graduating from the Campbellton High School. He came home that day and, after telling his parent that he had joined the army, confessed to his mother that he had lied on the army application, that he was older than 18.
After training in Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland, the Royal Rifles left Vancouver by boat to cross the Pacific Ocean to Hong Kong in November 1941. Within a few weeks, all hell broke out. They encountered very heavy fighting with the Japanese and were forced to surrender on December 25. Many of his comrades were badly injured or perished. As a prisoner of war, Bill was forced to work 12 hours a day in a coal mine under deplorable conditions, very little food or clothing and extremely demanding prison guards. One of his friends took some food from a local Japanese civilian's bike while marching to the coal mine one cold January morning. The guards took him back to the prison camp, tied him to the fence and left him there for three days before allowing him to be cut free. Frostbite had set in his leg and he died of gangrene two months later.
Bill went to elementary school in Tide Head and was very active in church and Sunday School, which he rarely missed attending. It was because of his deep religious faith that he had to confess the lie to his mother.
Besides his parents, Bill was survived by his brother, Auley, who in 1989 became the second Mayor of Tide Head, and his sister Kaye. Their home is the property now located at 15 Barclay St.
Rifleman Barclay is buried at the Sai Wan Bay Memorial and Cemetery located outside the City of Victoria, the capital of Hong Kong, which contains the bodies of some 1,500 men. The Memorial honors those men of the land forces of the British Commonwealth and Empire who died in the defense of Hong Kong during the Second World War. Of the 2,071 names, 228 are Canadian.
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.
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