1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Kenneth | Alexander |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Hampton NB | Eastern Quebec | 1925-08-07 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| A | ||
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
Ken Ewing describes his battle experience in his story.
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 | N/A |
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 Rescue | SF | a US hospital ship |
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
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12-23 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Kemptville Ontario Canada | Holy Cross Cemetery | Yes | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
On Friday, December 23rd, 2011 at Kemptville District Hospital. Kenneth Ewing of Kemptville. Beloved husband of Susan (nee Woods). Loving father of Marjorie, Joan (Laurie Ceccato), John (Pauline), David (Holly), Paul (Debbie), Michael (Brenda Fawcett), Stephen, Tom and Ann (Ted Splinter). Survived by his brothers Ron and David, and by his sister Margaret. Loving grandfather of 17 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. Predeceased by 6 brothers and 2 sisters. Visitation will be held at Grant Brown Funeral Home Rolston Chapel, Kemptville on Thursday, December 29th from 2 to 4 pm & 7 to 9 p.m. Funeral Service will be held Friday, December 30th at 11:00 am at Holy Cross Church, Kemptville for Mass of Christian Burial. Interment Holy Cross Parish Cemetery. Those who wish may make memorial donations to the Parkinson Society Canada or Beth Donovan hospice.
Links and Other Resources
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
Taken from the archived HKVCA Ontario Region Newsletter June 2003
Ken was born on the 7th of August, 1925, in Hampton, New Brunswick. As a youngster he had four years with the Hampton Army Cadet Corps. While a high school student he followed the example of his older brothers. Initially, he served with the 8th Hussars, and later, the New Brunswick Rangers. His ambition in those days was to eventually become a doctor.
Like his brothers and older friends, Ken wanted to enlist soon after war broke out. On the 4th of November, 1940, Ken joined the Regiment at Sussex Camp, N.B. He had just had his 15th birthday three months earlier. To overcome the little problem of being underage, Ken simply stated that he was born in 1921! When this was discovered, his parents were very unhappy and finally only agreed to approve Ken's enlistment after a promise that he would complete his education after the war. They actually hoped he would get fed up, leave, and return to school, which, because of his age, he could do. However, the next month he was off to Newfoundland with "W" Force. During the next nine months, Ken served in Botwood, Gander and Saint John's as part of "C" Force; the rest of the story is well-known to us.
As a POW in Hong Kong, Ken helped to build Kai Tak Airfield. In January, 1943, he was sent to Japan with the first Canadian draft. While working in a shipyard, Camp 3-D near Tokyo, he developed a cough which continued to worsen. The Japanese were terrified of communicable diseases, for fear of contracting such diseases themselves. If there was any good luck for Japanese-held POWs, Ken had some in a round about way. When it was determined he had tuberculosis he was sent on the 25th of March, 1944, to Shinagawa, an excuse for a hospital in Tokyo. Ken spent the rest of the war there. After over two years, he was no longer forced to perform grueling slave labour on a starvation diet. This helped him overcome wet and dry beri-beri and pellagra and to better fight his T.B. He was also fortunate to receive some good medical treatment from Dr. Tony Dawson-Grove, a British chest specialist with the Royal Navy, also taken at Hong Kong. In fact, he credits this doctor with saving his life. Ken recalls that "hospital" conditions were no better than the prison camps, nor were the rations. Medication of any kind was virtually non-existent. The only real benefit from being quarantined was to be no longer worked to exhaustion, or worse.
Some of Ken's fond memories were the day the guards lined up to hear the Emperor's speech confirming their surrender, and the Americans dropping 45-gallon drums of supplies by parachute. On the 16th of August, he was among the first of thousands of POWs to learn that they were going to be liberated.
After being freed by the Americans on the 29th of August, Ken spent several weeks on the U.S.S. Benevolence, a hospital ship anchored in Tokyo Bay. When well enough to travel, he came home via San Francisco aboard another hospital ship, appropriately named the U.S.S. Rescue. When he reached Vancouver on the 10th of October, he required another period of hospitalization. After the train trip across Canada, Ken had only one day at home with his parents before going back into hospital. For the next two years, he would be in and out of military hospitals in St. John and Fredericton. Meanwhile , he was demobilized on the 21st of March, 1946.
During the period Ken was trying to regain his health, he took courses with the Canadian Legion and the Canadian Vocational Training School and obtained his high school diploma. His T.B. was finally cured in 1948, permitting him to attend the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. He majored in Geology, graduating in 1952. While at University, Ken continued to serve with the militia and his old outfit, the 8th Hussars. He was a sergeant when he left on the 14th of May, 1951.
Ken's first and only employment after graduation was with the Geological Survey of Canada. He moved to Ottawa, and had what he describes as an "enjoyable, satisfying career", retiring in 1976 from the Survey and Mapping Branch.
On the 30th of October in 1957, Ken married Susan Woods. Together they raised Marjorie, Joan, John, David, Paul, Michael, Stephen, Tom and Ann. They have all had successful careers and those who have married have given the Ewings fourteen grandchildren.
Ken and Sue enjoy their retirement, visiting family and living in the house they built overlooking the Rideau River near Burritt's Rapids, Ontario. They spend their winters every other year in Australia with their daughter, Joan, or in Jamaica, where Sue has a sister. Ken likes doing woodworking and gardening in his spare time.
Over the years, Ken has been involved with the HKVA. He has been on the pilgrimages to the Far East in the years 1971, 1990, 1995 and 2000. The Ewings seldom miss a Regional or National Convention, and plan to be in Victoria this August. Ken regularly speaks to groups of students in elementary and high schools in Kemptville. On Remembrance Days in the past he has been among the Hong Kong veterans at the National War Memorial. For the first time last November, assisted by his daughter, Ann, he laid a wreath at the Kemptville War Memorial.
This veteran was interviewed by Veterans Affairs. To view, visit the VAC Video Gallery page and use the search tool. Note: VAC moves pages around constantly, so you may have to work to find the video. Currently the best way to access the Hong Kong veteran interviews is to select the "Heroes Remember" category, then use the advanced search option and click on the "Hong Kong" campaign option.
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.
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