General Information | ||
Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
---|---|---|
Rifleman | Bernard | |
From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
Montreal QC | Eastern Quebec | 1921-02-09 |
Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
Signaller, attached to C Company | HQ Coy | 1 Signals |
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.
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).
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 |
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 |
Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Image | Name of Award | Abbreviation | References | Precedence | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Mentioned-in-Despatches | MiD | 37, 38, 123 | 13 | Citation not found |
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Date of Death (y-m-d) | Cause of Death | Death Class | |
---|---|---|---|
2000-09-27 | Post War | ||
Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
Mont-Saint-Hilaire Quebec Canada | Cimetiere de Mont-Saint-Hilaire | Yes |
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
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.
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
→ 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.
Bernard CASTONGUAY was the fourth of eleven children. His father worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway as a seam fitter. Mr. Castonguay left home at the age of sixteen to look for adventure. He worked as a lumberjack and on the railways. Unable to find work in 1940, Mr. Castonguay went to Quebec City and joined the Royal Rifles of Canada. He was then shipped to Gander, Newfoundland where he worked as a signalman and sentry. Afterwards, he went to St. John, NB. While in POW camp (Omeni) in Nagasaki, Japan he worked in a coal mine. After his service, Mr. Castonguay worked with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) later becoming the Regional Director of CNIB. He also volunteered and worked with the Canadian Council for the Blind.
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: 31 Aug 2024.
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