1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | William | Edmond |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Melbourne QC | Eastern Quebec | 1922-04-09 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
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
| Date Wounded | Wound Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/16 | N/A | 36 |
Hospital Information
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-UNK | N/A | N/A |
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 Aug 15 | ||
| JP-To-5B | Niigata-Rinko | Niigata-ken, Nakakambara-gun, Ogata-mura, Japan | Marutsu, Rinko Coal, Shintetsu | Stevedore labor at port of Niigata (Marutsu), primarily foodstuffs; mining coal (Rinko Coal ) and labor at a foundry (Shintetsu) | 43 Sep 03 | 44 Jan 31 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD4B | Manryu Maru | 43 Aug 15 | 43 Sep 01 | Osaka, Japan | Brief stopover in Taihoku (Taipei), Formosa (Taiwan); then 2 day stopover at northern point for stool tests | Tony Banham |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944-01-31 | General weakness, diarrhea, cardiac beri-beri | Died while POW | |
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Jido-Yuenchi-Dori Hodogaya Japan | Yokohama War Cemetery | Cdn. Sec. B. B. 11. | NA |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Ulverton, May 30 - A memorial service for Rfmn. William E. Waterhouse, who died in Japan in February, 1944, was held at the United Church here and was joined by the All Saints Church of Kikdale, on May 6. The service was conducted by Rev. H. C. Denton, who spoke words of comfort to the bereaved family and many friends who gathered to pay their final tribute to one who gave his life that others might live. Rev. W. H. Truscott assisted in the service.
Members of the Canadian Legion were present in a body at this service. The choir was augmented by the members of All Saints Church Choir and the hymns sung were "Peace, Perfect Peace" and "Safe In The Arms of Jesus." The solo, "Crossing the Bar", was sung by Mrs. T. Patrick.
The beautiful floral tributes were carried out of the Church and placed around the Soldiers Memorial Monument by five returned soldiers, Pte. George Waterhouse, Sgt. Donald Graham, Pte. Wilton Doyle, Pte. Guelph Husk, and Pte. Alan Lyster.
The deceased leaves to mourn his loss his parents, Mr. and Mrs. B. D. Waterhouse; six sisters and four brothers; Nellie, Mrs. Elmer Davidson; Marion, of this place; Mabel, of Montreal; Alice, of Sherbrooke; Mrs. M. Richards, of Lisgar; Mrs. C.S. Bogie, of L'Avenir and Clifford Waterhouse, of Richmond; Pte. George Waterhouse; and Raymond and Horace, of Ulverton; besides many other relatives.
Mercredi 30 Mai 1945
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
With the Royal Rifles less than five months, Rflmn. William Edmond Waterhouse is the 19-year-old son of the family of eight children of B. D. Waterhouse and Mrs. Victoria Daisy Reed Waterhouse, of Ulverton. He is another of the wounded. Born and reared in Ulverton, Rflmn. Waterhouse had been with the 7-11th Hussars a year when he enlisted with the Royal Rifles on August 18 last. The last news his family received from him was dated the day before the Canadian contingent arrived in Hong Kong. Other relatives include three brothers, George, of Kirkdale, Raymond and Horace, at home, and four sisters, Nellie and Mabel Waterhouse, in Richmond, Alice and Marion, at home. It is estimated that 15 young men from Richmond and vicinity are in Hong Kong.
Son of Bert David Waterhouse and Victoria Daisy Reed, of Ulverton, Québec. He served in Québec, in Hong Kong with Force C and in Japan as prisoner of war. He had 893 days of service, including 826 overseas.
Citation(s): 1939-1945 Star, Pacific Star, War Medal 1939-1945, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp.
Source: Canadian Virtual War Memorial
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.
- Photos are welcome! If a photo exists for a 'C' Force member that we have not included, or if you have a higher quality copy, please let us know by using the Contact Us link at the top of this page. We will then reply, providing instructions on submitting it.