1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | George | Alfred |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Montreal QC | Nova Scotia & PEI | 1915-11-15 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 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 | 45 Sep 05 |
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 |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Ozark Passenger List A | SF | 1945-10-02 | evacuated from Japan via USS Ozark |
Just returned from prisoner of war camp in Hong Kong
HONG KONG MEN HOME- First repatriates from the far East to reach Nova Scotia, these four members of the Royal Rifles of Canada arrived in Halifax at midnight Friday. Left to right are Steven M. Kerr, Port Williams; George A. Ferguson, Halifax; G. R. Churchill, Yarmouth; and Hercules Buchanan, Lockeport. On the latter's shoulder can be seen the new red and gold Hong Kong patch.Post-war Photo
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-08-15 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Lethbridge Alberta Canada | Mountain View Cemetery | Block 16 Lot 8 Grave 30W | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Ferguson- passed away in Lethbridge on Thursday, August 15th, 1991. Mr. George Alfred Ferguson, at the age of 75 years, of 918-16th Street South, Legion Arms, Lethbridge, beloved husband of the late Mrs. Lorraine Ferguson.
Born, raised and educated in Sydney, Nova Scotia, the late Mr. Ferguson continued to reside there until enlisting with the Canadian Armed Forces. George served overseas with the Royal Rifles of Canada during the Second World War. He was a Hong Kong P.O.W. for 4 years and was the last surviving Hong Kong P.O.W. veteran in the Lethbridge area. Upon his release as a P.O.W. and discharged from the armed forces, George returned to Nova Scotia. He was married in Lorraine Hunter in Winnipeg in 1964 and together they came to Lethbridge in 1973. Mr. Ferguson worked with the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires in Lethbridge from 1973 until his retirement in 1981.
George was a member of the Hong Kong P.O.W Association and the Royal Canadian Legion General Stewart branch in Lethbridge.
He is survived by one daughter, Corrie (Randy Andrus) of Lethbridge; one granddaughter, Tiffany; foster daughter, Collette Ryanstock of Lethbridge, as well as other foster children; one brother, Bill Ferguson of Halifax, Nova Scotia; nieces and nephews; as well as a host of very close friends.
Besides his loving wife, Lorraine, who passed away on May 27th, 1983, George was predeceased by a grandson, Blake in 1990 and several brothers and sisters.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, August 19th, 1991 in Martin Bros. Memorial Chapel, 703- 13 Street North with Father Michael P. Ebsworth officiating. Internment will follow in Mountain View Cemetery, Field of Honor section. Those who wish may donate to the Alberta heart and stroke foundation, care of Mrs. Natalie Olson, #451 Sandman Inn Plaza, Mayor MaGrath Drive South, Lethbridge, Alberta. T1J 3L8, or charity of their own choice. Martin Brothers Funeral chapels limited directors of the funeral service. Phone 326-2353.
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
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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.