1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Rifleman | Thomas | Wellington |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Bass River NS | Nova Scotia & PEI | 1907-06-16 |
| 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 | 42 Nov 28 |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942-11-28 | Diphtheria, colitis | Died while POW | |
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Cape Collinson Road Chai Wan Hong Kong China | Sai Wan War Cemetery | VIII. D. 18. | NA |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
His full name is Thomas Wellington McLaughlin. Son of Margaret Jane Melinda McLaughlin, of Bass River, Nova Scotia. He first enrolled with the West Nova Scotia Regiment, and was deployed to the 1st Battalion, Royal Rifles of Canada, on 28 November 1940. He served in Nova Scotia, in New Brunswick, in Newfoundland with Force W, in Québec and in Hong Kong with Force C. He had 849 days of service, including 397 days overseas. Two step-brothers served in Europe during the Second World War: Shatford Morris and Nelson Morris; both survived the war.
Citation(s): 1939-1945 Star, Pacific Star, War Medal 1939-1945, Canadian Volunteer Service Medals and Clasp.
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Thomas was the grandson of Wellington McLaughlin and son of Margaret (MacLaughlin) Morris of Bass River, Nova Scotia. At a very young age, Thomas went to live with his grandfather, Wellington MacLaughlin. He worked on his grandfather's farm until his enlistment. At enlistment his attestation paper recorded his name as Thomas Laughlin and his grandfather as his father. His name was officially changed to MacLaughlin on October 18, 1940.
He initially enlisted with the West Nova Scotia Regiment and taken on strength with that Regiment at Aldershot on August 2, 1940. On November 28, 1940 he was transferred to the Royal Rifles of Canada, R.C.I.C. On December 11, 1940 he sailed from Canada to Newfoundland with the Royal Rifles of Canada as part of "W" Force. They returned to Canada on August 18, 1941 and were stationed at Valcartier. Now part of "C" Force the Royal Rifles of Canada travelled by CNR troop train arriving in Vancouver on October 27, 1940 and embarked from there on HMCS Prince Robert. The Canadians arrived in Hong Kong on November 16, 1941. On arrival, the troops were quartered at Nanking Barracks, Sham Shui Po Camp, in Kowloon and served in defence of the British Colony of Hong Kong until the British surrender on December 25, 1941.
Taken as a prisoner of war at the fall of Hong Kong, Thomas was interned at Camp Stanley [Camp ID HK-SM-01], Fort Stanley, Hong Kong Island. He was moved to Camp North Point [Camp ID HK-NP-01], North Point, Hong Kong Island on December 30 where he remained until September 26, 1942. On that date he was transferred to Camp Shamshuipo [Camp ID HK-SA-02], Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Eleven months later, at 11:30 pm, on November 28, 1942, he died of diphtheria and acute enteritis (inflammation of the small intestine commonly caused by contaminated food or drink). He was buried in the Argyle Street Cemetery, Hong Kong. In 1947, he was re-buried in the Sai Wan War Cemetery, Hong Kong.
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.