1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Etienne | |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Lundar MB | Manitoba | 1922-03-27 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| HQ Coy | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/18 | N/A |
Hospital Information
No record of hospital visits found.POW Camps
| Camp ID | Camp Name | Location | Company | Type of Work | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-SA-01 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | Capture | 42 Jan 22 | ||
| HK-NP-02 | North Point | North Point, Hong Kong Island | 42 Jan 22 | 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 | 45 Apr 16 |
| JP-Se-4B | Ohashi | Iwate-ken, Kamihei-gun, Katsushi-mura, Ohashi, Japan | Nippon Steel Company | 45 Apr 16 | 45 Sep 15 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NATS 50848 | Oakland | 1945-10-03 | Guam Passenger Manifest embarked 1945-09-30 NATS |
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
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-02-24 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Otto, Coldwell RM Manitoba Canada | Otto Church Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
ETIENNE LAMBLIN - With thanksgiving for his life and love, but with deep sadness, we announce the passing of Etienne, our beloved husband, father and grandfather, who passed away at home with his loving family at his side, on February 24,1992. Etienne was born March 27, 1922 at his home in Eastland, east of Eriksdale. He spent his early years attending school at Stone Lake. At the age of 17, he joined the Army and served with the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry and later transferred to the Signal Corps of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. He served overseas in the Pacific and was captured in Hong Kong and spent the next four years in a P.O.W. Camp in Japan.
Etienne was discharged in 1946 and married Peggy Vigfusson on April 2,1948 and they began their farming career in Lillesve, MB. They retired in 1988. They were blessed with three children, Kari, June and Debby. Etienne was a very active community member: Morning Star School Board, one of the 4-H Leaders for years, one of the driving forces of the Lundar Swimming Pool. Etienne was an avid hockey fan and supporter of all age groups involved in our community hockey program. Etienne was given an honorary lifetime membership from the Fisher Branch Hockey Association. Etienne drove school bus for 14 years and became very good friends with the children on his bus route. Etienne served on many Lundar Royal Canadian Legion Committees, including serving office of Vice President and then President until his untimely stroke on October 2,1989. In the years to follow, Etienne continued to show fortitude, strength and courage.
Etienne will be sadly missed by his long time partner "Buddy" (wife Peggy); son Kari and wife Janet Lamblin, their children, Giselle, Michelle and Christy of Lundar; daughter June and husband David Caldwell, their children, Joey, Doreen, Davy and Nicole of Fisher Branch; daughter Debby and husband Raymond (Dude) Chartrand, their children, Ronny and Randy of Lundar; sister-in-law Warda Lamblin; brother Pierre and wife Rita Lamblin; sister Marcelle and husband Ken Brooks; sister Gabrielle Unger; sister Rose and husband Gordon Perry of Winnipeg; sister Lise and husband Sam Sigurdsson of Lundar and sister Antoinette Pelequin of British Columbia; also many friends, relatives, nieces and nephews, who have experienced his generosity and who have been inspired by his enthusiasm throughout his life. He was predeceased by his mother Marie; father Robert Lamblin and brother John Lamblin; two grandchildren, Baby Caldwell and Baby Chartrand. The family would like to thank all the Home Care Team enabling Etienne to remain at home during his illness. Special thanks going out to Marilyn E., Rhonda M., Darlene L., Joan H. and Pat H. for all the pallative care in the last two months. Funeral service will be held on Saturday, February 29 at 2:00 p.m. in the Lundar Legion Hall, with Rev. Randy Rehbein officiating. Mr. Jalmar Erickson will delivery the Eulogy. A special prayer will be said by Pastor McGillan. Interment to follow in the Otto Cemetery. A prayer service will be held on Friday, February 28 at 7:00 p.m. at Arnason's Funeral Chapel, Lundar. Honorary pallbearers will be Einar Lindai, Louie Lavallee, Steini Palsson, Stefan Stefanson, Charlie Burdett and Len Lenstrom. Active pallbearers will be Joe Caldwell, Ronny Chartrand, Brian Lavallee, Warren Lavallee, Donald Palsson and Berry Chartrand. A special thanks to all the honorary Legion Pallbearers. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Manitoba Heart and Stroke Foundation, 301 - 352 Donald St., Winnipeg or to the Canadian Cancer Society, 192 Sherbrook St. Winnipeg.
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
Private Etienne Lamblin - A signalmen with the Winnipeg Grenadiers at Hong Kong, Pte. Lamblin has also served with Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry. He is a son of Robert Lamblin, Lundar, Manitoba.
Picture & caption Face Book Page- Operation Picture Me- Hong Kong [scanning from Winnipeg Tribune] by David Archer, 2016
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.