1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Peter | |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Portage La Praire MB | Manitoba | 1914-11-12 |
| 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
No wounds recorded.Hospital Information
No record of hospital visits found.POW Camps
| Camp ID | Camp Name | Location | Company | Type of Work | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-NP-01 | North Point | North Point, Hong Kong Island | 41 Dec 20 | 41 Dec 22 | ||
| 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 May 13 |
| JP-Se-1B | Yumoto | Fukushima-ken, Iwaki-gun, Yumoto-cho, Mizunoya, Japan | Joban Coal Mining Company | 45 May 13 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
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
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-08-13 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Calgary Alberta Canada | Queen's Park Cemetery and Mausoleum | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Mr. Peter Rollick, beloved husband of Mrs. Joyce Rollick, passed away at the Rockyview General Hospital at 2:55 p.m. on August 13, 1999 at the age of 84 years. Those wishing to pay their respects may do so at LEYDEN'S FUNERAL HOME (17 Avenue and 2 Street S.W.), on Wednesday, August 18, 1999 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Funeral Services will be held at Leyden's "Chapel of Remembrance" (17 Avenue and 2 Street S.W.) on Thursday, August 19, 1999 at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Kelly Brower and Rev. Stewart Abel of Hope Community Church of the Nazarene officiating. Graveside Services to follow at Queen's Park Cemetery. If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Alberta Lung Association (No. 302, 609-14 Street N.W., Calgary, AB T2N 2A1). Arrangements in care of LEYDEN'S FUNERAL HOMES LTD. Telephone: 228-4422.
Calgary Herald 18 Aug 1999, Wednesday Page: 58
SECOND WORLD WAR Veteran scarred by war atrocities
No one really knew all the nightmares that plagued Hong Kong veteran Peter (Pete) Rollick of Calgary as a result of the atrocities he suffered for almost five years as a Japanese prisoner of war.
The Second World War veteran died of natural causes at 84 years of age on Friday, taking with him most of the horrifying moments that left him deeply scarred - both physically and psychologically.
His wife Joyce and other surviving family members said Pete, like most war veterans of that era, believed the best way to deal with their trauma was to not talk about it. Pete was a shy and quiet man.
But Pete's heavily constructed guard came crashing down a number of years ago when he encountered one of the sickest and most violent Japanese guards who had tortured him during his internment. By chance, Rollick met him in the most unlikely place - the Chinook Mall parking lot. Joyce recalled Sunday that her husband came home in an incredibly agitated state looking for a gun. He was put under psychiatric care to deal with what some members of the Hong Kong Veterans Association of Canada called shell shock, but what modern day soldiers might call post traumatic stress disorder.
The encounter hurt him deeply, Joyce recalled. "He was afraid they (the Japanese) were going to come and get him. We couldn't take him down to watch the parade on Remembrance Day after that; the sight of poppies got him all upset," Joyce said. Rollick was one of the 1,973 Canadian soldiers who in November 1941 were sent as members of the Winnipeg Grenadiers or the Royal Rifles of Canada to Hong Kong as a token reinforcement of the garrison. It was thought this ill-trained, ill-equipped force might help deter Japanese aggression, but it was a gross miscalculation.
The Japanese attacked in a overwhelming force Dec. 8 and the Hong Kong governor surrendered on Christmas Day. Approximately 1,700 Canadians were taken prisoner and 265 died in captivity from starvation and beatings. Joyce said her husband was so ill he was immediately shipped to a Vancouver hospital.
He came to Calgary years later as a diesel mechanic and later worked as greenskeeper at the Willow Park Golf & Country Club. He and Joyce had two sons and now have five grandchildren. "We were deeply in love when we got married (on Feb. 28, 1953) and we remained deeply in love to the end," Joyce said, adding that despite his quiet manner he was an engaging man when others prompted him into conversation.
Along with her husband's death on Friday, Joyce suffered another tragedy two weeks ago. when her grandnephew, Shawn Luff, 8, died in a Aug. 6 Ogden house fire.
Another child, Ryan Small, 5, was also overcome from smoke and gas in the early morning blaze that officials believe started after one of the boys was playing with a lighter.
Joyce said Pete Rollick's funeral service will be held Thursday at Leyden's Funeral Home.
BOB BEATY CALGARY HERALD
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Related documentation
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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.
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