1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | William | Sloan |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Winnipeg MB | Manitoba | 1922-05-18 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Machine gunner | D | |
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
No POW camp record found. Member may have been a battle casualty, or our records may be incomplete.
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Admiral CF Hughes | Victoria, BC | 1945-10-09 | Manila to Victoria BC |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-08-24 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Ashes | . | Cremation | Yes |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Bill was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He graduated from Kelvin high school and then joined the army at age 18 when war broke out, which stopped his continuing studies at Tech Voc. He first enlisted with the Princess Patricia's Canadian light Infantry (PPCLI) and transferred shortly thereafter to the Winnipeg Grenadiers.
He was mobilized and they were sent to Hong Kong, China in December 1941 where - after a bitter battle against overwhelming numbers of Invading Japanese soldiers - he was captured on Christmas Day 1941 and spent 4 horrific years as a POW until freed when the war ended.
Upon returning to Canada, he joined Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA - now known as Air Canada) as a Ticket Agent. Bill married Rhona Hadden in 1947. Together they had a son (Donald) in 1949 and a daughter (Rhona) in 1952. Bill continued to work for Air Canada in several Canadian cities until he retired in 1976. He moved to Comox, BC where he built a cedar house overlooking the Strait of Georgia. He resided on the Island until health reasons and wanting to be closer to his family led him to ultimately reside in Langley, BC where he passed. He was pre-deceased by his wife Rhona in 2006.
Bill was known locally for his sense of humour while having a twinkle in his eye. He was a man of honour and dedication. If he committed to a civic project he would honestly and diligently work to complete it. During his life Bill belonged to several volunteer community organizations which benefitted many people. He was involved in curling, coaching and managing youth hockey, local as well as international speed skating, square dancing, lawn bowling, as well as playing cards. However, his greatest love was travelling the world and experiencing new sights and places. His favourite spot was Barbados in the Caribbean where he loved to soak up the Sun on the beaches. He cherished time spent with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
After a brief illness, Bill passed on Aug 24, 2014 at Langley Hospice knowing he was surrounded at his bedside by his loving family. A family celebration of life will be held at a later date. Arrangements under the direction of Henderson's Langley Funeral Home, Langley, BC.
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
PTE. WILLIAM S. MUIR, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Muir, 835 Mulvey Avenue, who enlisted with the P.P.C.L.I. pay corps in 1940 and transferred to the Grenadiers shortly before that regiment went to Hong Kong.
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.