1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Edward | William |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Swan River MB | Manitoba | 1893-06-16 |
| 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-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 Aug 15 | ||
| JP-Os-3B | Oeyama | Kyoto-fu, Yosa-gun, Yoshizu-mura, Sutsu, Japan | Nippon Yakin Nickel Mine & Refinery | Mining nickel & work at the refinery | 43 Sep 01 | 45 Sep 02 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD4A | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-12-04 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Swan River Manitoba Canada | Birchwood Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
EDWARD WILLIAM COLE Following a long illness, Edward William Cole of Swan River, age 81 passed away at Swan River Valley Hospital on December 4, 1974.
Born and educated at Hallen Henbury Gloucestshire, England, he came to Canada in 1929 settling in the rural Swan River area. He retired in 1945.
He enlisted in the Gloucestshire Regt, in 1911 and served in World War 1 from 1914 - 1917. During World War 11, he served with the Winnipeg Grenadiers and was held prisoner of war at Hong Kong from 1941 to 1945.
He married Lily Sinith of Almonsbury, England on December 22, 1917 at Almonsbury, Gloucestershire, England.
He was of Anglican faith and a member of the Royal Canadian Legion and Hong Kong Veterans.
Surviving are his wife, Lily; four sons, Victor, Martin, Oliver and Richard; four daughters Mrs. A Pedersen (Mollie), Mrs. A. Foster (Polly), Mrs. J. Bullock (Patricia) and Louise all residing in Swan River, nineteen grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Also surviving are four sisters; Mrs. M. Coleman, Mrs. Sue James, Mrs. Daisy Gibbs, all residents in England, Mrs. Stan Cole of Vananda, B.C. and three brothers; Ernest, Reg and George, also residing in England.
Funeral service held at the Chapel of Paull's Funeral Home on December 7, 1974 with Rev. Ernie Bartram officiating. Interment at Birchwood cemetery Swan River. Pallbearers were Don Bedford, Gordon Rusk, Walter Kirk, Percy Geddes, Jim Corbett and Carl Cober.
Edward Cole was born in England on June 16, 1893. On January 24, 1911 he joined the Gloucestershire Regiment in World War I. He fought in France and China where he received the 1915 Star, the 1914-1918 British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He was discharged in 1916 due to malaria. He married Lily Smith in 1917. In 1929, with three children, Molly, Victor and Martin, they sailed from England to Canada. They settled in the Swan River Valley where five more children, Pauline, Oliver, Richard, Patricia and Louise were born. In July 1941, Edward enlisted with the Royal Winnipeg Grenadiers and in December, 1941 at the age of 48, was taken Prisoner of War for four years in Hong Kong. He received the Pacific Star, the 1939-1945 Star, the 1939-1945 War Medal and the Voluntary Service Medal as well as the Hong Kong Medal. Edward was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion and the Hong Kong Veterans. He resided in Swan River until his death on December 4, 1974 and is buried in the Legion section at Birchwood Cemetery.
(Excerpt from a booklet Hong Kong Vets of the Swan River Valley compiled by Leone Sigurdson in September 2018)
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
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General Comments
No comments found.
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.