1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
Red River Métis
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Wilfrid | |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| St. Laurent MB | Manitoba | 1920-07-16 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| B | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/25 | N/A |
Hospital Information
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-WMH | 12/25/1941 | N/A | Transferred to BMH | |
| HK-BMH | 01/22/1942 | 01/29/1942 | 118 |
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 | 45 Sep 10 |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Admiral Hugh Rodman | Vancouver, BC | 1945-10-07 | Manilla to Vancouver, 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 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-02-10 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| St Laurent Manitoba Canada | St. Laurent Roman Catholic Church Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
WILFRED CHABOYER - Suddenly on Saturday, February 10, 1990 at his residence in St. Laurent. Wilfred Chaboyer, aged 69, on July 16, 1920 at St. Laurent, he had lived in St. Laurent most of his life. He was a veteran of the Second World War, serving overseas with the Winnipeg Grenadiers and was a prisoner of war in Hong Kong. He received the 1939 – 1945 Star, the Pacific Star, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp and the 1939 – 1945 War Medal. He was predeceased by his brother Louis in 1941; brother David in 1945; father Vital in 1950; his wife Juliette in 1953, his stepfather Michael Desjarlais in 1982, his brother Chris in 1987 and his mother Adeline Desjarlais in 1990. He is survived by two sons, Alex and his wife Helen of Headingley, Alfred and wife Cathy of Winnipeg; three daughters, Diane and husband Pat of St. Laurent, Doreen and husband Walter of Narcisse and Lana Schendel of Winnipeg; nine grandchildren, Dean, Shelly and Hollis Chartrand, Damian, Brandee and Jenna Chaboyer, Wallace Wright, Jason and Tyler Schendel; four sisters, Maria Bruce and husband Edgar of St. Laurent, Anne Krainiciuk of Winnipeg, Alice Ducharme and husband David of Winnipeg, Velma Allard and husband Fred of Winnipeg; one brother Emile and wife Cecile of St. Laurent and one sister-in-law Exilia Chaboyer of St. Laurent. Prayers will be held on Wednesday, February 14 at 7:00 p.m. in the St. Laurent Roman Catholic Church. Funeral service will be held on Thursday, February 15 at 11:00 a.m. in the St. Laurent Roman Catholic Church. Rev. Fr. A. Lemome officiating. Interment to follow in the churchyard cemetery. Pallbearers will be Dean Chartrand, Damian Chaboyer, Wallace Wright, John Krainiciuk, Germaine Bruce and Bob Allad. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Diabetes Foundation or the Heart Foundation. “He was a gentle loving man. May God take him in His arms and give him all the love he so richly deserves” REST IN PEACE WE LOVE YOU DAD MacKenzie Funeral Home, Stonewall in care of arrangements.
Research conducted as part of the HKVCA Indigenous Veterans Project for this veteran are available in our Vault. To access this research use the link displayed below under Related Documentation.
Links and Other Resources
Wilfrid CHABOYER noted on Selkirk Manitoba Ancestry
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
→ Related documentation for information published in this report, such as birth information, discharge papers, press clippings and census documents may be available via shared resources in our HKVCA Vault. It is organized with folders named using regimental numbers. Use the first letter of the individual's service number to choose the correct folder, then scroll to the specific sub-folder displaying the service number of your interest.
General Comments
No comments found.
End of Report.
Report generated: 21 Nov 2024.
Additional Notes
(These will not be visible on the printed copy)
- Service numbers for officers 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.