Individual Report: H41728 Joseph ATEAH

1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers

Red River Métis

General Information

Rank: First Name: Second Name:
Private Joseph
From: Enlistment Region: Date of Birth (y-m-d):
Beaconia MB Manitoba 1922-09-11
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

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-01ShamshuipoKowloon, Hong KongCapture42 Jan 22
HK-NP-02North PointNorth Point, Hong Kong Island42 Jan 2242 Sep 26
HK-SA-02ShamshuipoKowloon, Hong Kong42 Sep 26 45 Sep 10

Transportation SE Asia to Home

Transport Mode Arrival Destination Arrival Date Comments
USS Admiral Hugh RodmanVancouver, BC1945-10-07Manilla 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
1997-05-07Post War
Cemetery LocationCemeteryGrave NumberGravestone Marker
Winnipeg Manitoba CanadaChapel Lawn Memorial GardensResurrection Garden

Gravestone Image

Click for larger view

Obituary / Life Story

Joseph ATEAH - Suddenly on May 7, 1997 after a long and courageous battle with many health problems, our husband, father and grandfather Joseph passed away to meet his Lord and maker at Deer Lodge Centre. Leaving behind to mourn at this loss, his wife Grace; daughter Gwen (Carl), grandchildren Kimberly and Christopher; five brothers and one sister, Amen, (Josephine), Isabel, Simon, Phillip, Willard, and Tommy. Also left many cousins, nieces and nephews. The family wishes to acknowledge his very special niece Hazel and husband Albert for their countless hours of visiting and caring.

Joe was born in Renny, Man., September 11, 1922. Joe served his country bravely and proudly in the Second World War being captured and enduring many hardships. Upon his release from the prison camps, Joe worked in the Northern camps of Manitoba, mainly as a cook. In 1966, Joe was hired as an orderly at Victoria General Hospital until his retirement in 1979. Due to his health Joe moved into Deer Lodge Center in 1988 until his passing. His family wishes to thank all the staff at Deer Lodge for their care and commitment in his stay at the center.

A funeral service will be held at Chapel Lawn Funeral Home, 4000 Portage Avenue, on Saturday, May 10 at 10:00 a.m. with a visitation half hour prior to the service. A gathering of family and friends will follow in the Chapel Lawn Reception Centre. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Deer Lodge Centre.

Arrangements entrusted to: CHAPEL LAWN FUNERAL HOME “CHAPEL IN THE PARK” 885-9715

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

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.

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

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End of Report.

Report generated: 31 Oct 2024.


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Additional Notes

(These will not be visible on the printed copy)

  1. Service numbers for officers are locally generated for reporting only. During World War II officers were not allocated service numbers until 1945.
  2. '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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.