1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Herbert | |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Swan River MB | Manitoba | 1891-10-19 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/20 | N/A |
Hospital Information
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-BMH | 12/21/1941 | 12/22/1941 | Transferred to another hospital | 118 |
| HK-UNK | N/A | N/A | ||
| HK-BMH | 09/23/1942 | 10/10/1942 | 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 | 43 Jan 19 | ||
| JP-Fu-5B | Omine | Kawasaki-machi, Fukuoka pref., Kyushu Island, Japan | Furukawa Industries Omine | Coal mining | 43 Jan 23 | 45 Sep 22 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD3B | Tatuta Maru | 43 Jan 19, left Shamsuipo Camp, 0500 hrs; left Hong Kong 1300hrs | 43 Jan 22, 0400 hrs | Nagasaki, Japan | Tony Banham |
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
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Other Military or Public Service
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Death and Cemetery Information
| Date of Death (y-m-d) | Cause of Death | Death Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-08-15 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Swan River Manitoba Canada | Birchwood Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Herbert Bowman was born in Snethishan, England in 1881. In 1914, he arrived in Ontario where he was employed for a short time before moving to Minitonas. Here, he married Elsie May Rapley and together had daughter Kathleen. They moved to the Roaring River District where they continued to farm and where daughter Mabel was born some years later. Herb was an ardent trapper during the winter and a fisherman during the summer. Along with farming his own land, he also worked for other farmers in the area along with digging many wells in the district. In 1940, Herb joined the Army with the Winnipeg Grenadiers. He was taken prisoner of war in 1941. He endured the terrible conditions that the Hong Kong prisoners were subjected to until their liberation in 1945. In 1946, Herb returned to civilian life and homesteaded in the Floradale District. After 12 years, he and his wife sold the farm and moved to Swan River. His wife died in 1970. In May 1978, Herb moved to Minitonas. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion for 28 years. He died on August 15, 1978. Interment was in Birchwood Cemetery, Swan River.
(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
- 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
A well known Valley resident, Herbert Bowman, passed away in the Swan River Valley Hospital on August 15, 1978 after a brief illness. He was 87 years and 10 months of age. Born in Snethishan, England, as a young lad he once had the honor of singing for the late Queen Victoria. In 1914, he arrived in Ontario, Canada where he was employed for a short time before moving to the Minitonas area. He homesteaded on the land which is now owned by Bob Boles and Clarence Lee. He married the former Elsie May Rapley and a baby daughter, Kathleen, was born to them. The couple then moved to the Roaring River District where they continued to farm and where another daughter, Mabel was born some years later. Mr. Bowman was an ardent trapper during the winter months and fisherman during the summer. A loving father family man, he often carried provisions such as flour and sugar on his back for 10 miles to be used in the home. He once included a tiny tea set of dishes to be enjoyed by his young daughters in the heavy load. Along with farming his own land, he also worked for other farmers in the area and dug many a well in the district.
In 1940, he joined the Royal Canadian Army and was taken prisoner-of-war in 1941. He then endured the terrible conditions that the Hong Kong prisoners were subjected to until their liberation in 1945. In 1946, he returned to civilian life and homesteaded in the Floradale District. After 12 years, he and his wife sold their farm and moved to Swan River where each summer he grew a beautiful garden. Every year he raised 1000 Spanish onions which they gave to their many friends and neighbours. Mrs. Bowman pre-deceased her husband on July 7, 1970. In May of 1978, Mr. Bowman moved to Minitonas to live due to illness - the first time he had been sick in 30 years.
Mr. Bowman, or "Pop" as he was fondly referred to, was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion for 28 years. Each year he participated in the November 11th Remembrance Day Service during which he faced the East, saluted, and thus paid tribute to his comrades who never came back. Mr. Bowman was one of the oldest surviving veterans of the Hong Kong seige.
Surviving are his two daughters: Kathleen Campbell and Mabel Eichler; a brother Fred and a sister Mrs. J. U. Shepard, both of England; 13 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.
Rev. Thelma Tanner conducted the funeral service at 1:00 p.m. on August 19, 1978 from St. James Anglican Church, Swan River. Interment was in Birchwood Cemetery, Swan River. A Legion Color Party, along with fellow Legionnaires paid tribute to their old friend and comrade. Honorary pallbearers were Ernie Ray, Harold McLean, Dave McLauchlan, Jack Lambert, Howard Jenkins, Stan Paull, Jack Harris and Ralph Harris. Active pallbearers were Ted Shadbolt, Mike Didychuk, Ted Beadle, Ron Schuweiler, Bud Shadbolt and Alphonse Schuweiler.
Paull Funeral Home was in care of the arrangements.
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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- 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.
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