1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | James | Kenneth |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Port Arthur ON | Manitoba | 1920-07-19 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/21 | N/A |
Hospital Information
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-UNK | N/A | N/A | ||
| HK-BMH | 12/29/1941 | 01/06/1942 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Glory | Esquimalt, BC | 1945-10-27 | Manila to Esquimalt, BC 37 CDNs sick and 119 fit |
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
James Ken Bell with his father, Angus Bell, a small dray company owner
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-09-06 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Balmoral St at Oliver Road Port Arthur Ontario Canada | Riverside Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Obituary / Life Story
Mr. J. Kenneth Bell, age 81 years, a resident of 165 North Court Street, passed away peacefully at St. Joseph’s Hospice on Thursday, September 6, 2001. Born in Port Arthur, he was a lifetime resident. Ken joined the LSR in June of 1941; went to Winnipeg for advanced training, and transferred to the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Shortly after, the Winnipeg Grenadiers were sent to serve in Hong Kong and on December 25, 1941, were taken prisoners and spent the duration of the war in a Japanese prison camp. Ken arrived home in October of 1945 and was employed by the Board of Grain Commissioners for thirty years, retiring in 1976. Ken was a member of Port Arthur Branch #5 Royal Canadian Legion and Hong Kong Veterans Association-Manitoba Branch. He especially enjoyed his cottage at Loon Lake and winters in Mesa, Arìzona. Ken is survived by his wife Mona; two brothers: Bruce (Anita) of London ON (en route) and Archie of Thunder Bay; two sisters: Dodie Strachan and Marion WalIy McDougall, both of Thunder Bay. Also surviving are numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives. He was predeceased by his parents Angus and Ethel; sister Jessie Spooner; niece Nancy Bell; sister-in-law Barbara Bell; brother-in-law Jack Strachan. Cremation has taken place and a Memorial Service will be held on Monday, September 10 at 11:00 am. in the Chapel of Harbourview Funeral Centre, 499 North Cumberland Street officiated by Rev. Frank Doe of St. John’s Anglican Church. Following the Memorial Service, the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch #5 will also hold a service of tribute. Inurnment will take place in Riverside Cemetery at a later date. If friends so desire, donations may be made in Ken’s memory to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #5 Building Fund, Parkinson’s Foundation of Canada or charity of choice.
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
One never knows when a teachable moment will arise. Submitted by nephew Don Bell
In the summer of 2018 my wife and I went to the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It was the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI. All of the Shaw plays that summer in some way commemorated that event. One that we chose to see was Shakespeare's "Henry V”. It was performed in the studio - a small theatre with seats all the way around, like bleachers around a basketball court. The play was presented in a very unique way - as a play reading, where a bunch of people just sit together and read the lines. Actors often do this to get a feel for a new play before starting rehearsals. What was unique about this was that the people reading the lines were all soldiers in WWI uniforms. The performance started in a trench with the sounds of battle all around. After spending the first half in the trench, they were ordered to attack - the famous line “Once more unto the breach, dear friends” - just before intermission.
During the break, theatre staff in the lobby asked if any of us had family members who had fought in a war, and if so, could we please write a short description of their experience on cards they were handing out. They didn’t exactly explain what was to be done with these. Thinking it was some kind of a survey, I wrote one about Uncle Ken’s experience in Hong Kong, and as a prisoner of war. Two or three others wrote something as well.
When we came back into the theatre after intermission, the trench was gone. We were now in a WWI field hospital. There was no one on the stage at the start. Then a sergeant in an impeccable WWI uniform appeared carrying a messenger bag. He marched the full length of the stage, halted with a sharp bang and withdrew the cards we had written. Uncle Ken’s was the first he read. On completion, he marched back to where he had come in, halted turned about and saluted - clearly a tribute to those soldiers named - before disappearing from sight. There were over 500 people in the theatre. You you could have heard a pin drop. It took ten minutes to clear the tears from my eyes.
The remainder of the play was read by the same soldiers, who were now being treated for many severe injuries, some so bad that their nurses had to help them read. Parts of the dialog were quite humorous as the nurses only spoke French. They taught the soldiers (and of course, the audience, many of whom were American) a few simple expressions, some a bit risqué.
The picture is the story I wrote. It isn’t very complete, as I had to write it very quickly.
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.