1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Corporal | Delmar | Lee |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Winnipeg MB | Manitoba | 1902-04-08 |
| 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
| Date Wounded | Wound Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/22 | N/A |
Hospital Information
No record of hospital visits found.POW Camps
| Camp ID | Camp Name | Location | Company | Type of Work | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-NP-01 | North Point | North Point, Hong Kong Island | 41 Dec 20 | 41 Dec 22 | ||
| 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
H6030 Delmar in 1948
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-11-09 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Winnipeg Manitoba Canada | Brookside Cemetery | MLTY-3895-0 | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
H6030 Delmar FISHER - Delmar L. Fisher standing on right hand side
Delmar Fisher conditions he experienced as a soldier compiled by Ziba Franklyn Fisher
Delmar made his home in Winnipeg, where he married and raised a family. He was absent from home for protracted periods due to his enlistment in the Canadian Army. He had been posted to the Caribbean, and had the rank of Sgt. Unfortunately; he became involved in a brawl, and lost his rank. Shortly after, he and his regiment were transferred to Hong Kong, as Canadas gesture towards stemming the Japanese advance. He was interred upon capture.
His captivity was extremely difficult, owing to the cruelty of his captors. and the starvation diet the prisoners of war were limited to. Delmars imprisonment was in two locations -Hong Kong (Kowloon side) and. later (towards the end of the war), Japan. In Hong Kong, Del contracted beriberi, which ultimately proved fatal, albeit after the wars conclusion. While imprisoned, he was twice placed into a small ward where very ill prisoners were left to die. He lived through this. He also developed lock-jaw, which would have killed him, except that he had a gap in his teeth from having had several knocked out in prior years. Thus it was possible to insert a tube into his mouth, and provide essential nourishment.
He recounted a story of an event that saved several lives. Del and the other prisoners were obliged to work as hard-rock miners. The Japanese were building caves into the mountain sides to provide protection and storage should the Allied forces attack, and the work was being done by the prisoners. En route to the work site. by foot, the guards and their prisoners passed through an apple orchard. In season, with the trees showing fruit, the guards would not permit anyone to pick or eat any of these apples. Then a new person was placed in charge of the work- party. When the apples were growing, and as he and the other guards escorted them through this orchard, there was a remarkable occurrence he ordered the outfit to halt. He then ordered the guards to face him, which meant they could no longer see those they were guarding. He then turned away himself. No-one moved. Then a little rustle. One of the prisoners had reached up, snapped off an apple, and shoved it into his trouser pocket. Then these sounds increased, as all did the same. Then quiet returned. After a few silent moments, the officer in charge spoke aloud, and spun to face his prisoners. He then ordered the guards to resume the former positions And then forward march to work. This scenario was repeated each time they marched through the orchard until crop was eaten by the starving prisoners. That officers life was spared when the Allied forces liberated that camp.
The same cannot be said for many others. Towards the end of the war, many Canadian prisoners, Delmar included, were transferred to Japan, where they provided slave labour for the firm best known to many of us for the zippers we use on our jackets YYZ. After being repatriated, Delmar took his back-pay and spent a large portion of it on tinned goods, stored in long rows in his basement in Winnipeg; he vowed he and his family would never know hunger again.
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
Japanese Trophy: That cruel looking Jap Sumarai Sword holds no more fears for these two Winnipeg men, members of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Aboard C.P.S.S. Princess Alice en route to Victoria, Cpl. Earl W. Dickie (H6018), 772 William Ave. (left), tells Cpl. Del Fisher (H6030), 53 Charlotte St., how he “confiscated” the prized trophy. He took it from a Japanese officer who had bullied his buddies for three and half years. The 397 offices and men who reached Victoria last Friday are binging home a fantastic variety of souvenirs, including swords, bayonets, rifles, Oriental money and cameras
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.