1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | William | Henry John |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Cartwright MB | Manitoba | 1920-03-27 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| C | ||
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-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 Aug 15 | ||
| JP-Os-3B | Oeyama | Kyoto-fu, Yosa-gun, Yoshizu-mura, Sutsu, Japan | Nippon Yakin Nickel Mine & Refinery | Mining nickel & work at the refinery | 43 Sep 01 | 45 Sep 02 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD4A | Manryu Maru | 43 Aug 15 | 43 Sep 01 | Osaka, Japan | Brief stopover in Taihoku (Taipei), Formosa (Taiwan); then 2 day stopover at northern point for stool tests | Tony Banham |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
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 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-03-12 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Carman Manitoba Canada | Greenwood Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
JOHN POPLE Born: Mar 27, 1920 Date of Passing: Mar 12, 2002
It is with profound sadness at his passing, but with thanksgiving for his life, that we announce that John passed away peacefully into his eternal rest on March 12, 2002 at the Carman Memorial Hospital. John was a loving husband, father, grandfather and brother. His memory will be cherished by his daughter Beverley and her husband Doug and grandchildren, Kristen, Matthew and Catherine, his brother Victor and wife lona; his sisters, Lillian Greenwood, Rosemary Fague, Hazel Pople; his aunt Norah who was 100 in January, his sister-in-law Dorothy and her husband Don and his brother-in-law Jim and his wife Corrinne. John is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews. cousins and friends in the United States, Winnipeg, Carman, Saskatchewan and Alberta. John was predeceased by his beloved wife Mary on March 26, 1999, his mother Zara in 1947, his father Ben in 1954, his sisters, Dorothy Somerville in 1994, Thelma Cuthbertson in 2000 and his brother David in 1998. William Henry John was born on March 27, 1920 at the Morden Hospital. He spent his early years in the Cartwright area where he developed his love of animals and the land. In September 1939, John joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers. John spent from June 1940 to September 1941 in Jamaica and on December 16, 1941 John along with about 1000 others arrived in Hong Kong. They were captured shortly thereafter and spent the remainder of the War as POWS. John was fortunate to be one of those who survived the cruelty of the camps. Following the end of the war John spent over a year in the Ninette Sanatorium to recover from tuberculosis. On March 3. 1949 John married Mary Dix of Carman and they settled in Winnipeg. John worked for the Department of Mines and Natural Resources of the Manitoba Government ending up as the supervisor of Crown Land Records. Many fond memories and life long friendships were made during the time spent living on Sargeant and McDermot. John and Mary's only child Beverley was born in 1951 and John devoted himself to being a loving and supportive husband and father and later a very special grandfather to his beloved grandchildren. He loved spending time with Kristen, Matthew and Catherine and he was very supportive of and interested in whatever they were doing John enjoyed hunting especially with his good friend Bill Colvin and the family summer vacations in Gimli and later in Ottertail, Minnesota. John loved animals especially his Black Lab, Raider and he looked forward to taking drives all over the countryside. He was a kind and generous man and his kindness touched many people. In 1985 John and Mary moved to Carman. John was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 1; the Fort Garry Lodge No. 130, St. Johns Anglican Church and the Hong Kong Veterans Association. John especially enjoyed the get togethers with his Hong Kong friends. Special thanks to the Home Care workers especially Val and Leona, to the nursing staff of Carman Memorial Hospital and to Dr. Dreyer and Rev. Brad Elliott for their care, concern and support. Extra special thanks go to all of John's neighbours for their extraordinary care and concern. John was blessed by having many people who cared for him in Carman. The celebration of John's life will be held at the St. Johns Anglican Church on Saturday, March 16 at 10:30 a.m. with Rev. Brad Elliott officiating. Interment will take place at Greenwood Cemetery, Carman. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a charity of your choice. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. Doyle Funeral Chapel of Carman in care of arrangements. As published in the Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 16, 2002
(Transcribed from the Legion Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario Command Military Service Recognition Book)
John was born in Morden, Manitoba in 1920. He joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers and served in Jamaica and Hong Kong where he was captured and spent the remainder of the war as a POW. He married Mary Dix in 1949 and they had one daughter, Beverley. He worked for the Manitoba Government, the Department of Mines and Natural Resources and was supervisor of the Crown Land Records until he retired. John was devoted to his family and friends, especially enjoying his time with his fellow Hong Kong Veterans who honoured him with the Memorial Wall unveiled in Ottawa in 2009. John died in 2002 and had been a member of RCL Winnipeg Branch 1 for thirty-four years.
Links and Other Resources
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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.
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General Comments
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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.
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