1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Staff Sergeant | Colin | Alexander |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Vancouver BC | Manitoba | 1908-12-26 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Company Quartermaster Sergeant | B | Coy HQ |
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 | 45 Sep 10 |
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
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-03-20 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Calgary Alberta Canada | Queen's Park Cemetery and Mausoleum | Lot 19 Block 25 Sec K | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
H6251 Colin MCFADYEN - McFADYEN - March 20th, 1967 Colin Alexander (Alex) McFadyen aged 58 years, 15 17th St. N.W. beloved father of Barbara and Colleen and dear son of Mrs. Johanna Halderson, Winnipeg. His wife, Helen, predeceased him in 1961. Born in St. Boniface, Manitoba, he resided in Winnipeg until moving to Calgary in 1950 where he was manager of Canadian Coleman Co., at the time of his passing. Mr. McFadyen was a member of Hong Kong Veterans Association having served with the Winnipeg Grenadiers in the Second World War. He was a member of the Tri-Servces League. Services at The Little Chapel on the Corner (Jacques Funeral Home) Wednesday at 2:45 p.m. Rev. Robert A. Wallace officiating. Interment, Queens Park Cemetery. Flowers gratefully declined at the chapel and residence.
From grandson Gord Hemmerling - May 2019.
My grandmother and grandfather separated in 1937 when my mother was 6 years old, they never did divorce. It was sad to see my grandfathers obit from the Calgary paper and it did not mention my mother at all.
Family dynamics can be very strange. My mother and her Dad (H6251 Colin MCFADYEN) were estranged especially after the war as he did not want to see her when she went to visit him in 1950 in Calgary so growing up she never talked about him at all. Only after her death did we find these pictures and letters he had sent during the war, sad to think they never reconnected and he never knew he had grandkids.
I am pretty sure my grandfather must have remarried as noted in the obit and was survived by 2 other daughters which I have never been able to find. Since I started this journey of tracing family I have copies of most of the medals given to him however I missed the time to obtain the Memorial medal and I did get the grave marker installed at his grave site in Calgary which I have yet to revisit.
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
H6251 Colin MCFADYEN - From grandson Gord Hemmerling - May 2019- I checked the Jamaica picture sitting on the cannon and my Grandfather had written taken at Newcastle Jamaica August 1940.
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.