1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Gordon | Christopher |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Keewatin ON | Manitoba | 1922-12-20 |
| 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 Dec 15 | ||
| JP-Os-3B | Oeyama | Kyoto-fu, Yosa-gun, Yoshizu-mura, Sutsu, Japan | Nippon Yakin Nickel Mine & Refinery | Mining nickel & work at the refinery | 44 Jan 06 | 45 Sep 10 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD5B | SS Soong Cheong / Toyama Maru | 43 Dec 15 | 44 Jan 04 | Moji, Japan | Arrived at Takao, Formosa, 43 Dec 20; Transferred to Toyama Maru, 43 Dec 30, went to Oeyama | Tony Banham |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NATS 90411 | Oakland | 1945-09-25 |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-07-23 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Calgary Alberta Canada | Queens Park Village Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Gordon Christopher (Gord) Durrant passed away at his home on July 23, 2009, at the age of 87 years. He is the loving father to Chris (Paula) of Vancouver, BC, Don of Calgary, Barry (Donna) of Fort Nelson, BC and Karen of Calgary. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. Gord will also be remembered by Karen and Gary Boland and St. Michael's catholic community. Gord was predeceased by his wife Agnes Martha. Gordon was born in Broadview, SK. He was a Hong Kong Veteran and P.O.W in Japan. Gordon moved to Calgary with his wife Agnes in 1949. He was a caretaker for the Public School Board for over 30 years. He was an avid golfer and volunteered at the Flames games as head of security and for the Young Canadians. The Calgary Flames was a special passion for him and he was a season ticket holder for many years. Everybody who knew Gordon was a lifelong friend of his. He will be remembered by many and sorely missed. The family would like to thank all nurses and staff at the Rockyview General Hospital, Unit 58 as well as the palliative care team of Calgary's Health Region. A special thank you to Wendy of the palliative team.
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
Nearly four years of hardship and suffering at the hands of the Japanese is all over now for a group of Winnipeg Grenadiers who arrived in Winnipeg, Thursday night, over C.N.R. lines. The station was packed with relatives and friends who gave the repatriated prisoners of war a great welcome. Top left: Enlisting when he was only 17, Pte. Angus Aimoe is the first of 22 Grenadiers from the Carman district to arrive home. He is seen here with his mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. J Aimoe of Carman. Top right: "Yokohama is wrecked worse than Tokyo", said Cpl. Milton Dann upon his arrival. Cpl. Dan was greeted at the station by his mother, Mrs. W Bloomfield of 255 Langside Street. Inset: This shows a warm welcome being extended to L-Cpl. James Stewart of 44 Knappen Avenue by Miss Lillian Harcus of Lockport. Bottom left: Pte. Gordon Durrant the first of three brothers to arrive home from Japan is shown as he was greeted by his brother Stan (right), and sister-in-law, Mrs. Phil Durrant of 612 Erin Street. Pte. Durrant's home is at Keewatin, Ont. Bottom right: Pte. J. Zinko was all excited about his new uniform when met at the station. He is seen with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. S. Zinko, of 533 Melbourne Avenue and a sister, Mrs. H. N. Irvine.
’C’ Force Family Connections:
- Brother of H6201 Maurice Durrant
- Brother of H6427 Philip Durrant
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.