1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Anthony | Peter |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Winnipeg MB | Manitoba | 1920-08-24 |
| 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
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-To-5B | Niigata-Rinko | Niigata-ken, Nakakambara-gun, Ogata-mura, Japan | Marutsu, Rinko Coal, Shintetsu | Stevedore labor at port of Niigata (Marutsu), primarily foodstuffs; mining coal (Rinko Coal ) and labor at a foundry (Shintetsu) | 43 Sep 02 | 45 Sep 05 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD4B | 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-08-03 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
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
Gelley, Peter Anthony (Tony) At the Hotel Dieu Shaver Hospital on August 3rd, 2006. Our beloved dad and papa left us to join his family in Heaven and finally be free of pain. Tony was born on August 24th, 1920 in Winnipeg, Manitoba; he was the fifth child out of a family of 10 and was the last surviving of his immediate family. In 1940, he joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers is to serve his country as a proud Canadian. After spending some time in Jamaica he was eventually sent to fight in the battle to defend Hong Kong during World War II. He was taken prisoner of war (POW) on Christmas Day in 1941 and spent the next four years in three prison camps- the first was North Point, Hong Kong; the second was Sham Shui Po, Kowloon and the final was Niiagata, Japan where he was finally released from internment. After returning home, he joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on a bet and moved to Regina. Upon retiring from the RCMP, he became an insurance adjuster with Portage la Prairie Mutual and returned to Winnipeg later transferring to Saint Catharines. In 2005- The Year of the Veteran, he overcame many obstacles to go to Ottawa and be honored by his country with many other veterans. Predeceased by his beloved wife of 51 years, Marion (2002) and also by his mother, Pearl; father, Charles; brothers- Bill, Louie, Abby, John, Eddie, Donny; and his favorite siblings- his sisters- Lucienne, Madeline and Gwendolyn. Tony loved and always looked took wonderful care of his family and there was nothing he wouldn't do for us. He is survived by his daughter Denise, and son-in-law, Bruce McLachlin; granddaughter Danielle; grandson Mack and his wife, Karen and his first great grandson Keegan Anthony (who put the sparkle back in his eyes these last few months); his sisters-in-law Kay Schonhoffer and Ann Behl; and many nieces and nephews- especially Bill and his late wife June (July 2006) Isbell and Ron and Josie Behl. For many years Tony enjoyed meeting his breakfast friends known as 'The Harvey's Gang' and later became the 'A&W Crew'. Cremation has taken place and a mass will be held on Tuesday, August 8 at St. Denis Parish at 1:00 p.m. Should friends desire, donations may be made to the Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association or a charity of your choice. We would like to thank the 2nd floor nursing staff for being so caring and taking such wonderful care of Dad. Memorial donations may be arranged through the Patrick J. Darte Funeral Chapel. 'Lest We Forget'.
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
After the war, Peter Anthony Gelley (or Tony) joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and moved from Winnipeg to Regina. He met his wife there, Marion, and together they adopted a baby girl, Denise. Marion and Tony were very involved in all aspects of sports from bowling to baseball and were very active in the social side of Mountie life.
In 1966, he retired from the RCMP and moved back to Winnipeg to start a career as an insurance adjuster for Portage La Prairie Mutual Insurance Company. Tony was transferred to their office in St. Catharines in 1972 and moved his family there. He retired in 1982 and started to enjoy retired life. Marion & Tony headed down to winter in Florida and made many new friends there.
Tony was a very hard working, intelligent, fun-loving & honest man who loved and always cared for his family first. He had a great faith in God which was instilled in him by his loving Mother which I believe is why he survived the horrific years in the prison camps.
Another love Tony had was for cars, specifically Cadillacs! He dreamt from a young age of owning his own Cadillac. Finally, when he retired he bought his first Caddy. He was so proud and would go out and shammie it down every morning. He lived to buy several over the next few decades much to Marion's chagrin.
Submitted by daughter Denise May, 2017
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.