1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
Red River Métis
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | George | Roy |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Fisher Branch MB | Manitoba | 1918-03-19 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| A | ||
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 | Reference | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-NP-01 | North Point | North Point, Hong Kong Island | 41 Dec 20 | 41 Dec 22 | |||
| HK-AS-01 | Argyle Street | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 41 Dec 22 | Dec 26 | |||
| HK-SA-01 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | Capture | 42 Jan 22 | |||
| HK-NP-02 | North Point | North Point, Hong Kong Island | 33 | 42 Jan 22 | 42 Sep 26 | ||
| HK-SA-02 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 42 Sep 26 | 43 Jan 19 | |||
| JP-To-3D | Tsurumi | Yokohama-shi, Tsurumi-ku, Suyehiro-cho, 1-chome, Japan | Nippon Steel Tube - Tsurumi Shipyards | Variety of jobs related to ship building | 9 | 43 Jan 19 | 45 May 13 |
| JP-Se-1B | Yumoto | Fukushima-ken, Iwaki-gun, Yumoto-cho, Mizunoya, Japan | Joban Coal Mining Company | 134 | 45 May 13 | 45 Sep 15 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD3A | Tatuta Maru | 43 Jan 19, left Shamsuipo Camp, 0500 hrs; left Hong Kong 1300hrs | 43 Jan 22, 0400 hrs | Nagasaki, Japan | Boarded train, arrived in Tokyo on 43 Jan 24 at 0700 hrs, boarded electric train for 10 mile ride to camp | Tony Banham |
Transportation: SE Asia to Home
No related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Post-war Photo
Other Military Service
No 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 | Death Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-03-29 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Woodlands Manitoba Canada | Fisherton Cemetery | 50-22E | Yes |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Suddenly on Tuesday, March 29, 1994 at River East Nursing Home, Winnipeg, Man, George Roy Stodgell, aged 76 years, beloved husband of Iva of Oak Park Lodge, Woodlands, Man.
Born on March 19, 1918 at Fisherton, Man., Roy served with the Winnipeg Grenadiers between September 1939 and March 1945. He served in Jamaica and was a prisoner of war for nearly four years in Hong Kong. After discharge Roy was employed by International Laboratories for 28 1/2 a years. He also worked for Fraser Construction, Winnipeg, for 15 years and retired at age 69.
Roy is survived by his wife Iva; daughter Rhea (Ernest) Zitaruk; son Ronald (Patricia) Stodgell of Winnipeg; daughter Iris (Guy) Jodoin of Marquette, Man.; grandchildren Russ and Lana Zitaruk of Edmonton, Christopher Stodgell, Cary Ryan, Renee Jodoin; sister Freida (Henry) Prystenski of Winnipeg; brother Norman (Kay) of Fisherton; brother Loyd (Margaret) of Edmonton; and numerous nieces and nephews. Predeceased by brother Victor, and brothers Stan, Garnet and Cyril in the Second World War. Roy was a member of the Hong Kong Veteran's Association and a life member of the Royal Canadian Legion Hodgson Branch #158.
Thanks to the staff of the Stonewall Hospital and the staff of River East Nursing Home for their care and understanding.
Viewing will be held on Friday, April 1, between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at Fisher Funeral Home, Fisher Branch, Man. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, April 2 at 2:00 p.m., also at the funeral Home, with Rev. Godfrey Mawijje and Rev. Wesley Barrett officiating. Interment will follow at the Fisherton Community Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Roy's memory to the Hodgson Legion Branch #158, the Fisherton Cemetery, or to any charity of your choice. Arrangements in care of Fisher Funeral Home, 1-372-6271 Fisher Branch.
Winnipeg Free Press, March 31, 1994
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.
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
→ Related documentation for information published in this report, such as birth information, discharge papers, press clippings and census documents may be available via shared resources in our HKVCA Vault. It is organized with folders named using regimental numbers. Use the first letter of the individual's service number to choose the correct folder, then scroll to the specific sub-folder displaying the service number of your interest.
General Comments
Mary Broadfoot Stodgell 7 Nov 1963 Winnipeg, Manitoba
Honouring a war mother - Front page of Winnipeg Free Press
Roy, a Stodgell brother, enlisted on September 14, 1939 in the Winnipeg Grenadiers. He trained at Minto Armouries and Fort Osborne Barracks until May 19, 1940 when he went to Bermuda on the "Lady Drake"; he spent four and a half months in Bermuda and after that he went to Jamaica for thirteen to fourteen months. He returned to Canada in October 1941. He left for Hong Kong five weeks later, going by train, then by ship, a trip which took 21 days from Vancouver to Hong Kong.
They were there about three-four weeks when the fighting started. He was taken prisoner on December 19, 1941 and spent some time in North Point Camp, then 'Sham Shoo Poo' Camp. The first year after being taken prisoner, Roy worked in the airport in China. Their food was mostly vegetables and rice but there was never enough. In 1943, he was shipped from China to Japan by freighter. They were loaded by alphabetical order. All names before 's' were put in the hold and they were packed so the rest stayed on top of the deck. The toilets and latrines in the hold were all plugged. The prisoners on the top deck were not treated too badly, but the ones in the hold had their food lowered down in tubs by a rope. The cooks knew the prisoners were going to Japan, so they baked two thousand buns but those in the hold never got any. They were four and a half days going to Japan.
The first year in Japan they got "red barley" boiled, three times a day. They got all they could eat but it burned their stomachs out. They also got three sardines twice a week. In 1944, their main food was boiled potato and carrot "tops". The Japanese kept the potato and carrot roots for themselves.
In Japan they worked in shipyards. When they finished work at night they would try to sleep, but between picking lice and bugs off themselves they got little rest.
Whenever there was an air raid they killed cats, horses or dogs. The Japanese would bring them to the prisoners to cook for themselves.
Whenever they moved to a different camp they would walk because there was no other transportation. In 1945, they were put to work in the coal mines. Their meals there were one cup of rice three times a day. It was never enough. In Japan, their clothing was "gunny sack" pants and shirt and sandals. The sacking itched like crazy.
In the mines it was so hot all they wore was a G-string and sandals. The Japanese girls that worked there too wore the same dress.
The war was over for seven days before the prisoners were told.
The Americans started to drop food by air the second week after, plus "three forty-five gallon drums of French safes" but that did not help very much because the prisoners' health was not very good. After that the Japanese treated them pretty good.
They stayed about three weeks after the war ended, then started for home. They travelled to Guam by boat, stayed one week there, then took a plane to an American base where they stayed four days. Next was on to San Francisco and from there by train to Vancouver for three days, after which they left by train for Winnipeg, arriving there on September 20, 1945. Roy was discharged March 1946.
Roy received the following medals: 1939-1945 Star, Pacific Star, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp. Defence Medal and War Medal 1939-1945.
The Royal Canadian Legion Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario Command Vol. 12 pg 201 www.mbnwo.ca
End of Report.
Report generated: 19 Apr 2024.
Additional Notes
(These will not be visible on the printed copy)
- Service numbers for officers 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.