1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Frederick | George |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Fisher Branch MB | Manitoba | 1921-05-10 |
| 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
| Date Wounded | Wound Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/18 | N/A |
Hospital Information
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-BMH | 04/19/1942 | 08/25/1942 | 118; 26 |
POW Camps
| Camp ID | Camp Name | Location | Company | Type of Work | 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 | 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 | 43 Jan 19 | 45 May 13 |
| JP-Se-1B | Yumoto | Fukushima-ken, Iwaki-gun, Yumoto-cho, Mizunoya, Japan | Joban Coal Mining Company | 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
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | San Diego |
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
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Other Military or Public Service
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Death and Cemetery Information
| Date of Death (y-m-d) | Cause of Death | Death Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-06-11 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Fisherton Manitoba Canada | Fisherton Cemetery | 60-36E | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
FRED GARD Peacefully with his family by his side. Dad passed away in the Percy E. Moore Hospital on May 14, 2001 at the age of 80 years. Fred was born May 10, 1921, at the family homestead in Fisher Branch, MB. Fred proudly served his country during the Second World War with the Winnipeg Grenadiers. After the end of the war, Dad returned to the family homestead where he spent many years doing what he enjoyed most, farming! Dad was a jack of all trades and enjoyed helping other people. When Dad returned to the family farm he married Lauretta Webb and together they raised four children and one foster son. At the time of Lauretta’s illness Dad moved to Winnipeg to be close to Mom. After Lauretta's passing, he married Jesse George in April of 1982. Ded and Jesse returned to Dad’s roots on the home quarter in Fisher Branch to enjoy retirement in 1983. Here is where Dad chose to spend the remaining years close to his family and friends. Dad will be lovingly remembered by his wife Jesse: son Larry; daughters, Lenora (Pat) Wright, Kitty (Walter) Beard, Glenda (Ed) Yablonski; foster son George (Jacquie) Stew; stepchildren Linda (Larry), Gary (Marion), Collette, Andy, Jeanne (Stephen), Paul (Renee); grandchildren Stewart (Donna), Trevor (Lori), Trisha Gard, Victor (Sheila), Noella Wright, Lauretta and Sherry Beard, Tyler and Tyson Boychuk, Gloria (Peter) Singendonk, Pam (Rick) Ruth; great-grandchildren Byron, Alex, Kyla, Darryl, Eric, Chris, Trevor, Quinton, and Logan; several step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Charlie (Diane) sister Rose Truthwaite; special niece Shannon Pyziak, and numerous nieces and nephews. Prayers will be held Thursday, May 17, 2001 at 7:30 p.m. in the Fisher Funeral Home. Fisher Branch, MB. Funeral service will be held Friday, May 18, 2001 at 2:00p.m. in the Fisher Funeral Home, Fisher Branch, MB. with Rev. Wesley Barrett officiating. Interment will be at the Fisherton Cemetery. Last Post by Legion Branch #158. Pallbearers are Victor Wright, Stewart, Trevor and Bradley Gard, Tyler and Tyson Boychuk. In lieu of flowers, Dad requested that donations be made to the Fisher Branch Personal Care Home, Arrangements in care of Fisher Funeral Home, Fisher Branch MB 204-372-8271 or 204-372-6803.
As published in the Winnipeg Free Press on May 17, 2001
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.
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General Comments
Fred Gard enlisted on September 14, 1939 and took his basic training at Minto Armouries and Fort Osborne Barracks. He served with the Winnipeg Grenadiers as a Private. He went to Jamaica on the ship, Queen Virginia, in May 1940.
Mostly he guarded German and Russian prisoners of war. He even guarded Rudolf Hess.
He returned to Canada in the beginning of October 1941 on two weeks leave. They then went to the west coast and got on a ship at Vancouver, travelling in a convoy. They were on the ocean for about three weeks. They landed in Hong Kong in November 1941.
The Japanese had invaded Hong Kong on December 8, 1941. Fred was taken prisoner on December 18. 1941, then Hong Kong fell to the Japanese on December 25, 1941. He spent some time at North Point Camp. The Japanese then moved him to Sham Shoo Poo Camp then to Camp Kowloon in China.
Later the prisoners were loaded on a ship to go to Japan. They were put down in the hold. It was so crowded they had to stand upright for four days, they even slept standing up!
They got off the ship at Nagasaki on the fifth day. All they had on their feet were sandals and they had to stand in the snow for about two hours. Then, they were loaded on a train and taken to Yokohama, where they worked in shipyards. They were then taken to the coal mines.
Their food consisted of one cup of boiled rice three times a day. When the war ended, the Americans started to drop food which was a good treat for the former prisoners. Fred was with Roy Stodgell all the way through everything. While in Japan, after the war ended, they were close to Mount Fujiyama. There was a volcano there. Thousands of Japanese jumped into the volcano committing harikari.
Fred returned to Guam by plane, then to San Diego by the ship, Iowa, and then by train to Winnipeg. He was discharged on March 12, 1946. After the war, he resided in Fisherton.
’C’ Force Family Connections:
- Brother of H6776 James Gard
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.
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- 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.
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