1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Albert | Henry |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Winnipeg MB | Manitoba | 1921-02-02 |
| 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
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-BMH | 04/11/1942 | 04/27/1942 | 118 |
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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-02-28 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Winnipeg Manitoba Canada | Brookside Cemetery | MLTY-Niche-01D | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
ALBERT HENRY (BERT) DELBRIDGE With great sadness, his daughters announce the passing of Bert Delbridge on Thursday, February 28, 2002 at the Grace Hospital, at the age of 81 years, widower of the late Johanna, who predeceased him in 1993. Bert leaves to mourn his passing his three daughters, Linda (Bob) Triethart of Winnipeg, Marilyn (Dick) Capouch of Grand Forks, ND and Susan Peters (Ed) of Calgary, his grandchildren, Bobby, Rick (Diane), Brian, Tracey (Warren), and Laurie; and his great-grandchildren, Hannah and Hayden; his friend Bertie Bell. Bert was predeceased by his son-in-law Ron Peters, and brothers, William and Gordon. Bert served with the Winnipeg Grenadiers in the Battle of Hong Kong during the Second World War and following surrender on Christmas Day 1941 he spent the remainder of the war as a POW both in Hong Kong and Japan. He was a past National President of the Hong Kong Veterans Association and the Hong Kong Veterans Association (Manitoba Division). He was a member of the John Osborne branch of the ANAF. He was a Past President of the Assiniboine Golf Club. Bert was a Mason and a member of the Scottish Rite and Khartum Shrine Temple. Bert was employed with the Winnipeg Free Press retiring as Circulation Supervisor. He loved to golf and was a tireless worker on behalf of the Hong Kong Veterans Association. The family extends their heartfelt thanks to Dr. Schroeder, his doctor and friend, for his care and compassion during Bert’s illness. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, March 5 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Andrews Anglican Church, 2700 Portage Ave., with The Rev. lan Mills officiating. In lieu of flowers, if friends desire memorial donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society, 193 Sherbrook St., Winnipeg, R3C 979 If you think of me and cry, Don't think of me at all. But if you think of me and smile, Think of me often.
NEIL BARDAL INC 949-2200 As published in the Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 02, 2002
Memorable Manitobans: Albert Henry "Bert" Delbridge (?-2002)
Veteran.
Delbridge served with the Winnipeg Grenadiers in the Battle of Hong Kong during the Second World War, and after the surrender on Christmas 1941, spent the remainder of the war as a POW in Hong Kong and Japan. He was a past National President of the Hong Kong Veterans Association and of the Manitoba division of the same organization, as well as a member of the John Osborne branch of the ANAF. He also served as a president of the Assiniboine Golf Club.
He died at Winnipeg on 28 February 2002.
Sources:Winnipeg Free Press, Monday, 4 March 2002, page 34. This profile was prepared by Kris Keen.
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
CONVICTED ON AFFIDAVITS OF CANADIAN VETS
OTTAWA June 24 (CP)-Affidavits of 16 Canadian veterans of Hong Kong have helped convict three Japanese Overseers of a mining company, charged with brutal treatment of Allied war prisoners working at the mine, army headquarters announced today.
Sentences of imprisonment at hard labour were imposed on Tsurugi Komatsu, Masao Suzuki and Ken Suzuki.
Komatsu, nicknamed "Bulldog" by prisoners, was civilian overseer of the Kashima coal mine. He was found guilty of 33 charges, including beating prisoners with a mine hammer, shovel, pick handle and other weapons, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
The other two were mine foremen under Komatsu, and received sentences of 13 and four years respectively.
Employed in the mine were Canadian, Dutch and English prisoners of war from Sendai area camp 1-B, at Yumoto, Island of Honshu.
The Canadian veterans supplying affidavits describing brutal treatment in the mine were: Matthew William Murray Oshawa, Ont.; John T. Ferrigan Campbell's Bay, Que; Henry Hladych, Kindersley, Sask; Jack Rose, Vancouver, B.C.; Robert C. Stager Ayr, Ont.; Leo Paul Berard, Winnipeg; Ralph D. Alley, Trent River, Ont.; John D. Caruso, Fort William; James H. Stewart, Albert Delbridge and John Kitt, all of Winnipeg; Sylvere Arsenault Atholville, N.B.; James A. Flanagan, Joseph Frenette and Joseph A. Dempsey all of Jacquet River, N.B.; and William J. Overton, Toronto.
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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