1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | John | Wallace |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Ingelow MB | Manitoba | 1919-10-14 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| HQ Coy | ||
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-NP-01 | North Point | North Point, Hong Kong Island | 41 Dec 20 | 41 Dec 22 | ||
| 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 Apr 16 |
| JP-Se-4B | Ohashi | Iwate-ken, Kamihei-gun, Katsushi-mura, Ohashi, Japan | Nippon Steel Company | 45 Apr 16 | 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 50848 | Oakland | 1945-10-03 | Guam Passenger Manifest embarked 1945-09-30 NATS |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-10-10 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Brandon Manitoba Canada | Brandon Cemetery | Section 32 Block F | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
HILL: John Wallace (Wally) Hill passed away after a brief illness at the Assiniboine Centre, Brandon on Friday, Oct. 10, 1986. Wally was born Oct. 14, 1919, in Liverpool, England and came to Canada as a young child. He lived with his family in Gregg and later in Ingelow at the station house, where his father was a CN section foreman.
Wally joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers in September 1941 and following training in Jamaica, was sent to South China with is regiment. He became a prisoner of war in Hong Kong for nearly four years, returning to his home in October 1945.
Wally became employed as a psychiatric nurse at the Brandon Mental Health Centre where he met and married Doris Brydon of Shoal Lake, on Nov. 6, 1947. They resided in Brandon and had four children.
Wally was employed as a constable with the Brandon city police department and then became a letter carrier with the Brandon Post Office for 17 years until his retirement in 1975. Throughout his life he enjoyed such hobbies as reading, gardening and small woodworking projects. He enjoyed hunting and fishing in his younger years. Wally enjoyed the company of his comrades and was a good listener. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 3 for 39 years; the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans' Branch No. 10 for 34 years, and the Hong Kong Veterans' Association of Manitoba.
Wally was predeceased by his parents Sarah and Jack Hill and by his wife Doris. He will be sadly missed by son Bernie (Shirley) Hill of Lethbridge, Alta.; daughter Sharen (Hugh) Davis of Brandon; son Wayne of Toronto; daughter Wendy (Don) Wood of Brandon; grandchildren Erin and Ian Davis and Ashley and Dallas Wood. Wally is also survived by sisters. Bess Scott of Kelowna, B.C.; Ivy (John) Redding of Vernon, B.C.; Peggy (Bill) McBeth of Winnipeg: brothers, Cyril (Joan) Hill of Melville, Sask. and Gary (Stella) Hill of Enderby, B.C.; sister-in-law Sher Sheardown of Winnipeg and brother-in-law Bernie Brydon of Shoal Lake; numerous nieces. nephews and friends.
Funeral service was conducted Tuesday, Oct. 14, 1986, at Brockie-Donovan Chapel. Rev. G. L. Lovering officiated. Interment was held at the veterans' section of the Brandon cemetery. Honorary pallbearers were Eunice and Wilfred Everett, Ken and Helen Bell and Howard and Bobbie Anderson, all of Bran-don. Active pallbearers were members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 3. A lunch was graciously served, after the service, by the Ladies Auxiliary. Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans, Branch No. 10.
For The Fallen They shall grow not aid, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.
NewspaperArchiv by Storied
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
Private J. W. Hill - At Hong Kong with the Winnipeg Grenadiers, Pte. Hill also was with the unit in the West Indies. His father, J. W. Hill, Ingelow, Manitoba, was on Old Contemptible of the last war, and is a member of the Veterans Guard of Canada in this.
Picture & caption from Face Book Page- Operation Picture Me- Hong Kong [scanning from Winnipeg Tribune] by David Archer, 2016
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.