1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Eric | |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Lac Du Bonnet MB | Manitoba | 1921-01-19 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Bn HQ | ||
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-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NATS 90413 | Oakland | 1945-10-08 |
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
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-04-26 | POW-related | Post War | |
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Winnipeg Manitoba Canada | Brookside Cemetery | MLTY-2978-0 | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
A veteran of the second world war, Eric William French, 29, of Lac du Bonnet, Man, died Saturday in Deer Lodge hospital. Born in England, Mr. French came to Manitoba 28 years ago. During the war he served with the Winnipeg Grenadiers from 1939 to 1946 in Jamaica and Hong Kong. He was employed as a beer waiter at Manitou Lodge, Pine Falls, Man. Besides his widow Jean, Mr. French is survived by his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Walter French of Lac du Bonnet; a brother Leslie of Toronto, and a sister Mrs. R. MacDonald of Winnipeg. The funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Bardal's funeral home. Canon F. W. Goodove will officiate and burial will be in the military plot, Brookside cemetery.
Eric William French, 19 January 1921 - 8 April 1950 Born in Bexhill on Sea, Sussex England to Walter William French, a green grocer and Annie Elizabeth (nee Wappett). He was the youngest of three children, who came to Canada in June 1922. He was survived by his parents, brother Leslie (Rona) and his sister Alice MacDonald (Ronald) and nieces.
He left school quite young to help his parents with their plot of land. In 1939, Eric enlisted in the Canadian Forces with his older brother Leslie. He was raised for God, King and Country, and he lived by those values.
Eric was a talented fiddler and loved to play for family and friends. He loved his nieces, Janice, Gail and Lorna. His passing left a hole in the hearts of his family that could never be filled. His memory passed to future generations who never knew him but loved him nonetheless.
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
My great uncle, Private Eric French.
Eric was the youngest of three children born to Walter and Annie (Wappett) French in Bexhill on Sea, Sussex, England. He was adored and idolized by his older sister who took care of him when in 1922 the family decided to try for a different life in Canada. Arriving in early April, they made their way to Birds Hill, Manitoba. Eric was a good student and an excellent fiddle player. He had a natural gift for music. When WWII broke out, he and his older brother Leslie enlisted. Les was sent to Europe and Eric eventually was deployed to Hong Kong with the Winnipeg Grenadiers.
After liberation, Eric made his way home. He was very sick as a result of his time in the camps. He never played fiddle again. He struggled to find and keep working due to his constant health battles. He did marry his sweetheart shortly before his passing in 1950. He sadly had no children, but his three nieces loved him dearly.
I never met my great uncle Eric, but he is always the first thought as we come to Remembrance Day. May his memory be a blessing.
Received from great niece Kelly, March 2024
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.
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