1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
Red River Métis
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | George | |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Strasbourg SK | Manitoba | 1918-01-04 |
| 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 | 08/21/1942 | N/A | 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 | N/A |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Joseph T. Dyckman | SF | 1945-10-16 | Manila to San Francisco 44 CDNs & British |
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
Other Military 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-12-28 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Strasbourg Saskatchewan Canada | Crescent Road Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Remembering George Belcourt [prepared by his family]
George Belcourt, son of Antoine and Victoire Belcourt, was born January 4, 1918 in Manitoba on his parents farm near Togo, Saskatchewan. They later moved to St. Eustache, Manitoba where George still has relatives. He had five brothers and five sisters.
In September 1939 George joined the army with the Winnipeg Grenadiers, where he took his basic training. In 1940 he was sent to Jamaica and served there for sixteen months. After a brief return to Canada, he was transferred to Hong Kong where he was taken prisoner on Christmas Day 1941. He was prisoner of war for 3 years, 7 months and 21 days, of which two years of this time was spent in Japan.
After being released August 15, 945, he moved where his wife Kaye (Kathleen, daughter of Alex and Mary) and their son Dale were residing.
George and Kaye met in Winnipeg in 1940 and were married on April 17th of the same year. In 1946, they purchased their first farm land. They lived in an old two room homestead the hill, with an awesome view, where sometimes outdoor weather was experienced indoors. Pulling and hammering nails became an all-day pastime as they started reconstructing the buildings.
As the family grew an addition to the house had to be built. In 1956, George built five rooms onto the existing four room home built in 1947.
Over the years George and Kaye expanded their mixed farming operation to six quarters of land. Besides his farming practices, George for a number of years did such things as welding and clearing bush, both on his own farm, as well as for others in the community.
In 1975, George and Kaye purchased a lot in Strasbourg and constructed a new home where they retired.
George was active with the Royal Canadian Legion, spending time renovating and maintaining the Memorial Hall. George was a member of the Hong Kong Veterans Association and seldom missed a convention.
Through the years George had many favorite pastimes: welding, yard work, pool, cards, travelling, photography, and especially using the video camera and storytelling to family and friends.
George was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He will be sadly missed by numerous family and friends. Predeceased by one son Lorne, on granddaughter Yvette, one daughter-in-law Ann and all his siblings. He leaves to mourn Kaye, his loving wife of 61 years; four sons Dale, Derry (Joan), Lane, and Brett (Anita); five daughters Lona (Lawrence) Bolding, Avis (Richard) Horning, Alva (Mike) Shumate, Bonnie (Peter) Frostad, and Eunice Kobylansky (John Kleinsasser); 23 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews and friends. We give thanks for the life of George Belcourt.
Research conducted as part of the HKVCA Indigenous Veterans Project for this veteran are available in our Vault. To access this research use the link displayed below under Related Documentation.
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
No comments found.
End of Report.
Report generated: 14 Sep 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.