1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Lance Corporal | Alvin | Lancelot |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Selkirk MB | Manitoba | 1912-11-10 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Section 2ic | 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-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 Aug 15 | ||
| JP-Os-3B | Oeyama | Kyoto-fu, Yosa-gun, Yoshizu-mura, Sutsu, Japan | Nippon Yakin Nickel Mine & Refinery | Mining nickel & work at the refinery | 43 Sep 01 | 45 Sep 02 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD4A | Manryu Maru | 43 Aug 15 | 43 Sep 01 | Osaka, Japan | Brief stopover in Taihoku (Taipei), Formosa (Taiwan); then 2 day stopover at northern point for stool tests | Tony Banham |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
Excerpt from notes provided by Kristen Frame, Library and Archives Canada in reply to query from Richard Watts, grandson:
I searched the newspapers on this website ( Winnipeg Free Press and the Winnipeg Tribune) using keywords and I was able to find two articles from the Winnipeg Free Press and one from the Winnipeg Tribune that mention your grandfather and document his journey home. According to these articles, your grandfather was reported safe on September 20, 1945 (and was most likely in Manila, based on the article), and then travelled on the U.S. Transport ship Lamar to San Diego. There he took a train to Seattle and then a coastal ship to get to Victoria, B.C. He finally arrived in Winnipeg via the Canadian Pacific Railway on November 5, 1945. I have attached all three of the articles that document his journey to this e-mail for you. As well, here is the reference information for each article:
- More Families Receive Word. Winnipeg Free Press. 20 September 1945, p. 3.
- 38 Grenadiers Leave 'Frisco for Victoria. Winnipeg Tribune. 15 October Oct 1945, p. 5.
- Grenadier Hospital Cases are Welcomed. Winnipeg Free Press. 6 November 1945, p. 5. This article also includes a photograph of your grandfather and his father at the train station.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-08-26 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| . | Cremation | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Alvin Burch, son of Mr. L. C. Burch and the late Laurena Poole, was a soldier in H.M.S. Winnipeg Grenadiers. He served 18 months in Jamaica and was a prisoner of war for four years in Japan, after the fall of Hong Kong, returning to Winnipeg in 1945. Alvin married Ruth White of Winnipeg and a few months later moved to Oak Lake, taking over the former Borthwick farm west of the fair grounds. He later became Postmaster and they moved to town. Alvin enjoyed curling, was a member of the Legion and took an active part on the school board. Ruth was a nurse at the Virden District Hospital. They were members of the United Church. Alvin and Ruth retired to Victoria, B.C. Alvin and Ruth had three children, Evelyn, Janie Lee, and Jim, who received most of their education in Oak Lake before Alvin was transferred to Emerson. Evelyn received her B.A. and M.A. degrees in Vancouver. She married Clark Cook and has two sons, Shane and Jesse. Janie Lee received her B.A. from the University of Manitoba, married Martin Watt of Emerson and has two sons, Russell and Christopher. Jim graduated from Red River College. He married Debbie Ramsay of Dominion City and they have a daughter, Kelsey, and a son, Keith.
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
No comments found.
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.