1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Sidney | Edward |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Winnipeg MB | Manitoba | 1916-02-12 |
| 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 Dec 15 | ||
| JP-Os-3B | Oeyama | Kyoto-fu, Yosa-gun, Yoshizu-mura, Sutsu, Japan | Nippon Yakin Nickel Mine & Refinery | Mining nickel & work at the refinery | 44 Jan 06 | 45 Sep 10 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD5B | SS Soong Cheong / Toyama Maru | 43 Dec 15 | 44 Jan 04 | Moji, Japan | Arrived at Takao, Formosa, 43 Dec 20; Transferred to Toyama Maru, 43 Dec 30, went to Oeyama | Tony Banham |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| admitted/NATS | SF | 1945-09-18 |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-05-16 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Vancouver British Columbia Canada | Mountain View Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Links and Other Resources
You may be able to access this soldier's record on FamilySearch.org if you are a member. (Thanks to David Ford for the hint and gravestone image).
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
Grenadier Due Tonight-Not in Asia
Wife Didn't Know He Was on This Side of the Pacific
Sgt. Stella Varcoe, a storeswoman for ordnance with the C.W.A.C.'s at Fort Osborne barracks, was visibly taken aback when The Tribune told her this morning her husband was coming home tonight from Hong Kong.
Pte. S. E. Varcoe is scheduled to arrive at the C.N.R. station at 6.45 p.m. His name was given by the Grenadiers' headquarters; they had been unable to communicate with his wife.
The Tribune tried first at 306 Assiniboine ave., where Mrs. Varcoe had once lived; she was traced from place to place and from army office to army office until she was located at Fort Osborne.
The reporter called through a screened window, "Is Mrs. Varcoe here?" A young woman with black, curly hair came to the window. Told the news in brief, she got out her handkerchief and looked upset. Then she came round to the door, wearing her hat now and looking official.
"That's the first I've heard he was even on this side of the ocean. I had a wire saying, Safe and well in Allied hands. Oh, thank you for coming out!"
Before her marriage she was Stella Taylor, of Dominion City. They were married in Winnipeg. She went to Jamaica when her husband was stationed there. She joined the C.W.A.C. three years and eight months ago, just a month after the news that Hong Kong had fallen.
In a story from Mount Vernon, Wash., Monday, The Tribune learned eight Grenadiers were on their way to Vancouver and home. One of them, Pte. Robert Dalzell, 733 McGee st., had already wired his family when The Tribune called to see if they knew the happy news.
"Oh, yes," smiled Mrs. Dalzell; "he must be as excited as we are. He keeps on sending letters and telegrams. And our neighbors have been so good to us-we've had nothing but company since the first word of his safety arrived."
A second Winnipeg man on his way home is CQMS. R. A. Wold, 215 Centennial st. Mrs. Catherine Wold, his wife, wasn't home. Neighbors said she worked at the C.P.R. In the local freight office she was found.
"His father is a veteran of the last war - Peter Wold, and he's in Deer Lodge hospital; a brother, Sgt. E. Wold, was a prisoner in Germany, but he's home safe now. There's another brother, Henry, in Eaton's," she said.
She had had three letters from her husband, the last in 1943.
The third Winnipegger en route is Pte. N. Zytaruk, 1200 Manahan ave., Fort Garry.
The others, now in Vancouver, are: Pte. P. Wright, MacGregor; Pte. I. Zopera, Molson; Cpl. F. Neufeld, Morris; Pte. H. L. Berry, whose next of kin is in Toronto, and Sgt. C. I. Whalen, whose next of kin is in Vancouver.
A wire from Bellingham, Wash., says Pte. James Furey wants his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. Furey, Sidney, Man., to know he is all right and is fast gaining weight. A brother died in a Jap camp; another was killed in Italy.
Mrs. Baird, Dubary apts., received a letter recently from her husband, Major Kenneth Baird, written before the fall of Hong Kong.
Hour Wait Seemed Year to Wife By James C. Anderson
Pte. S. E. Varcoe, fourth Grenadier from Winnipeg to return home, arrived in the city Tuesday evening, but I didn't have the heart to interview him. When he said, "No, please, not now," I could not press and ask about the horrors of Oeynma camp where he had been a prisoner. That was because his wife, Sgt. Stella Varcoe, C.W.A.C., was standing there in the C.N.R. rotunda with her arm through his - tight.
There was quite a light on the face of this trim, dark-haired little girl - the kind of girl you'd call a "good fellow." She was happy now. A few minutes before she had been unhappy. She had just finished a trying hour that seemed "more like years."
We were all down at the station at 6.30 p.m. - Stella, relatives, friends, officials, reporters and photographers. Pte. Varcoe was scheduled to arrive at 6.45 from Vancouver. But he didn't. Stella took that on the chin though it set her back on her heels. The look on her face told you that.
Then a friend suggested: "Look, maybe we've got the wrong train. Maybe he came C.P.R. Let's go." We made the C.P.R. depot in seconds flat. There was a hunt through the crowd, a check with the rail transport officer, a short wait until the 7.05 pulled in.
But there was no Pte. Varcoe.
A friend said: "Maybe he'll make the 7.45 at the C.N."
NO TIME FOR TALKING: The fourth Grenadier from Winnipeg to get home, Pte. S. E. Varcoe, had no time to talk to reporters when he arrived in the city Tuesday evening. Left, he and his wife, Sgt. Stella Varcoe, C.W.A.C., smile their happiness at their reunion. At right, Pte. Varcoe sweeps his wife into an embrace that has all the fervor of four years of waiting.
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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