Individual Report: H6744 Frederick LAVALLEE

1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers

Red River Métis

General Information

Rank: First Name: Second Name:
Private Frederick Joseph
From: Enlistment Region: Date of Birth (y-m-d):
St. Laurent MB Manitoba 1920-02-20
Appointment: Company: Platoon:
D

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 Reference Arrival Date Departure Date
HK-NP-01North PointNorth Point, Hong Kong IslandN/AN/A
HK-AS-01Argyle StreetKowloon, Hong KongN/AN/A
HK-SA-01ShamshuipoKowloon, Hong KongCapture42 Jan 22
HK-NP-02North PointNorth Point, Hong Kong Island3342 Jan 2242 Sep 26
HK-SA-02ShamshuipoKowloon, Hong Kong42 Sep 26 43 Aug 15
JP-To-5B Niigata-RinkoNiigata-ken, Nakakambara-gun, Ogata-mura, JapanMarutsu, Rinko Coal, ShintetsuStevedore labor at port of Niigata (Marutsu), primarily foodstuffs; mining coal (Rinko Coal ) and labor at a foundry (Shintetsu)4, 5, 3443 Sep 0245 Sep 05

Transport to Japan

Draft Number Name of Ship Departure Date Arrival Date Arrival Port Comments Reference
XD4BManryu Maru43 Aug 1543 Sep 01Osaka, JapanBrief stopover in Taihoku (Taipei), Formosa (Taiwan); then 2 day stopover at northern point for stool testsTony Banham

Transportation: SE Asia to Home

No related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.

Post-war Photo

No related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.

Other Military Service

No 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 Death Ref
1992-03-12Post War
Cemetery LocationCemeteryGrave NumberGravestone Marker
Winnipeg Manitoba CanadaGlen Lawn Memorial Gardens

Gravestone Image

Click for larger view

Obituary / Life Story

FREDERICK JOSEPH LAVALLEE - Passed away at his home peacefully on Thursday, March 12, 1992, at the age of 72. Fred was born on February 11,1920, in St. Laurent, Manitoba where he lived with his parents until 1940 at which time, he joined the Winnipeg Grenadier Guards.

After spending four years as a P.O.W. in Hong Kong, he returned to Winnipeg. He then settled in East Kildonan to work and raise a family. He was pre-deceased by his father Pierre, mother Madelaine, and sisters Diane and Lortte. A CNIB member for the past 29 years, he partook and ardently enjoyed all activities provided, including bowing, fishing, and golfing. He studied and became a scholar of Braille which gave him many happy hours. He was a familiar figure in his neighbourhood, while on his daily walks, and most especially during the last 12 years on those made with his seeing-eye poodle Andre.

He is survived by his spouse, Dorothy Lester; buddy and seeing-eyes, Andre; children, Fred Jr, of Vancouver; Ken and wife Donna of Winnipeg; Patricia and husband Hans of Montreal; Carole of Winnipeg, Marc, of Vancouver; Deborah, of Winnipeg; and grand children, Nicole and Bryon. Fred leaves to mourn sisters, Marie Helene, Evelyn, Irene and Anna; and brothers, Paul and Guy. Also remembered by his many friends and former wife Mrs. Therese Crazier, mother of his children.

Pallbearers will be comrades of the Hong Kong Veterans Association. Special military service provided by the Royal Canadian Elmwood No. 9 Legion. Special thanks to Frank Harding, Al Moody, the No. 9 Legion, and the V.O.N. home care. Viewing and prayers will be on Sunday, March 15, 1992,7:00 p.m. at the Desjardins Funeral Chapel, 357 DesMeurons. Funeral mass will be on Monday, March 16, 11:00 a.m. at St. Gerard' Parish, 40 Foster Street with his brother. Father Melcher Guy Lavallee officiating Interment will follow in Glen Lawn Memorial Gardens. If friends wish, donations may be made to the CNIB. DESJARDINS FUNERAL CHAPEL in care of arrangements, 233-4949.

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.

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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

2 Jap War Criminals Charged With Maltreating Canadians Are Sentenced To Long Terms
Ottawa, Feb. 14. Two more Japanese war criminals charged with maltreatment of Canadian and other Allied prisoners-of-war have received heavy sentences from an Allied War Crimes Commission at Tokyo, army headquarters announced yesterday.
The sentences, handed down in Tokyo Tuesday, were 40 years' imprisonment for Katsuyaru Sato, former civilian guard, and 15 years for Takeo Takahashi, former medical orderly. Both men were employed at a camp near Niigata's coal docks in the Tokyo area.
Sato was charged with compelling physically unfit Allied troops to perform hard labor, and "in some cases contributing to the death of prisoners." Thirty Canadians, including a number from the Eastern Townships, and five United States Army personnel suffered at his hands. Nine died.
Takahashi, it was alleged, not only refused medical attention to Allied prisoners of war, but forced the sick, weak and undernourished to do hard labor, as a result of which numerous prisoners died of disease or were permanently disabled. It was also charged that Takahashi, for his own use, stole Red Cross supplies, medicines and other supplies intended for the benefit of Allied prisoners. The falsification of numerous death certificates also was attributed to Takahashi.
Sato was described in the charges as a ruthless taskmaster who visited his cruelty upon any prisoner who afforded him the slightest provocation. It was charged that while working the sick and weary prisoners-of-war at the Rinko coal docks in Niigata he often satisfied a sadistic urge to torture his helpless victims. Sato also is accused of stealing Red Cross supplies.
The SCAP Legal Section lists the following Canadians as included among victims of the two Japanese:
Takahashi: E. C. Harrison (deceased), Bury, Que.; Renwell Marren (deceased), Gaspe, Que; Joseph E. Maloney (deceased), Barachois, Que.; and Ernest Heuft (deceased), 473 Warsaw Ave, Winnipeg.
Sato: Sgt. Colin Pope (deceased), Cookshire, Que.; Rfn. Gabriel Guitard (deceased), Nash Creek, N.B.; Pte. Albert Boulding (deceased), Pilot Butte, Sask.; Cpl. John Moffat Gee (deceased), Birch Ridge, N.B.; Sgt. Edward Philips (deceased), Sawyerville, Que; Pte. Mike Katchen, Angus, Man.; Cpl. Thomas P. McCarron, Benjamin River, N.B.; Rfn. George Chenell, Entry Island, Que.; R.R. Wheeler, Runnymede, Que; G. H. Doucette, Botwood, Nfld; Ernest Arthur Dayton, Chilliwack, B.C.; William Harvey Gagne, Brighton, Ont.; J. A. Hunt, Chandler, Que.; Arthur Hilton Hunter, Winnipeg; Herbert Wallace, Kingsbury, Que: Frederick Joseph Lavallee, St. Laurent, Man.; Pte. McLaughlin, Campbellton, N.B.; F. T. Caruso (deceased) Winnipeg; C. S. Woodward, Winnipeg; S. C. Street, Toronto; Alfred William Spier, West Kildonan, Man.; Joseph John Wolczuk, Winnipeg; Joseph Axel Winberg, Chatham Ont.; Thomas Lawrence Ward, Portage la Prairie, Man.; Robert Manchester, Winnipeg; Lloyd C. Doull, Drummondville, Que.



End of Report.

Report generated: 24 Apr 2024.


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Additional Notes

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  1. Service numbers for officers are locally generated for reporting only. During World War II officers were not allocated service numbers until 1945.
  2. '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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.