1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | John | James |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| St. Vital MB | Manitoba | 1897-07-31 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Regimental Police | 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-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NATS 90400 | Oakland | 1945-09-30 |
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 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-10-21 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Fisherton Manitoba Canada | Fisherton Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
John James Wharf, aged 79 years, passed away in Vancouver, British Columbia, October 21, 1976, beloved husband of Emma Wharf, 2247 Manning Avenue, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia.
He is survived by his sons, Wm. J. of Winnipeg and Grant H. of Fisher Branch, stepchildren Mrs. Lorraine Palamar, Herbert, Roger and Allan Homeniuk, Winnipeg, Russell Homeniuk, Port Coquitlam, and Mrs. Sharon Scoggins, California, 23 grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife Elizabeth.
He homesteaded and farmed in the Fisherton district, Manitoba, from 1919 - 1968. He was a veteran of two wars, the First World War and the Second World War of which he was a Hong Kong prisoner.
Cremation taking place in Vancouver. Memorial service to be held Monday, October 25 at 1:00 p.m., Fisherton Community Centre, Fisherton, Manitoba, Rev. Ladd officiating. Interment in Fisherton Cemetery, Fisherton, Manitoba. Winnipeg Tribune, October 22, 1976 pg 31
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
Anxious to see their loved ones, many Winnipeggers have journeyed to Vancouver to be the first to greet the home-coming Winnipeg Grenadiers. Such a reunion is shown above, at the top. Mother and wife were on hand Tuesday at a Vancouver railway station to meet Pte. J.J. Wharf, after three and a half years imprisonment in a Jap prison camp. Pte. and Mrs. Wharf will leave for Winnipeg in a few days for their home at 74 Imperial Avenue, St. Vital. Winnipeg Free Press October 4, 1945 pg. 3
Jack Wharf enlisted in 1914 to serve in World War I with the Fort Garry Horse and trained at Camp Hughes, which is now Shilo. He was also in the 1st CMR, 3rd Canadian Machine Gun Battalion and in the Toronto Scottish Regiment at Salisbury Plains. He served in England and France and was poison gassed while on the front line. After being discharged, he returned to Fisherton to farm. In World War II, he once again enlisted, this time in the Winnipeg Grenadiers in 1939. He took his training at Minto Barracks and Fort Osborne Barracks. He went to Jamaica in 1940 and came back to Canada in early October 1941. At the end of October 1941, the Winnipeg Grenadiers were sent to Hong Kong. He was taken prisoner on December 19, 1941 and was a Prisoner of War until the end of the war. Jack returned to Canada at the end of September 1945 and was discharged in April 1946. He again returned to Fisherton. Jack passed away on October 21, 1976.
The Royal Canadian Legion Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario Command Vol. 12 pg 251 www.mbnwo.ca
End of Report.
Report generated: 29 Nov 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.
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- 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.