1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | John | Edward |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Lac Du Bonnet MB | Manitoba | 1922-08-26 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| A | 7 Plt | |
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
Memories of a Japanese Prisoner of War: December 1941 – August 1945. John died in June 05, and his family has generously provided the story he wrote himself about his part in the Battle for Hong Kong and subsequent events. John completed the story in the summer of 2004.
Most of the battle for me was spent in the Wong Nei Chong Gap in the centre of Hong Kong Island. "D" company began fighting December 8, 1941 on mainland.
There was fierce fighting in the area around December 18th 1941. Stan Kennedy was wounded in battle December 18th or 19th trying to fight through to where Acting CSM John R. Osborne H6008 was. I thought Stan’s head was blown off and he had died but during the night some Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Core soldiers brought Stan out of the battlefield and later I saw him in Queen Mary Hospital. He had a severe head wound and had a plate in his head after he returned to Canada. I was originally wounded slightly in this battle. I was with Bert Broadfoot at the time. Bert was shot in a lung and I had some shrapnel in the back of my leg. I dragged Bert down to a "gutter" to get out of firing range. Sergeant Cuthill ordered us to the First Aid Post at Aberdeen. Bert went to Queen Mary Hospital and I was patched up and sent back into battle.
Fighting continued and everyone was split up in the confusion. On the morning of December 24th, Harry Orvis and I were out of 3" mortar shells so we attempted to get a mortar bomb from a truck that had been hit by the Japanese. We came across three chaps from the Indian Army and one was badly wounded in the arm above the elbow. I used my first aid kit and fixed up the guys arm and then pulled an overcoat off another man. We made a stretcher with the overcoat and helped carry the wounded down to the road to the Roadblock. Sergeant Broadfoot was there and Aberdeen was ½ mile away. One of the men dropped to his knees and kissed my hand for getting them safety down the hill and to help. We never did get the mortar shells and I didn’t have my first aid kit later when I was wounded.
Orvis was killed in action later that day on Bennett’s hill. I was wounded in the foot and eye by shrapnel later that day on Christmas Eve 1941 at Bennett’s Hill (Wong Nee Chung Gap). I was left alone to fend for myself so I decided to head towards Aberdeen. I was about 3 miles or so from Aberdeen and was up on the Bennett’s Hill. I crawled all night with my foot flopping and arrived at the road to Aberdeen by morning. I was being very cautious and hiding in the ditch as I crawled. A Middlesex Troop was going by on the road to Aberdeen. I realized they were not the enemy so let them know I needed help. Lance Corporal William M. Puddifoot, No. 6199800 of Middlesex carried me on his back and had on his arm, Agerbak (who was blinded) to the First Aid Station at Aberdeen. Two others from Middlesex walked backwards covering us in case of a Japanese attack. I was brought to Queen Mary Hospital by ambulance. We were fired on during the trip and some of the wounded were killed along the way. At Queen Mary Hospital an excellent surgeon (East Indian Chap – Dr. Mansing) removed shrapnel from my left eye (with no permanent damage) and Dr. MamSingh didn’t amputate my left foot. I was in surgery for some time in the evening on Christmas day. Puddifoot ended up at Queen Mary Hospital as well on Christmas day with injuries. He came to visit me and this was the last time we saw each other. I had to have my leg amputated two more times during my stay as POW due to infection below the knee. After the war, I had it amputated again below the knee because the bone was sticking out.
We surrendered to the Japanese and became Prisoners of War on Christmas Day, 1941 while I was at Queen Mary Hospital.
Wounded Information
| Date Wounded | Wound Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/19, 41/12/24 | leg wound (amputated left leg below knee); in foot and left eye with shrapnel on Bennet's Hill |
Hospital Information
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-QMH | 12/25/1941 | N/A | Transferred to BMH | |
| HK-BMH | 01/20/1942 | N/A | 118(42 Sep 21) |
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-AS-01 | Argyle Street | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 41 Dec 22 | Dec 26 | ||
| 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 | 45 Sep 10 |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
Aboard the "Glory" arrived home October 27th, 1945.
Happy to be alive, Winnipeg Grenadier smiles on board a hospital ship in 1945 after being liberated from nearly four years in Japanese prison camps.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06-02 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Emo Ontario Canada | Emo Cemetery | Yes | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
John (Jim) Edward James, 82, of Emo, Ont., passed away Thursday, June 2, 2005 at La Verendrye General Hospital in Fort Frances, Ont. Jim was born Aug. 26, 1922 in Broad Valley, Man. to the late Edward and Nellie James. Jim was raised and attended school in Lac Du Bonnet, Man. During WW II, he joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers and served overseas in Hong Kong. While in Hong Kong, Jim became a prisoner of war for three years and eight months of the time he served there. Upon his discharge from the services, Jim returned to Winnipeg. On Feb. 16, 1946, he was united in marriage to Marcine Hefner. During the five years the family lived in Winnipeg, Jim worked for Federal Grain and Red River Grain Companies. From Winnipeg, the family moved to Emo, where Jim owned and operated Emo Feeds. In 1961, he began work for the LCBO, later becoming manager, a position he held until his retirement. Jim was a lifetime member of the Royal Canadian Legion Br. #99 in Emo, the Hong Kong Veterans Association, and the War Amps. He also served as president for the Emo Fair Board for many years. As a pastime, he enjoyed farming, gardening, and travelling extensively with his family. Jim will be missed greatly by his family and many friends. He was predeceased by one son in infancy, James Elmer James; one brother, Bruce James; one sister, Cora Green; and grandson, Ian James. Jim is survived by his wife, Marcine James of Emo, Ont.; two daughters, Carol and husband, Mark Hyatt, of Barwick, Ont., and Judy and husband, Robert Currie, of Brooklyn, N.S.; two sons, Bill James and wife, Kathy, of Fort Frances, Ont., and Bruce James and wife, Elaine, of Atikokan, Ont.; 13 grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. He also is survived by one sister-in-law, Helen Boulet of White Rock, B.C.; special friends, Mike and Alfreda Kearney of Emo, Ont.; and numerous nieces and nephews. A memorial service was held Wednesday, June 8, 2005 at 2 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion Br. #99 in Emo, with Rev. Eileen Bragg officiating. Interment will take place in Emo Cemetery in Emo at a later date. The Royal Canadian Legion Br. #99 Colour Guard provided their tribute during the service. The honourary pallbearers were his grandchildren.
(Transcribed from the Legion Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario Command Military Service Recognition Book)
Jim was born in Broad Valley, Manitoba in 1922. He joined the Army and served with the Winnipeg Grenadiers in Hong Kong where he was a POW from 1941-1945. Jim was injured on December 24, 1941 and his left leg was amputated below the knee. Since he couldn’t do heavy labour, his rations were cut by half. After 3 years there, he received a Canadian Red Cross parcel containing candy, cigarettes and tobacco which he traded for food from Chinese workers at the prison camp. Jim worked for the camp doctor, keeping track of patients and how they were treated. He recorded that eighty-one prisoners had died. Once released, he boarded “The Prince Robert” for Manila where he met his wife, Marcine Hefner. They settled in Winnipeg for 5 years then moved to Emo, Ontario where they lived with their 4 children. John was a member of General Lipsett Legion Branch 99 for fifty years and he died in 2005.
Links and Other Resources
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.
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General Comments
John is buried in Emo Cemetery. It’s on the corner of the farm I grew up on and 1/2 a mile from where John raised his family.
“Jesse” James, WG - Material contributed December 2005 by Liana Frenette (granddaughter),Carol Hyatt (daughter) and Pauline Hyatt (daughter-in-law)
John James was raised along the Winnipeg River near Lac Du Bonnet, Manitoba at a place called Broad Valley. His father was a farmer and his mother was a WWI English war bride. Grandpa spent his days going to school, fishing on the banks of the river, hunting partridge in the bush, cutting wood, working the farm with his team of horses and playing with his brother Bruce. He spent his early years in Winnipeg and his teen years in Lac Du Bonnet. He always had fond memories of the many of the folks from the area and visited every year up until the last few years of his life. The family farm was flooded out when a hydroelectric dam was put in and his family moved to a farm on the coast in British Columbia. John stayed in Manitoba and joined the army at 17 years of age in Winnipeg.
With the Winnipeg Grenadiers, he first went to Jamaica and then to Hong Kong. Following the war, John spent two years in rehabilitation, having had his leg amputated in the battle for Hong Kong, as well as needing other treatment. In his job with the Grain Commission he traveled from Thunder Bay to Saskatchewan, always stopping to visit his former comrades from the war. He spent the first five or so years on the road, traveling. In the early 1950s he moved with his family and bought a farm in Emo, Ontario. He started a feed store to supply feed to the local farming community. During this time, he spent each fall away with the people from Manitou First Nations, camping and buying wild rice. Then he’d truck the lot to Emo, where it was stored in a boxcar and then shipped to the Red River Grain Company in Winnipeg.
In the early 1970s he sold the business and worked full time for the LCBO until he retired. He continued to keep horses on the farm. Editor’s note: John James discussed the possibility of an article with us in a phone chat in January of 2005. Unfortunately, he died June 2, 2005.
John's daughter in law Elaine and 2 grandsons Stephen and Dan have administered the HKVCA pages/groups since 2007
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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