1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Soren | William |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Oakvile MB | Manitoba | 1920-05-26 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| C | ||
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 | 44 Apr 29 | ||
| JP-Se-2B | Yoshima | Fukushima-ken, Iwaki-gun, Yoshima-mura, Kamyoshima, Japan | Furukawa Mining Company | Coal mining | 44 May 30 | 45 Sep 09 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD6 | Naura Maru | 44 Apr 29 | 44 May 27 | Moji, Japan | Stopped over in Formosa, went through Nagasaki and Hiroshima to POW camp | Tony Banham |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-14 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Winnipeg Manitoba Canada | Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens | Cremation | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
SOREN WILLIAM PAULSON (published on May 17, 2008 Winnipeg Free Press) SOREN WILLIAM PAULSON Soren William Paulson passed away peacefully in his sleep May 14, 2008 at the age of 87. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Marilyn, son Howard and daughter-in-law Patricia, grandson Kenneth; stepdaughter Tracey and stepsons Jim and Garry; stepgrandchildren Nikki, Matthew, Rachel, April (Shawn), Curtis and Jennifer; step-great-granddaughter Kassidy; mother-in-law Doris Blackwell; brothers-in-law Donald (Phyllis) and Kenneth (Inga), sisters-in-law Dorothy and Sharon (Larry); numerous nieces and nephews and his faithful companion Stormy. He was predeceased by his wife Jean, granddaughter Kristen, parents James and Esther and brothers Walter and Jim. Soren was born on May 26, 1920 at Oakville, Manitoba and was raised in Quill Lake, Saskatchewan. In 1941 he joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers and went to Jamaica for training before sailing to Hong Kong. After a few weeks of battle he was captured on Christmas Day and spent the remainder of his tour of duty as a prisoner of war. He was released in August 1945 and returned to Winnipeg where he married Jean Galka and had one son, Howard. He had several jobs before going to Deer Lodge Hospital where he worked for 32 years before retiring in 1988. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping with his son and friends. He also loved to watch his grandson play hockey and baseball. At home you could find him winning at cribbage in his gazebo and tending to his garden with Stormy at his side. He especially enjoyed the wonderful meals that his daughter-in-law Patricia so loving prepared for the family on special occasions. He loved to go to the casino and play bingo, his favourite slots and visit his friends. He married his favorite bingo buddy, Marilyn, in 2000 and they shared their great love, devotion and caring for each other for eight wonderful years. Cremation has taken place and a graveside service will be held on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. at Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens, 4000 Portage Avenue, meeting at the Funeral Home. Donations in Soren's memory will be accepted by Seven Oaks Hospital, St. Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg Humane Society or the charity of your choice in lieu of flowers. The family wishes to express their gratitude to the Winnipeg Paramedic Service, hospital staff who cared for Soren and friends for their care and kindness. CHAPEL LAWN 885-9715
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.