1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Paul | William |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Winnipeg MB | Manitoba | 1919-12-22 |
| 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-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
'Peg Grenadiers Near Home
Shown shortly after they arrived at the C.P.R. dock aboard the boat from Seattle Wednesday are, from left to right: Ptes. Joseph Delorme, Paul Arsenych and Lloyd Younger, all of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. They were captured by the Japanese at Hongkong. All three wear Canadian uniforms issued them at San Diego, Cal.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-02-03 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Lynnwood Washington USA | Floral Hills Cemetery | Arbor Hill Monolith Wall | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Dec. 22, 1919 - Feb. 3, 2004
Paul William Arsenych passed away suddenly on February 3, 2004 at the age of 84.
He was born December 22, 1919 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to Olga and Judge Jaroslaw William Arsenych. He joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers in 1941 at the onset of the Pacific battles of WWII and was part of the defending forces which were captured in Hong Kong spending nearly four years as a Japanese prisoner of war. After his release in 1945, he returned to Winnipeg where he attended business school and married Pauline Humeny in 1948. Paul, Pauline, and their first son Paul Jr. immigrated to Minneapolis, MN in 1953 where their second son, Craig, and third son, Donald, were born. In 1960, the family moved to Seattle and later settled in Lynnwood in 1961. Paul retired from the United States Postal Inspection Service in 1981 and was blessed with a long retirement. He enjoyed visiting his extended family, gardening, working around the house, and traveling throughout Canada, the Southwestern US and Mexico.
Paul was preceded in death by mother and father, Olga and Judge Jaroslaw W. Arsenych; sister Irene Arsenych MacDonald; and brother Myron Arsenych.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Pauline Arsenych; sons, Paul William Jr. (Cathy) Arsenych of Boise, ID, Craig Lawrence (Deborah) Arsenych of Placerville, CA, and Donald Michael (Susan) Arsenych of Plano, TX; granddaughters, Nastassja Christine Arsenych of Bloomington, IN, Alekzandra Zoe Arsenych of Placerville, CA, and Anna Michaela Arsenych of Plano, TX; brother Stephen Arsenych of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; sister Ona Arsenych (William) Pike of Sun City, AZ; sister-in-law Irene Arsenych of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; and many, many cousins, nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00pm on Sunday, February 8th at Purdy & Walters at Floral Hills Funeral Home and Cemetery, 409 Filbert Road, Lynnwood, WA 98036, 425-672-1800.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Paul's honor to the American Heart Association. Published in The Herald (Everett) on Feb. 7, 2004
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
Nearly every Winnipeg Grenadier that has arrived home to date has brought with him some kind of a souvenir of his lengthy stay with the Japanese. It was no different with the group of Hong Kong veterans that came back to Winnipeg Monday night over CPR Lines. Top left: Pte. Harry Bakaluk (centre) displays a Japanese wooden sword to his brothers, Sgt. William Bakaluk (left), of the Essex Scottish regiment, and Pte. Mike Bakaluk (right) of the infantry. Top right: Seen here is Pte. P. Arsenych with his brother, P.O. M. Arsenych, R.CN, who met him at the station. Bottom left: Pte. P.L Durant, of 612 Erin Street, is shown with his wife in a pose seen every day when the Grenadiers come home. Bottom right: Homecoming meant a lot to Pte. G. Loewen of 54 Jamieson Avenue. He is seen here with his sister, Mrs. J. Robinson, 616 Government Street, and little niece, Patsy Loewen, who lives at 450 Bowman Avenue. Displayed in the inset, is the Hong Kong flash worn by all returning members of the Winnipeg Grenadiers.
Pte. Arsenych is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Arsenych, 51 Scotia st. He was born in Winnipeg and attended East Kildonan, Luxton, and St. John's schools. He also took a course at the Manitoba Agricultural college. A brother, Myron, is on active service in the navy.
Winnipeg Tribune, January 12, 1942, page 3
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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