1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Kenneth | Sidney |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Mather MB | Manitoba | 1921-04-13 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| B | ||
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
Killed in action at Black's Link. 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.Commemorative Feature
A map detailing the location of this feature can be found in this soldier's vault. (See Vault explanation below in the Links and Other Resources block) .
| Site Description | Location | Province | Map Reference | Lat/Long | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper Island | in Shannon Lake, Manitoba | Manitoba | 64 N/08 | 59 24' 29"; 100 14' 00" | 1995 |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941-12-21 | Killed In Action | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Cape Collinson Road Chai Wan Hong Kong China | Sai Wan Memorial | Column 26. | NA |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Killed in action at Hong Kong. Pte. Kenneth Cooper was 20 years old when he joined up with the Winnipeg Grenadiers. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Cooper. 1130 Winnipeg ave. He leaves three brothers.
Pte. Cooper had been in the army five weeks when he was sent overseas. Educated at Principal Sparling school, he was a member of the Y.M.C.A. and participated in the wrestling matches there.
Winnipeg Tribune January 8, 1943
Private Kenneth Sidney Cooper, 20, reported killed in action in Hong Kong, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Cooper, of 1130 Winnipeg avenue. Private Cooper was born in Winnipeg and attended the Principal Sparling school. Enlisting at the outbreak of war. Private Cooper served with the 18th Reconnaissance regiment at Shilo until two days before the Grenadiers left for Hong Kong.
Unknown newspaper clipping
Son of Thomas Cooper and Ethel Hubentine Amps of Mather, Manitoba. Thomas served in England in the First World War with the Canadian Army Medical Corps, regimental number 524158, without having seen combat. Brother of RAF Airman Donald F. Cooper, who survived the conflict, and Corporal Raymond Cooper, who died while serving with the Royal Air Force in England. Kenneth enlisted with the 18th Manitoba Reconnaissance Battalion in Winnipeg and transferred to the 1st Battalion, Winnipeg Grenadiers on October 24th, 1941 to serve in Hong Kong with C Force. He had 105 days of service, including 55
overseas.
To commemorate his sacrifice, the Manitoba government named Cooper Island, located on Shannon Lake, in his honour in 1995.
Citation(s): 1939-1945 Star, Pacific Star, War Medal 1939-1945, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp.
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
This SAI WAN MEMORIAL honours over 2000 men of the land forces of the British Commonwealth and Empire who died in the defence of Hong Kong during the Second World War. The SAI WAN MEMORIAL is in the form of a shelter building 24 metres long and 5.5 metres wide. It stands at the entrance to Sai Wan Bay War Cemetery, outside Victoria, the capital of Hong Kong. From the semi-circular forecourt, two wide openings lead to the interior of the building. The names are inscribed on panels of Portland stone. The dedicatory inscription reads:
1939 - 1945 The officers and men whose memory is honoured here died in the defence of Hong Kong in December 1941 and in the ensuing years of captivity and have no known grave.
The northern side of the Memorial is open and four granite piers support the copper roof. From a commanding position 305 metres above sea level, it looks out over the War Cemetery where some 1,500 men lie buried, and across the water to Mainland China - a magnificent view of sea and mountains.
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
Kenneth was born 13 April 1921 in Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada. He applied to join the Canadian Army on 8 September 1941 at Winnipeg, MB. He was the son of Thomas Cooper, born about 1891 and of Ethel Cooper born about 1892. They were married in England on 12 November 1911.
Kenneth never married. His father said Kenneth was working as an upholsterer prior to joining the armed forces, but Kenneth said he was a truck driver. The Henderson's Winnipeg Directory 1941, lists him as working as a trimmer working for Parkhill Bedding (where his father was a foreman). Kenneth had four brothers and one sister at the time of his death. Kenneth's father was a veteran of WWI
Submitted by Ron Steffan May 2017
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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- 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.
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