1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Aubrey | Peacock |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Lac Du Bonnet (Pinawa) MB | British Columbia | 1917-10-18 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| C | Coy 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
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-BMH | 09/22/1942 | N/A | 118 |
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 Dec 15 | ||
| JP-Os-3B | Oeyama | Kyoto-fu, Yosa-gun, Yoshizu-mura, Sutsu, Japan | Nippon Yakin Nickel Mine & Refinery | Mining nickel & work at the refinery | 44 Jan 06 | 45 Sep 10 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD5B | SS Soong Cheong / Toyama Maru | 43 Dec 15 | 44 Jan 04 | Moji, Japan | Arrived at Takao, Formosa, 43 Dec 20; Transferred to Toyama Maru, 43 Dec 30, went to Oeyama | 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
Receiving the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal
Decorations Received
| Image | Name of Award | Abbreviation | References | Precedence | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Mentioned-in-Despatches | MiD | 37, 38, 123 | 13 | Citation not found |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-23 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
Gravestone Image
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Obituary / Life Story
FLEGG, Aubrey Peacock - Passed away on Saturday, April 23, 2011 at the age of 93 years. Survived by his loving wife Betty Waldenerger, three sons Christopher A. (Karin) Flegg of Sorrento, James (Doris) Kowalchuk of Denare Beach, SK, Gary Flegg of Vancouver Island, two daughters Sharie Scheski and Malone Mazyek both of Vancouver, numerous grandchildren and sister Bernice Conklin of Barrier, BC. Aubrey spent a good part of his life in the military including being in a Japanese Prison Camp for four years during World War II. Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 10:30 am at the Kelowna Legion, 1380 Bertram Ave. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Hong Kong Veterans Association: Suite 164, 1861 Robertson Road, Nepean, ON, K2H 1B9. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.springfieldfuneralhome.com, 250-860-7077.
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
Mr. Flegg was born on October 18, 1917, in Welland Ontario. His parents, Charlie and Rosemay Flegg, had immigrated to Canada from England England in 1912. Aubrey was the second born of six children, two girls and four boys. When Aubrey was three years old his family moved from Ontario to Fort Fraser, British Columbia.
There were no roads in northern BC in those days. The only transporta transportation links by land were the Caribou Pack Trail, and the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway that ran from Jasper to Prince Rupert. The backdrop for Aubrey’s youth was the rugged interior of BC and he learned how to hunt, trap, and survive in the bush at an early age. His family had a huge garden and they sold produce to the locals.
When Aubrey was sixteen his mother passed away and he was living on Francois Lake (Francis Lake in those days) running his trap lines in remote areas. At age eighteen he found himself back in Fort Fraser falling large trees with handsaws and using teams of horses to haul the logs to the landing. A year later at nineteen Aubrey was back at Francois Lake, fishing commercially in the summer and trapping in the winter.
At twenty-three years of age, in June 1940, Aubrey made his way down to Prince George to join the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry. This was the first time in his life he had experienced electric lights and running water. He was recruited in Prince George then spent fourteen months with the PPCLI training in Winnipeg. In September 1941, it was rumored that the Winnipeg Grenadiers were headed overseas. Eager to serve his country, Aubrey transferred to the Grenadiers thinking he was headed for Europe. Instead he found himself (with 1,975 of his mates) on the troop ship “Awatea” en route to reinforce the British in Hong Kong.
On December 8,1941 hostilities broke out. The Japanese army, navy, and air force vastly outnumbered the defenders of Hong Kong. There was fierce fighting between the Canadian contingent and the invading forces. Aubrey recalls hand-to-hand combat one night while a group of Grenadiers were defending Aberdeen Reservoir from the invading forces. Due to overwhelming odds, the garrison at Hong Kong was forced to surrender on Christmas Day, 1941.
Aubrey spent the next three years and eight months in three POW camps, North Point, Sham Shui Po, and Oeyama. North Point was in Hong Kong, Sham Shui Po was on the Chinese mainland near Kowloon, and Oeyama was on the northwest coast of the Japanese island of Honshu. Aubrey remembers all too well the pain and suffering of over 100 Canadians who spent almost two weeks in the 20 foot by 20 foot hold of a Japanese freighter on the way to Oeyama from Sham Shui Po. They were experiencing dysentery and other tropical diseases when they encountered extremely high seas that caused severe seasickness. The situation became very dismal in the extremely cramped quarters.
Aubrey and about 50 of his comrades were sent to Oeyama in what turned out to be a 22-hour train ride in cattle type cars from where the freighter docked. There were already about 100 Canadians in this camp and approximately 400 to 450 POW’s in total. Many of the prisoners were forced to work as slave labor in the open surface mine. If a POW was sick, as most of them were, he did not receive full rations (as little as a full ration was) unless he worked. As a result, many of the men who were too sick to work were forced to do so in order to obtain a bit more rice. This resulted in many deaths of men who were merely trying to get a few more mouthfuls of what was often maggot-ridden food. Ironically, they were praying they could be back in Hong Kong which had also been a living hell.
The day the war was over the men knew something was out of the ordinary when the guards told them they did not have to work and could rest for the day. The next morning the Japanese had vacated the camp, leaving the gates wide open and their radio equipment intact. Within minutes the POW’s had used the equipment to contact American forces and confirmed that the war was over. They were told to mark the roof of a building with the letters POW. The date was August 15, 1945. Soon afterwards, American B-29 planes started dropping medical supplies and food into the camp.
The men remained in the camp until September 10, 1945 when they were transported by train to Yokohama. When they disembarked they were greeted by General McArthur who shook the hand of every POW. Aubrey ended up spending ten days in Tokyo Harbor on the American battleship, “Indiana”. He was then flown on a C52 transport plane to the island of Guam. Here he spent two weeks in an American military hospital. Aubrey can’t say enough about how well the Canadian POW’s were treated by their American allies after they were liberated.
Forty-five Canadians left Guam on the “Hedy Lamar”, a US freighter headed for San Diego. Many well wishers were waiting on the docks to greet them. Dale Evans was part of the welcoming committee and gave each Canadian a hug and kiss. The long road home to Canada from San Diego passed through Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and finally Victoria, BC. Once in Victoria, Aubrey and his mates spent time recovering at Gordon Head Hospital.
It is worth noting that Aubrey received two pieces of mail during his interment in Japan. One of them was a censored letter from his father. It said “Dear Son”, with everything following removed except “Love Dad”. The second piece of mail was a post card from Fort Fraser with over 200 signatures on it. Aubrey was one of the few returning Hong Kong Veterans who decided to return to military service. Many more wanted to, but were physically incapable. Aubrey served his country again from 1949 to 1966.
After retiring from the military he spent time driving semi trucks and Greyhound buses. Aubrey lived on Vancouver Island for 10 years and then Richmond BC for 28 years.
In 2000 Aubrey moved to Kelowna where he currently lives with his good friend and companion, Betty Waldenberger. If you are ever in the Okanagan, chances are pretty good you might find Aubrey and Betty at Royal Canadian Legion Branch # 26 in Kelowna. Betty has served with the Ladies Auxiliary for over forty-seven years and Aubrey is also a long time serving member of the Canadian Legion.
Reprinted from HKVCA BC Region newsletter December 2002
This veteran was interviewed by Veterans Affairs. To view, visit the VAC Video Gallery page and use the search tool. Note: VAC moves pages around constantly, so you may have to work to find the video. Currently the best way to access the Hong Kong veteran interviews is to select the "Heroes Remember" category, then use the advanced search option and click on the "Hong Kong" campaign option.
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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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