1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information |
||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Captain | Allan | Shafer |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Waskada MB | Manitoba | 1906-07-30 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Company Commander | D | 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
Killed in action at Wong Nei Chong Gap. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowman Lake | in Blackfish Lake, Manitoba | Manitoba | 54 A/14 | 56 47' 34"; 89 06' 19" | 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941-12-19 | Killed in counter-attack ~0800hrs | Killed In Action | |
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Cape Collinson Road Chai Wan Hong Kong China | Sai Wan Memorial | Column 23. | CWGC |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Capt. Allan S. Bowman was the first Winnipeg school teacher killed in the present war. He joined the school staff in September, 1932, and taught at Isaac Newton and General Wolfe junior high school. Sept. 1, 1939, he was promoted to Daniel McIntyre high school.
The school board Wednesday night observed one minute's silence and moved a letter of sympathy be written his family at Waskada, Man.
The Winnipeg Tribune January 8, 1943.
A memorial headstone is located at Waskada Cemetery, plot 357, Waskada, Manitoba, Canada
General Comments
Memorable Manitobans: Allan Shafer Bowman (1906-1941)
Educator.
Born at Goodlands on 30 July 1906, the only child of Edward Allan Bowman and Lily May Shafer, he grew up in Waskada and attended Waskada School, winning the Governor General's Medal in eighth grade. He attended the Central Normal School then became a teacher, serving at Oak River School (1925). His was later the Principal at Pierson School (1927-1929), East Poplar Point School (1929-1930), and Polson School (1930-1932) in East Kildonan before earning a BA (1933) from the University of Manitoba. He joined the Winnipeg School Division and taught at Isaac Newton School (1933-1936), General Wolfe School (1936-1939), and Daniel McIntyre Collegiate (1939-1940) until being granted leave on 2 September 1939. Prior to the Second World War, he served in the Winnipeg Light Infantry and held a commission in the Winnipeg Grenadiers (Royal Canadian Infantry Corps) following his teaching leave. On 30 March 1940, he married Margaret Azilda Malone at St. Ignatius Chapel in Winnipeg. He deployed to Hong Kong with the Grenadiers and was Commanding Officer of D. Company. He died in the Battle of Hong Kong on 19 December 1941 and is commemorated on the Sai Wan Memorial at Victoria, Hong Kong.
Allan Bowman organized and led the attack Dec. 19th, 1941 against snipers at Wong Nei Cheong Gap.
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 search results for this soldier based on his regimental number, but they may be incomplete.
Facebook Search Results.
To capture all items for an individual, we recommend visiting our Group: Hong Kong Veterans Tribute of Canada and using the search option there. Note: results may be contained within another related record. - 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.
End of Report.
Report generated: 07 Dec 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.
- The 'From' information box at the top of the report represents the enlistment location unless we have obtained updated information pinpointing where the member lived.
- 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.