The Royal Canadian Army Pay Corps
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Captain | Edward | Louis |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Ottawa ON | Eastern Ontario | 1909-06-29 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Paymaster WG | Brigade Headquarters | Attd WG |
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
| Date Wounded | Wound Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/19 | Multiple wounds down back | 19 (p18) |
Hospital Information
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-QMH | 12/20/1941 | N/A | ||
| HK-BMH | 09/16/1942 | 11/14/1942 | Died while in hospital | 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-01 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 42 Sep 26 | 42 Nov 11 |
Other Military 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942-11-14 | Diphtheria | Died while POW | |
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Cape Collinson Road Chai Wan Hong Kong China | Sai Wan War Cemetery | VIII. F. 14. | NA |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Capt. E. L. Terry, Taken Prisoner at Hong Kong, Passes
Captain Edward L. Terry of Ottawa, who was taken prisoner by the Japanese at Hong Kong after the fall of the Crown colony on Christmas Day, 1941, died of illness in an internment camp, on an unknown date, according to word received by his wife, the former Enid Marjorie Rainey.
Capt. Terry became paymaster at the basic training center at Cornwall soon after the outbreak of war and was one of the first officers to arrive in Hong Kong in early November, 1941.
For many months after the surrender of the Crown colony no word was heard of the fate of the Ottawa captain. In May, 1942, he was reported as a prisoner of war of the Japanese. During the two years her husband was in the internment camp, Mrs. Terry had only one letter from him, and that a typewritten one, signed by him.
Capt. Terry, who was born in Brampton in June, 1909, resided in Ottawa for four years and held a responsible position as assistant manager of the Household Finance Corporation.
His widow and son Teddy reside at 47 Geneva street. He also leaves a brother, H. Irving Terry of Kansas City, Missouri.
Links and Other Resources
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
→ Related documentation for information published in this report, such as birth information, discharge papers, press clippings and census documents may be available via shared resources in our HKVCA Vault. It is organized with folders named using regimental numbers. Use the first letter of the individual's service number to choose the correct folder, then scroll to the specific sub-folder displaying the service number of your interest.
General Comments
Capt. Terry Safe
A letter also was received today from Captain Edward L. Terry who previously was reported a prisoner of war at Hong Kong. Captain Terry wrote his wife, residing at 47 Geneva avenue, that conditions at Hong Kong were good. He urged her not to worry "as we are being well treated and, except for the climate, all is fine".
The letter, dated June 3, said Captain Terry had been playing softball, volleyball, ping-pong, bridge, and chess. There was a concert every week and although there was no swimming there were plenty of shower baths.
Friday, Aug 28, 1942 Page 1
End of Report.
Report generated: 21 Nov 2024.
Additional Notes
(These will not be visible on the printed copy)
- Service numbers for officers 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.