1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Second Lieutenant | James | Arnold Victor |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Winnipeg MB | Manitoba | 1916-02-24 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Platoon Commander | HQ Coy | 3 Mortars |
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.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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Bay | in Kapechekamasic Lake, Manitoba | Manitoba | 63 I/16 | 54 53' 17"; 96 06' 34" | 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 | Shot in the head | Killed In Action | |
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Cape Collinson Road Chai Wan Hong Kong China | Sai Wan Memorial | Column 25. | NA |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Formerly second in command of the Fort Garry Horse cadets here, Lieut. James A. V. David, 25-year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Arnold C. David, 395 Oak St., has been officially reported killed in action at Hong Kong.
The Winnipeg-born officer attended the Earl Grey and Kelvin schools and spent two years in the faculty of agriculture, University of Manitoba. Before enlisting, he was operating his own farm at Killarney, Man.
In 1940, Lieut. David joined the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and, as a member of this regiment, went to Gordonhead, B.C., to receive officer's training. He received his full lieutenancy in 1941 just before leaving the Q.O.C.H. to transfer to the Winnipeg Grenadiers in October of that year. He went to Hong Kong almost immediately.
Lieut. David is survived, besides his parents, by one brother and one sister - Lieut. Fred David, now on loan to the Royal Navy, and Mrs. J. W. Egerton, living with her parents.
In Winnipeg, Lieut. David attended Augustine United church.
The Winnipeg Tribune, January 8, 1943
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
James was the son of Arnold Cuthbert David and of Enid Barbara Whyte. Arnold was a lawyer (barrister) in Winnipeg. Arnold served with the Canadian forces in World War I. James had a sister & a brother.
On 8 November 1933 James V. David applied for and was accepted to become a member of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of Canada, University of Manitoba, C.O.T.C. Unit, and Regiment No. 768. At the time he was living with his parents at 8013 Fleet Avenue, Winnipeg. He was a student at the time. He was struck off strength from the Unit on 5 March 1934.
James completed a two year course was awarded a Diploma in Agriculture by the Manitoba Agricultural College of the University of Manitoba on 29 March 1935. He was living with his parents at 395 Oak Street in Winnipeg at the time of his enlistment on 7 May 1941. He had a grade 12 education. At some point in time before 1941 he had suffered from stomach or bowel trouble, most likely appendicitis because he had an appendicle scar seen at the time of his medical examination. He also had a 1-1/2 inch scar above his right patella. He had been vaccinated sometime earlier in life.
He was 5 foot 8-2/4 inches tall, weighed 141 pounds, had a dark complexion, brown eyes, greyish black hair, and good physical development. His chest could expand 3 inches. He had normal sight and hearing. He had a partial denture. There were hints of potential kidney disease. He was not color blind. He was not married and had no children. He said his religion was United Church of Canada. He had no insurance. He had no bank account. Interestingly he had no will even though his father was a lawyer.
He was killed in action on 21 December 1941 at Hong Kong. His remains were buried in the Hong Kong Memorial Cemetery. His death was officially published in the Winnipeg Free Press on 8 January 1943.
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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