1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant | Charles | Duncan |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Norwood MB | Manitoba | 1921-03-07 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Platoon Commander (Flying Platoon) | HQ Coy | 5 Pioneer |
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 between Jardine's Lookout and Mount Butler. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Island | in the Winnipeg River, Pinawa, Manitoba | Manitoba | 52 L/04 | 50 08' 41"; 95 51' 58" | 1973 |
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 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
The youngest commissioned officer in the Grenadiers, Lieut. Charles D. French, 20, was an outstanding rifle shot. He had won five cups and 35 first class medals in different shooting competitions in which he had taken part.
In 1938 and 1940 he was awarded the King's trophy for special distinction when he won in the British Empire shoot. He received the Galer Hagarty Memorial prize, presented by Surgeon-Capt. R. J. E Hanson, head of the Imperial cadets in Britain, in 1940. At the age of 13 he won the Lord Strathcona Trust Fund competition for shooting among Manitoba cadets and he had the watch he was presented with then with him at Hong Kong. He placed first in the King George V competition in 1938 and 1940.
Lieut. French was born in Winnipeg and graduated from Norwood Collegiate. He attended Angus Business College and when his course was completed he did secretarial work with the department of transportation of the civil Aviation branch.
He was a member of the Cameron Cadets and was a major and later officer commanding the cadets. In June, 1940, he joined the Second battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada, (R), and in January, 1941, he enlisted for active service with the Camerons.
He was commissioned as a lieutenant and was believed at that time to be the youngest commissioned officer in the Canadian Army. He completed his training and was sent to the 100th Basic Training centre, at Portage la Prairie, as an instructor. Five days before the Grenadiers left for Hong Kong he transferred to the regiment.
He took an active interest in sports and belonged to curling rinks at Norwood Collegiate and the Heather Curling club. He was secretary of the Kappar club, formed by students of the Norwood Collegiate, while he was at school. He was in the guard of honor at the Legislative building grounds during the Royal visit in 1939.
His younger brother, Alvin French, 19, enlisted for active service Wednesday. He is survived by his parents. Mr. and Mrs. C. D. French, Ste. 8, Horace Court, Norwood, and his brother.
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
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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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