1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Captain | Robert | William |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Winnipeg MB | Manitoba | 1905-10-18 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Second in Command | 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
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 | Badly wounded in eyes and face, lost eye in surgery, at Wong Nei Chong Gap |
Hospital Information
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-QMH | 12/21/1941 | N/A | ||
| HK-BMH | 03/30/1942 | 09/16/1942 | 118; 26 |
POW Camps
| Camp ID | Camp Name | Location | Company | Type of Work | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-NP-01 | North Point | North Point, Hong Kong Island | N/A | N/A | ||
| HK-AS-01 | Argyle Street | Kowloon, Hong Kong | N/A | N/A | ||
| 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 Aug 19 | ||
| HK-AS-02 | Argyle Street | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 43 Aug 19 | 44 May 11 |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Admiral Hugh Rodman | Vancouver, BC | 1945-10-07 | Manilla to Vancouver, BC |
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
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Decorations Received
| Image | Name of Award | Abbreviation | References | Precedence | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Military Cross | MC | 37, 38, 123 | 05 | |
MC CitationOn the night of 18/19 December 1941, "D" Company the Winnipeg Grenadiers were in their allotted positions at Wong Nei Chong, Hong Kong. A Japanese landing in force cut through this area -the centre of the Island - and isolated "D" Company Headquarters from No. 17 and 18 Platoons. The Japanese assaulted the company headquarters, beginning at 0700 hours the morning of 18 December and secured the medical shelter about seventy-five yards from the headquarters shelter. At approximately 0800 hours the company commander was killed while attempting to dislodge snipers, leaving Captain Philip in command. Captain Philip advised the battalion commander of the situation and was told to hold his position and deny enemy use of the main road crossing the island. Relief and reinforcements were promised, but due to strong Japanese positions so close to the shelter this promise could not be fulfilled. The strength of Captain Philip's command at this time was approximately forty men of whom twelve were casualties. By 1400 hours Captain Philip was severely wounded by an enemy grenade, losing his right eye and suffering chest and leg wounds from shrapnel. Nine other casualties were also reported. This gallant little band, under constant fire and within grenade throwing distance of an aggressive and merciless enemy, held out/or three days, at which time every one of the forty had been wounded, thirty-six severely and the other four slightly.Throughout this long and dangerous battle, Captain Philip, although seriously and painfully wounded retained control of the situation, receiving the reports of his Second-in-Command, Lieutenant Blackwood, and directing him in the defence of the position. So stubborn was the struggle put up by this small and badly battered group that the Japanese used a great number of men in many futile assaults and repeatedly urged them to surrender. On the morning of 22 December, realizing that the situation was hopeless, no ammunition, food or water being left, line communications being cut, and every man a casualty, Captain Philip consulted a Lieutenant- Colonel of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps who was seriously wounded and present in the shelter at the time and advised him of the situation. The Lieutenant-Colonel instructed Captain Philip to surrender, no other course being open. The action of this gallant group of men denied the use of the island road to the Japanese and prevented exploitation of their initial success, undoubtedly gaining valuable time for the re-organization of the island defence. Over two hundred enemy dead were estimated by Captain Philip prior to leaving the position, and unquestionably the overall casualties inflicted by this small body of men must have proved a serious drain on the enemy. Of this action, Major-General Maltby, commander of Hong Kong says: " A company of Winnipeg Grenadiers fought so magnificently the Japs believed the sector was held by two battalions. When it was over, the Nips would not believe they had been opposed there for three days by only one company. They were incredulous and indignant and they showed it by slapping the faces of the Canadian Officers of that company when they interrogated them." | |||||
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-12-30 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Saanich British Columbia Canada | St. Stephen's Church Cemetery | Section B-2 | Yes |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
The obituary reads, Philip, Robert W. of Sidney B.C. Peacefully on December 30,1983 in his 79th year. Survived by his wife Alfreda, his son Michael his wife Vera and grandchildren Lance and Lyn-Ann, also one sister Jessie Campbell of Winnipeg.
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.
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General Comments
’C’ Force Family Connections:
- Brother of X17 Donald Philip
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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