The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant | Anna | May |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Winnipeg MB | Manitoba | 1903-01-21 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Nursing Sister | Brigade Headquarters | |
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.Hospital Information
No record of hospital visits found.POW Camps
No POW camp record found. Member may have been a battle casualty, or our records may be incomplete.
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Associate of The Royal Red Cross | ARRC | 41, 42, 122 | 06 | |
Associate, Royal Red Cross CitationCanada Gazette dated 10 June 1944 (No. 10, Vol. 78, p. 2404) and CARO/4568 dated 9 June 1944.Nursing Sister Waters was appointed to the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps Nursing Service on 31 May 1940. She proceeded overseas with the Hong Kong Expeditionary Force and carried out all her duties during the siege of Hong Kong in an outstanding manner. On the capture of this island she was taken prisoner and was held from 28 December 1941 until 2 December 1943 when she was repatriated to Canada. Other repatriates who returned with this Nursing Sister spoke very highly of her care of them whilst in prison camp and on the return journey. | |||||
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-12-08 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
Gravestone Image
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Obituary / Life Story
Nursing Sister - Anna May Waters - May Waters was an independent woman who was decisive and determined in a practical way. As a very caring person, she dedicated her life to helping others obtain better health.
May Waters life began January 21. 1903, in Strathroy, Ontario. In September 1911 she, along with her parents and three brothers. Doug. Mac and Jack, moved to Rosedale Avenue in Winnipeg. Manitoba. She attended Lord Roberts and Kelvin Schools, graduating as a registered nurse from Winnipeg General Hospital in 1927. She began her nursing career in the Ninette Sanatorium in December 1927 where she nursed tuberculosis patients until April 1929.
In May 1940. May Waters was appointed to the nursing service of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corp (RCAMC) and in October 1941, she left Canada with another nursing sister, Kay Christie and C Force Battalion to serve in Hong Kong. CForce was a composite Battalion of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Royal Rifles of Canada and various units of a Headquarters support group that was sent to Hong Kong to assist the British in defending Hong Kong from an enemy invasion. The Battle lasted 17 days before the British surrendered. Canadians troops began a new life as Prisoners of War (POWs), living at the will of their captors for 44 months.
When Hong Kong fell on Christmas Day 1941, May Waters and Kay Christie were nursing in a British military hospital looking after the wounded, many of whom were Winnipeg Grenadiers. On August 10, 1942, the hospital was taken over by the Japanese and the nursing staff were moved to Stanley camp. May and the other medical staff not only had to survive their wounds but the lack of food, lack of medical supplies and ill-treatment by their captors. Their existence was further threatened by diseases like tuberculosis, malaria, Beri Beri and other contagious tropical diseases. Avitaminosis was also an issue because of the lack of food. Mays experience in the sanatoriums was a benefit to the men that were stricken with tuberculosis and possibly contributed the survival of some of the prisoners throughout the epidemic.
The years in confinement during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong were very hard on May, especially because of the lack of privacy. However, her determination to care for the men suffering around her did not waver. To keep the soldiers strength, she would make soup in a steel helmet.
When May was repatriated December 2, 1943, she returned to Winnipeg. She recuperated here for several months, gaining back the weight that she lost while detained in Hong Kong. On April 6, 1944 in Halifax, May was presented with the Royal Red Cross, second class, by Brigadier J.C Stewart COB P.Q, district officer commanding MD. From September 1944 to August 1946 May rejoined her unit and served as part of the ships staff on the TSS Letitia, a hospital ship that operated in the Atlantic and Pacific war theatres. In October 1945, May was briefly reunited with some of the Hong Kong PONs in Hawaii as they recuperated before returning to Canada.
Between August 1946 and September 1950, May was back in Winnipeg after being discharged from the RCAMC. She worked in the State sanatorium in Salem Oregon, from September 1950 to October 1951. She then moved to Leahi Hospital in Honolulu until October 1952. At this time her ailing father brought her back to her family home in Winnipeg until he passed away in 1955.
On her return to Hawaii in April 1956, May worked with the nuns for almost 13 years in Kalaupapa, Molokai 7H. until she retired in May 1966 to Long Beach, California. May remained in Long Beach for her remaining years, making frequent trips to Winnipeg to see her family.
May loved to travel and loved nursing. In pursuing her lifes vocation, as she showed a strong dedication to the many people that she cared for. Anna May Waters passed away December 8, 1987. at the age of 84.
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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
X77 Anna WATERS -City Nursing Sister Is In Fiery Hong Kong
NURSING Sister Anna May Waters of Winnipeg, with the Winnipeg Grenadiers in Hong Kong, is one of two Canadian nursing sisters first to serve in actual battle areas In this war. With her is Kathleen G. Christie of Toronto. Both are members of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps.
Nursing Sister Waters is one of the few who know the real inside story of the fight the members of this Manitoba regiment are making. She is seeing heroic deeds and taking part in them, as the men defend the besieged outpost.
She was Nursing-Sister-ln-charge at Fort Osborne Military hospital here from her enlistment in the nursing service In May, 1940. She graduated from the Winnipeg General hospital ¡n 1927.
She Is the daughter of David Waters, formerly of 420 Rosedale Ave., and now of Ste. 8 Cornwall Apts.
Nursing Sisters Waters and Christie, arrived in Hong Kong with the Canadian troops last month.
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.
- 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.