1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant Colonel | William | James |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Quebec QC | Central Ontario | 1897-04-06 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Commanding Officer | Bn 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
No wounds recorded.Hospital Information
No record of hospital visits found.POW Camps
| Camp ID | Camp Name | Location | Company | Type of Work | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-SM-01 | Stanley | Fort Stanley, Hong Kong Island | Capture | 41 Dec 30 | ||
| HK-NP-01 | North Point | North Point, Hong Kong Island | 41 Dec 30 | 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 | ||
| HK-SA-02 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 44 May 11 | 45 Sep 10 |
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 | 05 | Citation not found |
Other Military or Public Service
X82 William James HOME World War I. Student.Single. Active Militia: Royal Canadian Regiment on February 16, 1916. Discharged: May 31, 1920 – reverting to permanent force status.
Death and Cemetery Information
| Date of Death (y-m-d) | Cause of Death | Death Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-08-02 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Hudson Quebec Canada | St. Thomas-d'Aquin Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
“Courtesy Stoneman”. Copyrighted images used with permission.
Obituary / Life Story
The following taken from The First World War Officers of The Royal Canadian Regiment
Promoted Brigadier to command "C" Force, back-dated to 21 Dec 1941, as the senior Canadian officer in Hong Kong. Prisoner of War: 25 DEc 1941 to 15 Aug 1945. Returned to Canada; 3 Oct 1945. District Officer Commanding, Military District No. 4, Montreal, from 23 Jan 1946 to 1 Oct 1946 Served on various appointments in Quebec Command, including General Officer Commanding, until retirement at the rank of Brigadier on 3 Mar 1949. Military Cross Citation SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 1 FEBRUARY, 1919 Lt. (A./Capt.) William James Home, Royal Can. R., Nova Scotia R. - For. conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in command of a company during operations commencing 26th August, 1918. When almost, surrounded by an enemy counter-attack he dashed forward at the head of a party, shooting four enemy himself, causing considerable casualties and checking, their attack. His courage and initiative saved an awkward situation. April 1930 "Capt W.J. Home, M.C., whose reputation as a hockey player is well known in the Regiment, has been playing with the British Ice Hockey Team this winter and winning laurels for the team and himself as Captain. Capt Home returns to Canada in August [1930] and we look forward to hearing the very latest mechanized accent." On 8 July 1940, the Royal Rifles of Canada (Quebec City) and the 7/XIth Hussars (Richmond) received authorization to mobilize as the 1st Battalion of the Royal Rifles of Canada. The first Commanding Officer was Lt. Colonel William James Home, M.C., E.D. a veteran of the First World War who had been with the 8th. Royal Rifles in 1913 and had served with the Royal Canadian Regiment. On 23 October, the Royal Rifles of Canada took the train to Vancouver, where they left Canada on 27 October aboard the Awatea. The unit arrived in Hong Kong on 16 November 1941. On 8 December, Japanese forces attacked the British colony. Following ten days of continuous air and artillery bombardment, Japanese troops landed on the island during the night of 18-19 December. Despite a heroic battle to defend the island, the garrison surrendered on 25 December 1941. During the fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel W.J. Home, the commanding officer of the Royal Rifles, became the senior Canadian officer after the death of Brigadier Lawson.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
No comments found.
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.
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