1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Ernest | |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Winnipeg MB | Manitoba | 1907-08-08 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Company Commander | HQ Coy | 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 | N/A |
Hospital Information
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-QMH | 12/20/1941 | N/A | ||
| HK-BMH | 03/17/1942 | 03/30/1942 | 118 | |
| HK-BMH | 08/24/1942 | 09/09/1942 | 118 |
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 | 41 Dec 20 | 41 Dec 22 | ||
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Service Order | DSO | 37, 38, 123 | 02 | |
DSO CitationCanada Gazette dated 6 April 1946 (No. 14, Vol. 80, p. 2066) and CARO/6522 dated 18 April 1946.Major Hodkinson commanded Headquarters Company, the Winnipeg Grenadiers at Hong Kong in December 1941. On 19 December his commanding officer ordered him to take a composite company consisting of three platoons to relieve "D" Company at Wong Nei Chong, clear the area of enemy and attack Wong Nei Chong police station, a Japanese strong point. After overcoming enemy resistance, Major Hodkinson succeeded in reaching "D" Company Headquarters, and after reorganizing the company, proceeded with a patrol through the Japanese lines on a reconnaissance of the police station. Enroute, Major Hodkinson and his patrol successfully annihilated a Japanese section controlling a road block and removed it. Returning, he prepared his plan of attack on the police station which provided for a frontal assault in which he was to take part with a small patrol. This was to precede a major flanking attack by the remainder of the company. This plan was then put into effect, but was defeated by a superior enemy force estimated at one battalion. While unsuccessful in dislodging the enemy from the police station, Major Hodkinson and his patrol were successful in drawing the enemy 's attention which permitted the remainder of his company to advance to its limit line. During this assault, Major Hodkinson was seriously wounded and all the members of his patrol were casualties. By this daring and well planned attack Major Hodkinson succeeded in a portion of his task by moving his company into a useful vantage point, inflicting many casualties and demoralized the enemy. Only greatly superior numbers prevented this attack being a complete success. | |||||
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-07-05 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Victoria British Columbia Canada | Christ Church Cathedral Cemetery | ||
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
HODKINSON-Ernest; at his residence, R.R.5, Owen Sound, on Wednesday, July 5th, 1989. Ernest Hodkinson in his 82nd year. Beloved husband of the late Irene Pilgrim. Dear father of Sydney and his wife Betty of Rochester, New York and Spencer and his wife Edith of R.R.5, Owen Sound. Beloved grandfather of seven grandsons and five great grandchildren including Michael and his wife Barbara and daughters Sarah and Amy; Andrew and his wife Nancy and son Peter and daughter Elizabeth; and Timothy and Matthew, all of Owen Sound. Also survived by his sister Florence Spooner of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Funeral services will be held at St. Thomas Anglican Church, Owen Sound, on Friday, July 7th at 7:00 p.m.. In lieu of flowers donations to the St. Thomas Memorial Fund would be appreciated.
Links and Other Resources
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.
- 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.