Canadian Auxiliary Services
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Supervisor | George | |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Saskatoon SK | Saskatchewan | 1903-04-07 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Welfare Officer | Bn HQ | Attd WG |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/25 | N/A |
Hospital Information
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-QMH | 12/25/1941 | N/A |
POW Camps
| Camp ID | Camp Name | Location | Company | Type of Work | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-SA-01 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 42 Sep 26 | 43 Aug 19 |
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
Decorations Received
| Image | Name of Award | Abbreviation | References | Precedence | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Member of The Most Excellent Order of The British Empire | MBE | 39, 40, 124 | 04 | |
MBE CitationAuxiliary Services (Young Men’s Christian Association)Canada Gazette dated 15 June 1946 (No. 24, Vol. 80, p.3849) and CARO/6632 dated 17 June 1946. During the period of hostilities at Hong Kong, Supervisor Porteous of the Young Men's Christian Association served as Auxiliary Supervisor to The Winnipeg Grenadiers. Under fire and unaccompanied he visited all Company Headquarters and distributed comforts for the troops several times between 8 and 25 December 1941. Volunteering to assist in any capacity, he took regular tours of duty at Battalion Headquarters, thus relieving combatant officers for field duty. After the Battalion Chaplain had been captured by the Japanese, Supervisor Porteous was appointed Acting Chaplain and Honorary Captain by the Commanding Officer for the duration of hostilities. Supervisor Porteous was injured on the night of 23rd December, but refused to relinquish his duties and carried on until 26 December, when he collapsed from exhaustion and as a result of his injuries. By his splendid spirit and willingness he contributed to the defence effort in the performance of duties which were considerably more than could be reasonably expected of him. By his actions he secured the greatest respect of all officers and men of the battalion. Throughout the long and unpleasant period of captivity Supervisor Porteous was very helpful, doing everything he could to make the lot of the men happier. During the several periods in which dangerous epidemics ravaged the camp, he took his life in his hands to assist in any way he could. | |||||
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-02-06 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Saskatoon Saskatchewan Canada | Woodland Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
REGINA (CP) - Saskatchewan Lt. Gov. George Porteous died suddenly about midnight Monday night in a Saskatoon hospital. He was 74.
His secretary, Laura Champ said Porteous had been complaining about chest pains and had a history of heart trouble.
His heart ailment was related to the four years he spent in a Japanese prisoner of war camp following the fall of Hong Kong in 1941, she said.
Chief Justice E. M. Culliton will assume the lieutenant-governor's duties.
Porteous was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1903. He came to Canada in 1910. He received his education in Saskatoon and graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor of arts degree.
He joined the YMCA and was sent overseas during the Second World War as an auxiliary officer, responsible for recreation for the troops.
His first overseas duty was with the First Canadian Division.
He was sent to Hong Kong with the Winnipeg Grenadiers in November, 1941. The Japanese captured him a month later and he spent 44 months as a prisoner of war. Porteous was awarded the Order of Canada in 1974. He was a member of the Order of the British Empire, an honor given him following his Second World War military service. Premier Allan Blakeney left a cabinet meeting Tuesday to express his shock at the death of the lieutenant-governor when informed about 8 am.
Blakeney said Porteous had a long and distinguished record of service and brought a "special style" to the office of lieutenant-governor.
“George Porteous' whole life was one of work and service for people and particularly people who needed the help and strength he was able to provide," Blakeney said.
“We will all mourn the passing of a distinguished citizen who never lost the common touch and who never lost his concern for the well-being of people in need."
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
Honourable George Porteous, Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan, Canada A selfless devotee to the service of others, the Honourable George Porteous was born in Douglas, Lanarkshire, Scotland on April 7, 1903. He attended secondary school in Saskatoon & earned his BA from the University of Saskatchewan in 1927. His outstanding social service activities with the YMCA began in 1922 as boys' work secretary in Saskatoon. He held other positions with the "Y" in Victoria, Montréal, & Brantford before joining the war effort. In 1941, Porteous went to Hong Kong with the Winnipeg Grenadiers & following the colony's surrender was a prisoner of war for the remainder of the conflict. He was decorated as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his efforts in maintaining prisoner morale during this period. He returned to Saskatoon after his release & was named executive director of the Saskatoon Community Chest & Council Inc. Porteous was invested with the Order of Canada in 1974 & was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan on March 3, 1976. He died in office on February 6, 1978.
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.