Many thanks are allowed to my supervisor, Dr. Galen Roger Perras. His agreeing to take me on as a PhD student changed my life and for this I will forever be thankful to him. His constant support in recommending sources, what archives to visit, and his patience in editing my writing made this project what it is. Completing this dissertation would not be possible without his insights and help. All errors, omissions, or lapse in judgement, of course, remain my own
Also, thanks are due to my internal examiners committee members from the University of Ottawa. Professors Damien-Claude Bélanger, Richard Connors, and Serge Durflinger each brought unique insights from their various subfields of history to my dissertation, greatly improving its quality. Thank you to my external examiner Professor John Ferris of the University of Calgary. His experience and knowledge on the various topics covered in this dissertation undoubtedly made it better than it could have been without him. The financial support given to me by the history department at the University of Ottawa allowed me to travel to United Kingdom to visit numerous archives. The opportunity to teach an undergraduate class was an experience I will not forget and will always be thankful.
Without the wealth primary material I consulted, my project would simply have been a redo of the past works on the Battle of Hong Kong. The staffs of the archives at the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives at Kings College London, Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa, The National Archives in Kew, and the Imperial War Museum London deserve praise and thanks for their work that allowed me to do mine. The staff at the Canadian War Museum deserve special thanks as they helped for years and used their knowledge to help me whenever I asked.
There is a large group of historians who have helped me whether through quick chats at conferences or museums to others whose contribution was crucial to the completion of the project. Tim Cook and Jeff Noakes at the Canadian War Museum always were willing to give me advice, suggestions on sources, or just to listen to the challenges I faced. Dan Byers gave me insights into the training of the Canadian Army and sharing his thoughts on J.L. Ralston. Tony Banham provided excellent insight into rarely used sources. Roger Sarty answered my questions about C.P. Stacey and provided invaluable insight about Canada’s Official Second World War historian. Thanks to Mike Bechthold for making the excellent map on the Christmas day assault on Stanley Village.
My family and friends have been a constant source of support throughout this process. My parents, Brad and Lisa, supported my choice to go back school and pursue this degree. I would not have been able to make this change or go through other large changes that happened over the past few years without them. My fiancée’s parents, Jim and Anna, have helped in any way they can from editing work to providing excellent food. None of this would be possible without my fiancée Alison. She is my rock, confidant, soundboard, my everything. I can not wait to spend the rest of our lives together.
This dissertation is dedicated to the defenders of Hong Kong.