1st Bn The Winnipeg Grenadiers
Red River Métis
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Lance Corporal | George | Louis |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Neelin MB | Manitoba | 1906-02-28 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Section 2ic | C | |
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
No record of hospital visits found.POW Camps
| Camp ID | Camp Name | Location | Company | Type of Work | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 15 | ||
| JP-Os-3B | Oeyama | Kyoto-fu, Yosa-gun, Yoshizu-mura, Sutsu, Japan | Nippon Yakin Nickel Mine & Refinery | Mining nickel & work at the refinery | 43 Sep 01 | 45 Sep 02 |
Transport to Japan
| Draft Number | Name of Ship | Departure Date | Arrival Date | Arrival Port | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XD4A | Manryu Maru | 43 Aug 15 | 43 Sep 01 | Osaka, Japan | Brief stopover in Taihoku (Taipei), Formosa (Taiwan); then 2 day stopover at northern point for stool tests | Tony Banham |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| NATS 7222 | ANAS | 1945-10-04 |
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
Ida and George Montroy. My grandparents. My grandfather became a food hoarder after his experience in Hong Kong. He had 2 fridges, a supersize deep freezer, a supersize garden, and a storage room always full of food. He never let anyone around him go hungry. His door was always open to anyone wanting a meal and he would happily cook you a feast.
Copied from Facebook in Nov '16. Submitted by Teresa Smith.
Other Military 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-10-31 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Riverton Manitoba Canada | St. Josephs Cemetery | ||
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
Suddenly on Saturday, October 31st, 1987 at his residence, Corporal George Montroy, aged 81 years, of Riverton, Manitoba, beloved husband of Ida Montroy. George was born in Neelin, Manitoba February 28th, 1906. He was a Corporal with the Winnipeg Grenadiers and had served in Jamaica and Hong Kong. He was a Japanese prisoner of war from 1941 to 1945. After the war, George bent his initial years farming and 15 years employed with Grey Goose Bus Lines. He then managed the credit union in Riverton where he retired and lived his remaining years.
He was predeased by his mother Marie Louise; his father Louis; stepmother Harriet; brothers Emil, Alex, Pete, Ramsey, and Zebb and grandson Tyler. He leaves to mourn his passing his beloved wife Ida; son Louis and wife Eileen; daughter Aileen and husband Danny; five grandchildren, Cobina, Nicolle, Teresa, Danielle and Renee and numerous nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, November 4th at 1 p.m. in the Riverton- Hnausa Lutheran Church with Fr. G. Killen officiating, assisted by Pastor K. Bergbusch and Rev. M. Von Gunton. Interment will follow in the St. Joseph's Cemetery, three miles south of Riverton on No. 9 Hwy.
The active pallbearers will be Messrs. Tom Dewar, Len Watson, Bill Salvage, Chester Bud, Frank Harding, Fred Wright and Ray Sellers. The honorary pallbearers will be Messrs. Harry Atkinson, John Simcoe, Alf Matthews, George Peterson, Bob Lytle, Gordon Williamson, Bill Maltman and Les Adams. Both active and honorary bearers are members of the Winnipeg Grenadiers.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Riverton- Hnausa Lutheran Church.Gilbart Funeral Chapel, Gimli, in care of arrangements.
Submitted by granddaughter Teresa Smith March 2017
Research conducted as part of the HKVCA Indigenous Veterans Project for this veteran are available in our Vault. To access this research use the link displayed below under Related Documentation.
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.
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
→ Related documentation for information published in this report, such as birth information, discharge papers, press clippings and census documents may be available via shared resources in our HKVCA Vault. It is organized with folders named using regimental numbers. Use the first letter of the individual's service number to choose the correct folder, then scroll to the specific sub-folder displaying the service number of your interest.
General Comments
No comments found.
End of Report.
Report generated: 21 Nov 2024.
Additional Notes
(These will not be visible on the printed copy)
- Service numbers for officers 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.