Frequently Asked Questions

Question	Answer
What role does HKVCA play in assisting the Hong Kong veterans in achieving restitution for their treatment in World War II and post-war?	As indicated in our mission and goals, HKVCA advocates on behalf of the Hong Kong veterans and widows to ensure they have access to all services provided by Veterans Affairs Canada. As HKVCA has charitable status, we cannot endanger that status by making political statements on behalf of our veterans. It should be noted that the Government of Canada paid an extraordinary benefit to Hong Kong veterans in 1998. Read more by visiting the Veterans Affairs Canada site. Once there, select the Search tool and enter the search terms "hong kong veterans payment". It should also be noted that these veterans never held their assignment against the Canadian government nor did they ever seek any type of apology for it.
How many Hong Kong veterans are still living?	As of November 2023 there are no veterans living.
I'm looking for information on a specific 'C' Force member. What's the best way to look it up?	We have prepared custom individual reports on each 'C' Force member on our 'C' Force site. Visit the site's main page and type in the last name of the individual to launch the report. Our site search is a great way to see all mentions of a name on our site. This feature can be found at the top-right of most of our pages. If the above two options don't give you what you're looking for, please contact us using the link on this page, and we'll do our best to help.
How do I find the location of the Memorial Wall and is there parking?	The easiest way to find the location of the Wall is to consult Google Maps. (If this link doesn't work, then search for the phrase "hong kong memorial wall ottawa") We have completed the design for a layby that will accommodate several cars, just adjacent to the Memorial Wall on King Edward Ave. This will enable people to exit their cars and walk just a few steps to the Wall. Funding has become a major hurdle. Mike Babin's column in the Autumn 2020 edition of our newsletter explains. Although not ideal for people with mobility concerns, there is currently ample parking across Sussex Dr. at the National Research Council.
Our family has some memorabilia belonging to a 'C' Force veteran. What are our options for sharing these items?	Answer is paraphrased from an email received from Rachell Dell, Curator, Bay Chaleur Military Museum A local museum is a good starting point as it might be interested in accepting these items, caring for them, and seeing that the related story is told. Donating artifacts to a museum means that you are giving title and ownership over to the museum in the donation, and that no museum will ever be able to promise that artifacts will always be on display. Even if you choose to donate your treasures and they are not immediately put on public display immediately, please know that exhibits are changed and collections rotated with time. Museums often get out artifacts from their collection reserve out to do programing (behind the scenes tours, school tours, artifacts tables for lecture presentations, etc.), so artifacts not on display are still being brought out for special occasions so their stories can be told. The Bay Chaleur Military Museum was founded by a Hong Kong Veteran - Phil Doddridge, and the stories of the men who served in Hong Kong are very important to us. Our museum has two driving missions - one of them being the story of C Force and the experiences of the men who served in Hong Kong (the other is exploring the military heritage of the Gaspe peninsula and the men and women who have served and have a connection to our region from the earliest times we can trace up to the present). For the story of Hong Kong - our museum has a national focus, and a sizable part of our galleries will always be reserved for this important chapter in our country's history. We are a small museum, one that has survived the last 19 years largely on private donations, and have enjoyed minimal government support, though for all that our museum has many dedicated volunteers and strong leadership - we are on the right track. We are open seasonally, though can be open by appointment at other times of the year.
I would like to join HKVCA - how do I do this?	Please visit our Contacts and Membership page.
How many people are members of HKVCA?	This information moved to the bottom of our Information page.

About Our Websites

Question	Answer
This site does not display well on my computer or smart device. The information is formatted poorly.	Please contact us and provide as much information as you are able. For instance: operating system used (Windows, IOS, Android, etc.) browser used (Edge, FireFox, Chrome, Safari, etc) specific problem with page (provide screenshot or page address if you can) Note: please make sure to update your browser, as older versions may have difficulties displaying web pages, and they are security risks as well.
I find the pages hard to read due to the fact that the text is too large/too small	Most browsers will allow you to select the text size that you find best for you. This selection will remain in effect until you change it. Keep in mind however, that not all other web sites are designed to display text at the size you've specified. One other solution to the problem is to hold down the Ctrl key and roll the wheel on the mouse forward, or backward, to adjust the type size of the page you are reading. This works in most browsers.
When I print the pages, the links on the left are missing, as is the information at the bottom	These parts of the page are not required when the page is printed, and so are suppressed. The advantage of this is that each page can hold more information. Our small effort for the environment.
I've found a broken link. Can you fix it?	Please let us know about all broken links, as we take pride in keeping our site up to date. Unfortunately, external links are not under our control, but we do our best to monitor them and adjust our content when an external link is found to be broken.
I have information on a member of 'C' Force. How do I send it?	If it's an image, it will need to be scanned or photographed, and then attached to an email. Documents can also be scanned, but if they are already in digital format, just attach the document files to an email. To start the process, use the "Contact Us" button at the top-right of most of our pages to send us an email. We will then get back to you with further information.