President's Message
Mike
Babin
A major part of the HKVCA’s mandate is to educate Canadians
about the Battle of Hong Kong. The 80th anniversary of the
attack on Hong Kong was an excellent opportunity to tell
Canadians about the Battle, and I was gratified to see that
across the country there were many local and national news
stories and events to mark this significant anniversary. You can
see a list of some of them
here. We also released an excellent
video
in collaboration with the Canadian War Museum, which has been
viewed hundreds of times so far.
Thanks to everyone who participated in commemoration events!
Your efforts will help ensure that the story of the Battle of
Hong Kong is never forgotten.
Board of Directors Nominations
The call for nominations was sent out in our December
newsletter and followed up with an email and letter reminding
members to submit their nominations by February 15. As of the
close of nominations, we have received 7 valid nominations for
the 10 available directorships. Therefore, an election will not
be necessary. The slate of Directors will be confirmed at our
Annual General Meeting. The nominated Directors are:
- Mike Babin (Ontario Region),
- Carol Hadley (Prairie Region),
- Bernard LeBlanc (Atlantic Region),
- Lucette Mailloux Muir (Quebec Region),
- Barry Mitchell (Prairie Region),
- Stephanie Mitchell (Prairie Region),
- Gerry Tuppert (BC Region).
Congratulations to all, and a special welcome to Stephanie
Mitchell who will serve on our Board for the first time!
Former Director Mark Purcell was nominated but has decided
not to serve this term. We thank Mark for his dedication and
contributions to our Board over the past 4 years.
Thanks, too, to volunteers Kathie Carlson, Norma Fuchs,
Cynthia Melanson and Jim Trick for their hard work as our
Nominations Committee.
Annual General Meeting
Our AGM will be held on Tuesday, April 26 at 2 pm Eastern
Time. The meeting will be held virtually, and all members are
encouraged to participate. Details below.
New Dues Payment Process
We are pleased to announce that we now accept Interac
e-transfers for payment of dues, donations and purchases from
our HKVCA Store. As of May 1 we will no longer accept PayPal
payments. Please see Barry Mitchell’s article elsewhere in this
newsletter for details.
Royal Canadian Legion “Honour Our Veterans” Banners
Legion branches across Canada are conducting a program in
conjunction with their municipalities’ councils to hang banners
commemorating local veterans on street lamp posts. Please
consider approaching your local Legion branch to honour your
Hong Kong Veteran with a banner.
Virtual Events
Our first virtual event of 2022 was a big success, with noted
Hong Kong historian Tony Banham speaking on the shipping of POWs
from Hong Kong to Japan. If you missed it, you can watch the recording.
Upcoming events are:
- March 21 - The WW2 Civilian Internment in
Hong Kong (register) by Martin Heyes and Julien Lehoux.
- April 18 - The Story of Gander, the
Newfoundland Dog by Sue Beard and George MacDonell.
- September 19 - Life in the POW Camps by
Nathan Greenfield.
- November 21 - Lives Lived: Capt E. Lionel
Hurd by Fred Hurd.
These events are free and open to everyone, whether HKVCA
members or not. Please invite your friends and family to watch!
The November presentation by Fred Hurd about his father is
another of what I hope will be many virtual events where family
members of Hong Kong veterans speak about their veteran’s story
before, during and after the war. If you would like to speak at
one of these events, please
email
me.
I know I’ve said this before, but it does look as if the
COVID crisis is easing, and life is beginning to return to
normal. Let’s hope that’s true! Enjoy your spring!
We Will Remember Them
In Remembrance
In Memoriam
Roderick Coughlan, Cornwall, Ontario, son of RRC Peter
Gordon Coughlan E30230 on November 10, 2021
Madeline Smith, Port Stanley, Ontario, widow of RRC John
H. Smith E30121 on November 30th, 2021
Laurence née Samson Dallain, widow of Charles C. Dallain RRC
E30434, on Jan 21, 2022
Cameron Tradewell, member of HKVCA, son of Lauren & Chuck
Tradewell and grandson of John Cameron WG L13165, passed on
February 11, 2021.
Beverley A. Laidlaw, wife of William (Bill) Laidlaw, H6681,
passed away on December 7, 2021 at the age of 96
Yolande Foley Ross, widow of Raymond Ross, RRC E29243 on
November 29, 2021
Online Update
Jim Trick
Search…
The material contained in our various websites has expanded
dramatically over the past several years, making it more
challenging for our visitors to find information of interest.
Seasoned web users know that the best tool to zero in on this
valuable information is the Search utility. We have expanded our
search options to include multiple search resources, rather than
just Google. Different search engines index the web at different
rates, therefore you’ll get different results from each. I hope
that all of our visitors will take advantage of this
valuable tool.
Great for minimizing frustration!
Goodbye to PayPal
Over the past few years we’ve offered PayPal as our online
dues payment option. Times are changing, and now that Interac
e-Transfer is widely accepted we are switching to this service
for online payments. Barry has more details in his article
below. So, our PayPal option will pack its bags as of the
beginning of May. This event will have no effect on those
members who have previously paid their 2022 dues using this
service.
Who Visits Us?
Thanks to Google we receive monthly stats reflecting activity
on our websites and pages. Here are some stats for the month of
Feb that might be of interest:
- Visitors: 1400
- New visitors: 1300
- Page views: 9300
- Top Countries: Canada: 64%, USA: 21%, Hong Kong: 3.5%
- Operating System: IOS: 43%, Windows: 23%, Android: 19%
Little-Known Casualties in Jamaica
Received from:S.E. (Steven) Dieter CD MA FRHistS, Captain
(Retired)
I deployed to Jamaica in 2011, and "discovered" the Canadians
buried there - including the Grenadiers who died there. I would
like to read From Jamaica to Japan to see what the author
says about his time in Jamaica, since it ties in to what I hope
will be my dissertation on the Canadians in the Caribbean during
the Second World War.
I know it doesn't exactly tie in with HKVCA, but some of
those men did serve in an area before they left for Hong Kong,
and that's been forgotten by most Canadians. Not sure if you saw
David Common's story from our deployment in 2011, but a couple
of the Grenadiers' grave markers appear in it, as do I briefly.
Canadian War Graves in Jamaica
(If you have a copy of From Jamaica to Japan you can part
with to help Steve please contact us using our Contact form)
No Reason Why - Digital!
Our loyal readers will recall that in our Autumn 2021
Edition, we indicated that the book No Reason Why by Carl
Vincent was being converted to a digital format by our team of
industrious editors. I’m pleased to announce that this complex
project has been completed and is
ready for
your viewing.
The result, available to everyone, will add significantly to
the story of ‘C’ Force and assist researchers far into the
future. Of course, the content will be indexed by online search
engines.
The digital edition is designed to be viewed on a wide
variety of devices: desktops, tablets, and smartphones. Chapters
can easily be printed using your browser’s print service. For
those who wish to hold a copy of the book in their hands, the
option to purchase the hardcover version remains, and details
are available on our
Suggested
Reading web page.
Our crew learned a lot as we tackled this conversion. Our
approach was to take a digital photo of each page, then use an
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) application to produce a
digital copy. Of course, this process is prone to error, so
proofreading became a critical step in producing an accurate
copy. By chance, we came across “Google Lens” which made our
work easier and produced accurate results.
I was concerned about the photos as the hardcover edition
contains many which add significantly to the quality of the
contents. Thanks to Carl’s scanner, we were able to produce
high-quality copies for inclusion in the digital version.
We owe Carl a debt of thanks for allowing this project to go
forward, and for his active support. Many thanks to the editing
and proofreading team: Anne, Pat, Carole, Kathie and Barbara.
Chinese Canadians Tell the Story
I recently heard a startling fact: from the beginning of the
attack on Hong Kong by the Japanese Imperial Army on December 8,
1941 to the end of the war, over 300,000 Hong Kong residents
were killed or went missing. Considering that the population of
Hong Kong at the time was about 1.6 million, this was a huge
proportion of the city’s residents. Nearly all of these people
would, of course, have been Chinese.
Since the War, and especially during the period of the
takeover of Hong Kong by China in 1997, Canada has welcomed tens
of thousands of immigrants from Hong Kong. Undoubtedly many of
these had family or friends who were among the lost. But
interestingly in my chats with these immigrants, many say that
the story of the Battle of Hong Kong is not well-known among
their families and friends, and in particular they are not aware
that Canadians fought and died there. But once they learn this
story, they are keen to learn more, and to join their fellow
Canadians in recognizing the role of 'C' Force in the Battle of
Hong Kong.
So it is heartening to see that there is a very active group
of former Hong Kongers across Canada who make a point of
commemorating the Battle of Hong Kong and highlighting the role
of Canada’s soldiers in defending the city.
Here are just a few examples:
- Members of the Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers)
Association, under the leadership of Lt Larry Lau (Ret’d)
have for years made a point of travelling from Toronto to
Ottawa to attend the commemoration ceremonies at our
Memorial Wall. They also hold an annual ceremony at the
cenotaph in Markham, north of Toronto. Their annual
Foundation Day Regimental Dinner always honours the veterans
of 'C' Force. Their colleagues in the Hong Kong
Ex-servicemen’s Association are partners in these
commemorations.
- In Calgary, Brian Wong and his colleagues at Tic Tac Toe
Creative Studio have produced a
documentary about Ralph MacLean which they have shown to
students at Chinese schools in the area and have published
on YouTube.
- In Toronto, the Vision Youth group headed by Eric Li has
held a number of commemorative ceremonies and expositions on
the Battle, whose objective is to ensure that the story is
heard and understood by younger Chinese-Canadians.
- Senator Vivienne Poy, the driving force behind the
proclamation of Asian Heritage Month in Canada, and her
husband Neville have long championed the story of the Battle
and were very actively involved in fundraising for our
Memorial Wall in Ottawa.
- Jack Leong, the Director of the Richard Charles Lee
Canada Hong Kong Library at the University of Toronto has
organized expositions, panel discussions and speakers on the
topic of the Battle.
- Postal historian Sam Chiu has researched and published
articles on the postal history of 'C' Force. He recently was
awarded “Best Article” in the Royal Philatelic Society of
Canada’s journal for this work.
- Photographer Alfred Sung has created a
Facebook
page dedicated to honouring the members of 'C' Force,
and has produced several commemorative videos.
- Ivis Tsang in Edmonton writes for a newspaper aimed at
helping Chinese immigrants integrate into Canadian life. She
has recently written and published a story about the role of
Canadians in the Battle.
- Nancy Siew has been a long-time supporter of the Hong
Kong Veterans, beginning with her career at Veterans Affairs
Canada. She has been an enthusiastic and vocal participant
in many commemoration ceremonies over the years.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that in addition to the
Canadian Chinese community embracing the story of the Battle,
there is a very active and involved group of Hong Kong Chinese
residents with the same goal. A couple of examples:
- Evan Chan has established a group called Live.Thing
History. He and his group search for and acquire artifacts,
and have run re-enactments of the Battle. At the request of
the Consulate of Canada some of Evan’s collection was
displayed at December’s commemorative ceremony at Sai Wan
War Cemetery.
- David Lee has been extremely helpful in keeping an eye
on renovations at Sham Shui Po Park, the site of the former
Sham Shui Po POW camp and two plaques commemorating the
Canadians who were interned there, with a view to ensuring
that the local government continues to respect the history
of this significant location.
We salute these folks and thank them for their dedication to
telling the story of the Battle of Hong Kong!
Poetry Contest Winning Entries
Gerry Tuppert
Hello again and congratulations to all the membership poets out
there. The 80th Anniversary national poetry contest was a memorable
way for all of us to reflect on the battle and what the aftermath
felt like for so many. I suspect that as sons and daughters of our
HK veterans there were many sentiments and words expressed we could
commiserate with. It really is another powerful method of saying, We
Will Remember Them. I would like to reintroduce our contest judge
Gary Geddes himself, an acclaimed poet and author. His recently
reissued book “The Ventriloquist” contains an intimate section
called Hong Kong Poems. As you will see his insights were both
thoughtful and thorough in his reading of the compositions sent in.
Make sure to visit our
Poetry
Submission page and read all the fantastic and moving entries.
We thank him for taking the time to do this for us and to all who
participated.
Gary Geddes
I’m so grateful for all of the poems submitted, each of which
comes from the heart. At its best, poetry is an expression of deep
feeling and a love of language. It flies beneath the radar, nests in
the ear, alters our chemistry and can change the way we see the
world and ourselves. It’s not a contest, but a call to action and a
source of healing that speaks to the wounds in each of us, the part
that’s so often in ruins. So, my recognition here is not a judgement
of talent, but a very subjective response to those images and
rhythms that most caught my attention and spoke to me musically.
Here’s the order in which three poems etched themselves most
powerfully in my memory.
First Prize- Fiarra Ember Nixon: One of the images that touched
me deeply in Fiarra’s “Poem for my Father the POW,” was the memory
of her and her father sitting on a mat at home, post-war, imagining
they “rode magic carpets over elephants, tigers, and lions, and
farms.” This image of escape, or transcendence, is indeed the stuff
of poetry, a reminder of what must have been required to survive the
horrors of war and POW camps. Poetry makes its appeal through the
senses, so Fiarra’s reference to the smell of pipe smoke and
clutching her father’s trousers as they soared above and beyond
memories of lice and insufficient rice grabs my attention.
Second Prize- Trevor Toews: I’m also impressed with the rhythmic
intensity and confident use of traditional rhyme and metrics in
Trevor’s poem “Many,” about his grandfather Edward Toews. You can
feel the conductor’s baton come down firmly on the three strong
stresses in the second and fourth lines. They’re called anapestic
feet: two short or unstressed syllables followed by one long or
stressed syllable.
Many are gone and few remain, of the bold and the brave and the
strong,
But we will remember the price they paid, in defence of the isle
of Hong Kong.
Third Prize- Sandra MacLeod: I was quite taken by Sandra’s poem
“An Unfinished Life,” about her uncle, Sergeant John Oliver Payne,
who escaped from the POW camp, but was recaptured and killed. How
interesting that she focuses on the chess set he had carved and
completed at age 17, six years before his death in Hong Kong. The
details she provides are so strong that I imagine him calculating
the ‘moves’ of his escape with equal care; and I wonder what role
kings, queens and emperors played in his demise in that terrible,
deadly game of chess called
war.
Thank you all for sharing your poems with me. I am deeply
honoured.
Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps - Portuguese Co.
Kathie Carlson
The history of the Hong Kong Volunteers Defence Corps goes
back to May,1854, where a militia was established by the British
Colonial Government of Hong Kong. Home defence units were raised
in various British Colonies with the intention of allowing
regular units tied up on garrison duty to be deployed elsewhere.
In 1862, the Hong Kong Volunteers was re-established, and
again disbanded. It was re-established in 1917, and
renamed as the Hong Kong Volunteers Defence Corps (HKVDC). They
were actively engaged in guard and patrol duties during World
War I, the only military unit left in Hong Kong.
The HKVDC met their severest test in fighting that took place
in the crucial weeks before the fall of Hong Kong on Christmas
Day, 1941. On December 8, 1941, the HKVDC deployed a total
fighting strength of 2200 men, - all ranks in 7 infantry
companies, 5 artillery batteries, 5 machine guns companies, and
the armoured cars platoon. While they experienced only
light action in the New Territories at the beginning of the
Japanese attack, the Volunteers were heavily engaged on Hong
Kong Island, especially during the battle of Wang Nai Chung Gap,
and Stanley. Casualties were heavy. After the Battle of Hong
Kong, 289 were listed as missing or killed, and others became
prisoners of war.
In the book My Wartime Experience”, December 1941 - December
1945, written by Philippe Yvanovich, a Corporal in the Hong Kong
Volunteers Defence Corps, Philippe writes– “It may seem strange
that there is no record of the Portuguese involvement in the
Volunteers between its founding and 1939, that the Volunteers
were formed against external threats, where the Portuguese
Community being permanent residents were more useful in the
Auxiliary Constabulary.” These men were Portuguese Civilians who
were bankers and clerks, who had field training one day a
fortnight, doing light infantry training where the army
instructors would demonstrate field tactics. In the Battle
of Hong Kong, they would show how well they learned. Units
such as the Corps No 5 (Port) Company (Machine guns), trained
for one year on the pillboxes at Wong Nei Chung Gap. Philippe
indicates that in 1941, their group was to protect installations
against dive bombings. The Volunteers would be scattered in
small sections like Aberdeen Dockyard, Hong Kong Electric Power
Station, Hong Kong Star Ferry Terminal and many more. Philippe
wrote – “The absurdity of the setup was that we had never been
at any of the locations or anywhere remotely like it!”
Phillipe, at 20 years of age, oversaw a seven-man squad of
Portuguese Company No 5, along with family and friends Edo
Silva, who worked at the China Light Power Station, Aboti Silva,
Tony Alves, Roberto Marques, and Meme Gonsalves. They
received the call up for mobilization of the Volunteers on
December 7, 1941. Their post was Kowloon Godown, overlooking the
Star Ferry Terminal. Philippe writes that on December 11,
1941, the evacuation of Kowloon started. The small squad
of the HKVDC were on the roof of the Godown, and they looked on
as troops and civilians were evacuated to Hong Kong Island.
On December 25, 1941, news came back to the squad that Hong Kong
had surrendered. They were told to go to Murray Barracks
where they stayed for five days, were then shipped to Kowloon,
then marched to Sham Shui Po POW camp for the next 3.5 years of
captivity.
In the Winter 2020 newsletter, my sister Pat wrote a story
called “Angela Remembers”, which was a story about Angela’s
father, Eduardo (Edo) DaSilva, who was in camp Sham Shi Po with
our father, Leonard Corrigan (WG). Edo is referenced in
this article as a member of the HKVDC and referred to as Edo
Silva. Apparently, on coming to Canada, the Department of
Immigration recommended that the family change their name to
“DaSilva”. Philippe Yvanovich, who was the author of My
Wartime Experience, was the brother of Elzira DaSilva, Edo’s
wife. Our father and Edo became good friends in camp.
Leonard offered to sponsor Edo and his pregnant wife and two
sons to come to Canada, specifically Swift Current,
Saskatchewan, - arriving in 1957. A close relationship
between both families flourished for many years. Edo and
his family were contributing members of the community until
their retirement and move to Calgary in 1977, to join their
children. Today, our two families still stay in touch with each
other, never forgetting how lucky we are to share this history.
Members of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps 1941, Edo
DaSilva center row right
Ex Allied Prisoners of War Medal
Gerry Tuppert
This may be of some interest to those of you who are
assembling your father's medals for a framed wall display or
placing them into a shadow box. My dad Cpl William Tuppert, RRC,
purchased and received this medal in 1994 from the British
company “Award Productions Ltd”. The following is an abbreviated
text taken from the cover letter and brochure:
Dear Sir/Madam
We have much pleasure in enclosing the commemorative medal
struck as a tribute to all Ex Prisoners of War whose countries
were allies of Britain at the time of their capture. The hope is
that the medal will forge a common bond with the many who
sacrificed so much for the price of freedom. Proposed by the
National Ex Prisoners of War Association in the U.K., the medal
has been carefully designed by the international medallist Ian H
Stewart CM. Struck in bright cupro-nickel to the highest minting
standards each 36mm medal is ribboned ready to wear.
Commemorative medals such as this one may be correctly worn
below official decorations. Such medals usually denote a
particular campaign or theater of war but in the case of the Ex
P.O.W. Medal it indicates that the veteran was deprived of
freedom and if worn with the service medals should give the
observer an indication of the particular hardships endured by
the wearer.
OBVERSE: The prominent feature of the front and obverse side
of the medal is the strand of barbed wire which has entrapped a
young bird, symbolic of freedom itself. These elements surmount
a globe of the world indicative of the international parameters
of the medal. The wording ‘International Prisoners of War’
encircles the entire design.
REVERSE: The haunting and vicious barb of the ever-present
wire is used symbolically to divide the reverse side of the
medal into four elements, each bearing one of the words in the
phrase: ‘Intrepid against all adversity.’
RIBBON
The ribbon has a symbolized strand of barbed wire bounded on
either side by black bands representing the despair of the
compound. These in turn are edged by white bands representative
of the second and third fences of the compound. The bands of
green are reminiscent of the fields of home and finally both red
edges are symbolic of the burning faith of those who were
interned. This medal is supplied on a concealed single pin,
ready to wear.
Any family member of a Hong Kong veteran wishing to acquire
this medal can do so by
going directly to the website to complete an application. On
this the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Hong Kong it seems
only fitting to re familiarize ourselves with this medal and all
that it represents about our ‘C’ Force defenders and their
sacrifices.
We Will Remember Them
Indigenous Veterans of 'C' Force Project
Pamela Poitras Heinrichs
Things are moving along on the Indigenous Veterans of ‘C’
Force project!
Following social media posts, I have been contacted by a
number of people with connections to Indigenous vets of ‘C’
Force. Some were family members and others just with
knowledge of the family. In the last instances, by following
up with messages, emails, and in some cases telephone calls,
I was able to connect with family. As a result, we currently
have 22 Indigenous Veterans listed on the website at the
time of writing this report.
Our proposal for funding for a researcher to determine
Indigenous identity for those veterans that we do not have
family contact with has been finalized and submitted to the
Métis Veterans Legacy Program. The project officer with MVLP
was very optimistic that we will receive funding and we
understand that our proposal should be reviewed sometime in
March. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
Currently, Lori Atkinson Smith has compiled a list of
approximately 150 names of HK vets from the Métis Veterans
Memorial at Batoche. Thank you Lori! In the absence of
information from family, it is important that we verify
information before posting it to our website. We are
therefore pleased to announce that thanks to funds available
from the Prairie Region, we will be retaining the research
services of the Centre du patrimoine/St. Boniface Historical
Society to research and determine indigenous ancestry of
these ‘C’ Force members. For those who are not familiar with
the Centre, it is an archives and research centre devoted
mainly to preserving and making accessible archives
documenting the Francophone and Metis experience in Western
Canada and particularly in Manitoba. It houses archival
collections, a reference library containing close to 13,000
titles and genealogical resources. Thank you to the Prairie
Region for funding this “jump start” to our Project. We are
very excited about it.
Chats on messenger, emails, and telephone calls with
family members of our HK vets have resulted in heartwarming
moments. Listening to their stories and being able to
provide information to them on their relative has made me
feel very honoured to take part in this Project. Some are
just discovering their family connections, some are
re-connecting with families, and some have age-old stories
to tell. I have heard the stories of one who is learning of
a grandfather who died in the battle that he knew nothing of
until a few years ago; another is learning of why talking
with his great uncle about the war was off limits; another
has attended at the Wall and smudged the name of her great
uncle and other indigenous vets. Many didn’t know about the
HKVCA, nor about our Wall. Some have told me that they have
joined the HKVCA or that they are going to. A few that I
have spoken to are elderly and unable to use the internet to
access information on our website. We have mailed them
packages containing information about their veteran and the
Association. I expect there will be more such moments and
stories as our project continues.
It is so important that we connect with the families.
Please let us know of any information you have regarding an
Indigenous veteran of ‘C’ Force. All information is welcome
and helpful. Thank you to all who have assisted so far.
Veterans' Role in the Creation of the Ten Lessons
Pat Turcotte
In 2002, David Murray, the Ontario Regional Director,
decided to have me represent the Ontario Executive when we
were invited to attend a session of the Memory Project,
which involved a number of veterans who had agreed to learn
the ins and outs of speaking to large groups of students
about their experiences in WW2. A teacher from Oakville had
brought his students to act as the target group to interact
with the veterans in simulating a teaching session. That
teacher turned out to be the ideal person to connect with
HKVCA regarding a new project that was being discussed by
the Ontario Executive. We were anxious to create a document
in some form that could be used by High School students in
the province of Ontario to tell the Hong Kong story.
After the Memory Project session was over for the day, we
spoke to the teacher, Nick Brune, about the possibility of
working on a document that would tell the Hong Kong story in
a way that could be useful in a High School situation. Nick
Brune was surprised and pleased to be approached that day,
and within a few weeks an agreement was reached whereby he
would sketch his thoughts re-creating a series of lessons
that would explain the details of the Battle of Hong Kong in
an informative but interesting way for students at the
Secondary School level. David and the members of the
Executive agreed that we should invite Nick to make a
proposal to the members of the Hong Kong Veterans
Association (HKVA) We did meet with a committee of the
veterans several times, and they provided a number of
excellent suggestions to Nick as he continued his research.
Having decided with the veterans’ approval that there should
be Ten Lessons, Nick followed through with his work on the
Ten Lessons until they were complete.
At various stages, Nick paused to give the veterans a
chance to see how things were going, but in six weeks he had
the Ten Lessons ready. The result was that with the
assistance of Veterans Affairs (VAC) the booklet was
finalized and printed. The finished document was presented
to a joint meeting of the HKVA and the HKVCA groups on April
30, 2003. At that time, as promised, the HKVA agreed to
contribute $10,000. 00 to the total cost, and, from that
point on, many schools in Ontario and across the country
became quite interested in having copies. Without the
support and good counsel of John Stroud, the President of
the HKVA in Ontario, and the members of his advisory group,
we would not have been able to complete the Lessons. We do
thank all of the veterans in Ontario, as well as those in
other Regions who assisted, for being involved in the
decisions that made the Ten Lessons possible.
(The 10 Lessons are online as a resource in our
Teachers’ Zone) ed.
Highlights from Veterans Books
Researched by Shelagh Purcell and Kathie Carlson
Many books have been written by Hong Kong Veterans, and many
family members have also written books and articles, and this is
our chance to highlight these additional stories in recognition
of the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Hong Kong.
“What you didn’t know” ……
Attempts were made at great peril to sabotage the shipyards,
coal mines in Japan, and Airport runways (Kai Tak). Here are
some samples of efforts made by courageous men.
Clifford E McDavid described the work at Kai
Tak Airport “We moved a mountain for the airport in
wheelbarrows”.
William J. Overton said, “We worked with
baskets on bamboo poles and shovels extending the runways.
*(Rumour has it that enemy planes sank into the runways
perhaps because the cement was not mixed well!)
Excerpts from The Endless Battle
by Andy Flanagan
Throughout our stay at the shipyard, we figured out how to
keep fighting for home. We did what we could to slow or stop
production such as drilling the steel plates in the wrong place
or cutting the steel too short. Other times we messed with the
finished product. After drilling and riveting steel plates to
the ship, a Japanese inspector usually came around and tapped
each rivet to see if it was solid. After the inspection, some of
the boys from down home would grind the back of the rivets, just
leaving enough to hold the steel in place. It was rumoured that
when these ships went out to sea, they sank as the waves worked
the rivets loose. We became very good at exacting that bit of
revenge….so good that by the time the fourth ship was launched,
it sank shortly thereafter in the middle of Tokyo Bay.
Unfortunately. The Japanese suspected sabotage and tried to beat
a confession out of us. No one talked. If we admitted anything
we’d all be killed. I figured it was better to put up with the
beating than to die. For our joint punishment, they shipped us
off to the coal mines where we really suffered.”
Excerpts from One Soldier’s Story
by George MacDonell
George confirmed that Canadians actively practiced sabotage
in the shipyards. He wrote that he was too sick to perform hard
labour, so the Japanese had him packing grease in bearings.
“From time to time, my unsuspecting foreman assigned me the easy
job of filling the grease reservoirs over the ship’s engine
bearings. Despite the misery and growing despair of our
situation, I never missed an opportunity when undetected, to fit
the grease caps with iron filings before filling the rest of the
cap with thick grease. Once at sea, the iron fillings would burn
out the bearings.
Check out our
Suggested Reading page for a listing of these books and many others (ed)
Prairie Prose
Carol Hadley
Greetings from the Prairie Region. When will the snow stop??
Yes, the Prairie Region has had more snow this year than several
years altogether. However, as I begin this report, Manitoba has
had some relaxed regulations, with the thought that all
regulations will be off by March 15. We hope that this means the
worst is over and we adapt to a new way of living.
We applaud the efforts of Mike Babin, President and the Board
to have virtual events recognizing the 80th Anniversary of the
Battle of Hong Kong as restrictions have prevented in-person
events from happening.
We are grateful to the Manitoba Legislature which allows us
to have the Hong Kong Veterans flag fly in August and December
at the Cenotaph on Memorial Blvd in Winnipeg. It is a great
tribute to 'C' Force and their service.
Prairie Region has continued with the monthly lunch meetings
at the Viscount Gort Hotel on Portage Ave in Winnipeg. Everyone
is welcome to attend but please let me know to arrange seating.
Indigenous Project Update – Pam Heinrichs
coordinator – Work on the Indigenous Veterans of' C' Force
Project continues. Many thanks to Pam for all her dedication and
research on this project. Please look for her article for more
information.
Last Post project – gravestones for veterans
unmarked graves or damaged gravestones can be replaced. Also,
the addition of traditional names for indigenous veterans can be
included with the wives’ names also added. Please contact me if
you know of any gravestones that need attention.
Lawn Signs – Prairie Region has a few lawn
signs available with Judy Preston in Russell coordinating the
project. We have orders on delay for delivery due to finding
packaging to ship them. The packaging has been received and Judy
will be dealing with that soon. She can be reached by filling in
the Contact Us form found at the top of our web pages, and the cost can be sent to her by e transfer
or cheque as the postage and handling charge will need to be
added. She will deliver the Winnipeg orders when time and travel
make it possible. Thank you all for your patience.
Plaques – With the lifting of the health
restrictions we will try to have the remaining plaques
dedicated. The first is for Unit 283 ANAVETS in Winnipeg on
March 11, 2022 at 2 p.m. at the Unit. There will be some
dignitaries present and members of other veteran associations.
Attendees must be vaccinated and masked as that is the Unit’s
rules.
I’m checking on the other requests to see if they still want
a plaque then will be placing another order. Shortly.
Prairie RegionAnnual General Meeting will be on
April 26 virtually
Happy Easter to everyone. It’s such a hopeful time of year,
and I wish you every good thing at Easter and always.
I hope that you, your family and friends stay safe and
healthy. God Bless!!
Ontario Offerings
Compiled by Sandy Strom, (Daughter of Augustin
Cyr, RRC and niece of Clement, Leo and Wilmer Cyr, RRC).
Lives Lived
Fred Hurd, son of E. Lionel Hurd
Join me on November 19 for a “Lives Lived” virtual event, featuring
the story of Capt. E. Lionel Hurd, who survived to come home after
becoming a POW following the capture of Hong Kong on December 25, 1941.
They were to experience a different kind of battle; the battle for
simple survival against a foreign culture that was completely void of
compassion. The determination to live was what got many of them through.
Lionel could never forget his experience; the insurmountable losses of
his comrades, his own suffering and that of his wounded compatriots. He
did come to realize over time that he in fact could and would hang on to
his dignity. There has been much written about their lives lived as POWs
in the camps throughout the Pacific Rim. Those who survived the battle,
then the POW camps, wounded, and battle scarred, who were fortunate
enough to return home alive also have a story to tell. Some will have
told us about how their lives had changed when they were set free and
likewise after they returned home to a new life. Their loved ones had
been kept mostly in the dark, frantically trying to find some snippet of
information as to the whereabouts of their sons or for some word as to
whether they were even alive.
Included in this story which is equally important is how their
families were to change and how they coped during those same time
frames.
Details on how to register for this compelling “Lives Lived” virtual
event will be available in the September national newsletter.
Proud Nephew Honours his Uncle - HKVCA Goes iRacing
My name is Bill Calder and my Uncle,
Vincent Calder,
RRC (see photo) was a POW in Hong Kong. I am a retired
computer guy and I race cars in a computer simulation
called iRacing. It is worldwide and has about 200,000
members, some of them being actual drivers in real
life.
Hood of my race car showing the HKVCA Logo
I race a small part of it in a League called
Coast2Coast Racing league. We drive about 16 different
cars, both dirt track and asphalt. I decided to get a
new paint job on my Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. I wanted to
display the HKVCA Logo prominently on the hood and try
to make the body look like the Uniform Colour that my
uncle is wearing in one of the pictures I have of him.
I got the permission I needed from HKVCA to display
the Logo and here is the result. I think it turned out
well and I will be proud to race it as often as I can.
Here is a link to my League Website: c2crl.com. I am
also planning to put the Logo on some of my other cars
as well. God Bless you all and I am proud to contribute
to the association in a small way.
Eastern Ontario News
Shelagh Purcell, Eastern Ontario Rep
Many of my phone calls have been reminding members that it’s
been 80 years since the battle of Hong Kong took place. It
brought back memories for some:
Frank Miller was ten years old when his father went to Hong Kong
(David Miller, RRC) now 92. Frank is still interested in any information
about those years. He gets the newsletter and hopes that we can meet
again one day.
Barbara Cunningham Drew liked the presentations organized by the
HKVCA. She also finds it hard that people are not able to get together.
Her father was Winston Cunningham, CDC
Barry Fair - found it hard not to be able to connect with Hong Kong
veterans’ families on Remembrance Day in London ( John Grey Fair, RRC).
These occasions keep the memories going. The COVID-19 virus has much to
answer for.
Donna Drimmie said her father, Victor Oliver Fehr, RRC, didn’t speak
much about Hong Kong, but when she was in grade13, she wrote an essay
with her father's comments which she has kept ever since.
Gloria Fortune (Herbert R. Fortune, WG) is now in a long-term care
facility in Burlington. Her daughter, Val Fortune-Niddery, shares the
newsletter with Gloria. Val mentioned that receiving a card or note
would be nice.
Jim Hurd - enjoyed items in the newsletter about the 80th anniversary
(Edmund Lionel Hurd, RRC) He said it brought back memories of many of
the Hong Kong veterans from his area.
Yvonne Southworth - is still recovering from a stroke (Donald
Southworth, RRC) She still lives in Lindsay, Ontario.
Oda Barlow (Edwin Barlow, RCASC) was leaving to visit her daughter
and family in Picton. We'll have a longer chat when she returns home.
Jean Killoran - husband (John Killoran, RRC) didn't talk a lot about
Hong Kong, although close friends knew some of the stories of the camp.
He was a quiet man.
Agnes Fehr (Victor O. Fehr, RRC) - her husband didn't talk about Hong
Kong. Mrs. Fehr is doing okay.
Margaret MacDonald (Allison MacDonald, RRC) met her husband after the
war was over. She was a teacher in his village. He didn’t want to talk
about his experiences at all. When a granddaughter asked if he would
answer questions about Hong Kong, he said no.
Irene Firlotte (Lawrence Firlotte, RRC) is now 96 and has had several
strokes. Her daughter Susan keeps the exchange of information going.
Grace Thornton (Howard Thornton, WG) said her husband didn’t like to
talk about Hong Kong. The memories were too horrible. Sometimes even
going to HKVCA meetings brought back memories of POW Days that the men
tried to forget. Grace looks forward to everyone getting through all the
issues people face today dealing with covid 19 and protests~ just being
as positive as you can.
Quebec Report
Lucette
Mailloux
Greetings everyone,
Our executive recently held our virtual Annual Meeting with the
presentation and reading of all reports. Hopefully we will soon be able
to get back to our bi-monthly meetings planning and scheduling some
activities.
Membership renewals are coming in for 2022 and many for multiple
years. Thank you all.
After some banking updates, Quebec Region will be accepting
electronic transactions for membership renewals, donations or material
at hkvca.qc@gmail.com. We will gladly continue to accept cheques, if
this is a preferred method for you, cheques are mailed to the Membership
Chairperson.
Unfortunately, since our last newsletter, we lost a widow, Lawrence
Dallain née Samson from Quebec City, widow of Charles Dallain, RRC
E30434. Our condolences go out to the families.
Many small family gatherings took place in the region for the 80th
Anniversary of the Battle of Hong Kong. Thank you all and WE WILL
REMEMBER THEM!
Take care everyone, continue to stay safe and hopefully we will be
able to meet soon.
Online Membership Payment Update
Barry Mitchell
We have updated our membership payment system across
Canada so that members in all regions can now pay their dues
using the Interac e-transfer method.
- BC Region: hkvca.bc@gmail.com
- Prairie Region: hkvca.pr@gmail.com
- Ontario Region: hkvca.on@gmail.com
- Quebec Region: hkvca.qc@gmail.com
- Atlantic Region: hkvca.atl@gmail.com
When making an e-transfer, please include in the “message”
section the following:
- The year/years covered by the dues & contributor’s name(s)
- Donation amount if included
- Merchandise payment if included
Members can continue to write cheques if that is their
preference and, for the short term, PayPal will remain available
as a method of payment until the end of April. More information
can be found on our
Contacts and Membership page and on our
Online
Services page.
Questions can be forwarded to your regional treasurer or
contact Barry Mitchell, National Treasurer using our Contact Us
form found on our web pages.
Annual General Meeting of the HKVCA
The Annual General Meeting of the Hong Kong Veterans
Commemorative Association will be held on Tuesday, April 26 at
2pm (Eastern Time).
Agenda:
• Approval of Minutes of last AGM, held June 29, 2021
•
Presentation of 2021 Financial Statement
• Election of
Directors
• Appointment of Officers
• Brief presentations
by Regional Directors
• President's Remarks
• Questions
from Members
• Close
To join the meeting: Members may join by
calling a toll-free telephone number. The number will be sent by
email in early April.
Announcements
Kay Christie’s Publications
Peter Middleton, nephew of Kay Christie, has a collection of
publications of Kay’s which are in need of a good home. For
details, please fill in the Contact Us form found on our web pages, and we'll put you in contact with Peter.
Spring Sale!
Hong Kong Veterans Merchandise
Lapel Pin.........................................$5.00
License Plate Holder (front plate)......$5.00
Gravestone Marker........................$75.00
Winnipeg Grenadier Tie...................$20.00
Flag..............................................$100.00
Postage Stamps—sheet of 50.........$65.00
Books
No Reason Why..............................$20.00
‘C’ Force—Decorations, Medals, Awards......$20.00
One Soldier’s Story...........................$20.00
DVD—Slaves of the Rising Sun............$10.00
Golf
Shirt—Large or XL...................... $20.00
To order, send cheque to HKVCA, P.O. Box 381, Winnipeg MB R3C
2H6 OR Interac e-transfer to hkvca.pr@gmail.com
