-
Period: to
Time
-
Canadian Voyage to the East Pacific
The Winnipeg Grenadiers and the Royal Rifles of Canada, under the command of Brigadier J.K. Lawson were sent from Vancouver to the East Pacific. The soldiers do not have any previous combat experience. -
"The Arrival"
"C Force" arrived on board the troopship Awatea and the armed merchant cruiser Prince Robert. It did not have all of its equipment as a ship carrying its vehicles was diverted to Manila at the outbreak of war. -
"Battle stations!"
Garrison was ordered to war stations. The Canadian forces were boated across from main land China in Kowloon to the island of Hong Kong. -
"Pew Pew Pew," said the Airplanes
The Japanese achieved air superiority, destroying 4 of the 5 aircrafts at Hong Kong were on the ground destroyed by the Japanese bombers. -
"Ouch, I'm wounded,"
The first attack of the Japanese on Hong Kong after thier attack on Pearl Harbor. They attacked at Kai Tak airport and Sham Shui Po where two men of the Royal Canadian Signals were wounded. -
"Take out the airport"
Japanese aircraft attcled in the morning with the first target being Kai Tak airport. The Japanese destroyed few Royal Air Force aircraft. -
"D company, you're up"
D company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers were sent to strenghten the remaining defenders on the mainland. -
"Fall back"
All allied forces withdrew from Gin Drinkers Line because of a powerful Japanese night attck. -
"Hold your positions"
Brigadier Lawson maintained his headquaters at Wong Nei Chong from this date until the 18th. -
"Bombs Away"
Bombardment of the north shore began on this date. Two demands for surrender were made and rejected. -
"They're on the shore"
The forces on the mainland were organized into a west and an east brigade with the Canadian battalions split between the two. Japanese landings on the north-east shore were affective on this date with only light casualties inflicted on them. -
"Engage!"
Nightfall on this datethe Royal Rifles engaged Japanese invasion at Kowloon Peninsula and tried to push them back. The C company of the Royal Rifles and other platoons of the Royal Rifles engaged on different flanks and suffered many casualties. -
"We need more supplies and the island is split"
On this day the island became split in two with the British Commonwealth forces holding out around the Stanley peninsula and in the West of the island. Supplies started to run scarce as the Japanese captured the island's reservoirs. -
"Oh! noes they Didn't"
Total casualties 290 killed and 493 wounded. This though did not end in surrender but the Canadians were imprisoned in Hong Kong and Japan in the harshest of conditions. More than 550 of the 1975 Canadians who left never returned. -
We are done for.
On the afternoon of the date above, the British Colonial officials headed by the governor of Hong Kong Sir Mark Aitchison Young, realized that resistance was futile and surrendered in person at the Japanese headquarters in the Peninsula Hong Kong hotel.
