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Legion will proudly carry tribute to veterans who fought in the oft-forgotten Battle of Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association has been unveilling plaques across the country, paying tribute to Canadian soldiers who fought in the Battle of Hong Kong during the Second World War.
Hong Kong Legion
Warren Jesse, left, and Grant Bembridge unveil the photo collage plaque that pays tribute to Canadians who fought in the Battle of Hong Kong. Jesse’s father Bernard and Bembridge’s father Howard were taken captive as prisoners of war during the battle.

The Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association has been unveilling plaques across the country, paying tribute to Canadian soldiers who fought in the Battle of Hong Kong during the Second World War.

Communities that have descendants of people who fought in the Battle of Hong Kong have been approached by the association to find out whether they would like to have a plaque commemorating the battle.

There were soldiers who came from Estevan who fought in the Battle of Hong Kong, and those soldiers still have family in the area.

The plaque, which measures 18 inches long and 44 inches high, and has numerous images from the battle, was unveilled Friday afternoon during a ceremony at the Royal Canadian Legion’s Estevan branch. It will hang on the Wall of Honour in the legion’s small hall.

Warren Jesse and Grant Bembridge revealed the plaque to a few dozen people in attendance.

Jesse’s father Bernard and Bembridge’s father Howard were both captured as prisoners of war (POW) during the Battle of Hong Kong, from Dec. 6-25, 1941. The Canadian soldiers were badly outnumbered by their Japanese foes during the battle.

Warren Jesse is pleased that someone is recognizing the veterans who fought in the Battle of Hong Kong, because it’s not a battle that has received much attention.

He noted that his father has received some notoriety after sharing his story with former Mercury editor Norm Park for the book Seared in my Memory. 

But Bernard Jesse didn’t talk much about the war until later on in life, when his grandchildren started asking questions, and encouraging him to share his story.

Warren Jesse hopes this plaque will create more awareness locally about the battle.

“I hope that the schools and the kids at the younger age can see some of the things that happened during the world war, and maybe they’ll remember,” said Warren Jesse.

Grant Bembridge was also pleased with the plaque and how it tells a story through the photos.

“It’s something that should never be forgotten, and this will help keep the memory going,” said Bembridge.

His father was willing to talk about some of the horrible things that happened after the war, and wanted people to know what happened overseas.

“Maybe that was his way of getting rid of the pressures of having that all happen to him,” said Bembridge. “I remember that when I was a young kid, that if I woke up in the middle of the night, when my feet hit the floor, and he was in the other bedroom, he would say ‘Who’s there?’”

That went on until Grant Bembridge was 18.

“It makes you wonder about the things people can do to other people, if you hear the stories that are told,” said Bembridge.

A third local soldier, A.A. Granger, died in the battle.

Kathie Carlson, whose father fought in the battle, said the association wants to promote education about the battle and that’s why they came up with the plaque.

“It’s visual. People love visual,” said Carlson. “It pulls people together into a little ceremony, so it’s all very positive when you look at it. And it shows, if you have a chance to look, that it’s really quite informative. You see actual pictures. And there’s even a newspaper article there.”

When people hear the word plaque, they think of something bronze with words engraved. But she believes the one unveilled at the legion tells a story.

Carlson has called legion branches in Alberta and Saskatchewan to tell them about the plaque, and to let them know the association would like to see it in those branches.

There are about 10 plaques between Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Carlson said the association has about 600 people, and most of them are sons and daughters of veterans who fought in Hong Kong. There are 11 veterans still alive who fought in that battle.

Many of the veterans who were captured as prisoners of war following the Battle of Hong Kong were not in good shape at the end of the war, she said, because of the toll of being a prisoner. They didn’t speak openly about their experiences, unless they were in the presence of other veterans. Some opened up as they became older and people asked questions about their experiences.

The Battle of Hong Kong spanned from Dec. 6-21, 1941, after the Government of Canada responded to a request from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to provide protection to the British colony of Hong Kong.

A total of 1,975 soldiers from the Royal Rifles and the Winnipeg Grenadiers were deployed.

The Canadians arrived in mid-November 1941, and three weeks later the Japanese attacked. The Japanese had about 50,000 troops, well outnumbering and outgunning the British and Canadian contingent of 12,000.

“The defenders who survived the battle were taken prisoner, and spent the remainder of the war as POWs,” Carlson said. “The Japanese had made no preparation for feeding and housing the 11,000 POWs. The prisoners were subjected to brutal and inhumane conditions.”

Nearly 300 Canadian soldiers died in the Battle of Hong Kong, and 300 more died in POW and work camps in Japan. Many of those who survived had to live with physical and emotional abuse amid horrible living conditions, and suffered from what is now described as post-traumatic stress disorder after the war. 

Local military historian Craig Bird said he wants to do more research on the Battle of Hong Kong, and he wants to know more about Granger in particular.

“To keep all of this stuff with our youth so that it can be passed on is big in my heart, so that these guys aren’t forgotten,” said Bird. “They sacrificed. They were in their teens or early 20s when they served Canada, and didn’t know what they were getting into at the time, and ended up going through a huge amount of turmoil during their service.”

There was information on all three local soldiers at the back of the legion hall for people to view before and after the ceremony.