Howard G. Ward E30159,
Hong Kong Veteran
Howard Guy Ward was born on August 11, 1916 to Violetta May Berwick and James WP Ward. He was raised with his siblings on a farm in the small town of Bury, Quebec where he developed a love for horses. On August 10, 1940, the day before his 24th birthday, he enlisted in the army in Bury, Quebec and was sent to basic training in Valcartier, Quebec. A total of thirty-one men from Bury joined the Royal Rifles of Canada around the same time, including some of Howard’s good friends.
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In October 1940, Howard was sent from Valcartier to Camp Sussex, New Brunswick for additional training until December 1, 1940. After they completed training, the Royal Rifles of Canada were posted to the small town of Botwood, Newfoundland where they served on garrison duty until August 1941. It was during this time that the Royal Rifles of Canada adopted, Gander, the giant black Newfoudland dog who won their hearts, became their mascot and companion, and ultimately traveled with them to Hong Kong in 1941. Gander is known to this day for fighting beside the RRC during the Battle of Hong Kong. He died in battle after picking up a live hand grenade and carrying it away from a group of wounded Canadian soldiers, saving their lives.
In the summer of 1941 the regiment was sent to St. John's, Newfoundland for several weeks. They were given the opportunity to explore the city during this time. It is here that I have been able to identify two photos from Howard's collection.
One of the photos is of Howard in front of The Fighting Newfoundlander, which stands in Bowring Park. The monument is a WWI tribute to the Royal Newfoundland Regiment 1914-1918.
The next photo is of the National War Memorial located in downtown St. John's, Newfoundland.
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On August 31, 1941 the RRC returned to Valcartier. On September 23, 1941 they were sent to Saint John, New Brunswick. Then on October 11, 1941 they returned to Valcartier. They remained in Valcartier until they started their journey to Hong Kong on October 23, 1941. The photo below, depicts the Royal Rifles of Canada at Valcartier as they await to leave for Hong Kong.
"C" Force arrived in Vancouver on October 27, 1941 at 800h. Upon arrival they were immediately boarded on ships. The members of C-Coy were assigned to the Prince Rupert, and the rest of "C" Force boarded the AWATEA. Howard was aboard AWATEA as confirmed in the manifesto. They drifted out into coastal waters that evening, and anchored until they sailed out into the Pacific at 1000h the following day.
They sailed for several weeks with stops in Hawaii and Manila for the day to resupply. It was not until after they departed Hawaii that they learned that they were headed for Hong Kong. The days aboard the ship were mostly uneventful. When the weather was hot and sticky they spent most of their time on the boat deck, and when temperatures cooled they would go through drills and training.
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On November 16th, 1941, the Royal Rifles arrived in Hong Kong, however the 212 support vehicles being transported for them on the freighter, Don Jose, was diverted to help in the defense of the Philippines. It was expected that the Canadians would only see non-combat "garrison duty" during their post in Hong Kong.