240 results returned
within regiment Winnipeg Grenadiers
My Mouth was Just Raw
Mr. Agerbak describes in graphic detail some of the illnesses and treatments he endured in the POW camps.
He Was So Badly Wounded, the Japanese Just Bayoneted Him.
Mr. Agerbak describes surrendering and Japanese extermination of the wounded who couldn’t make the forced march to Sham Shui Po. He describes his badly wounded brother dying in this way.
Japanese Ambushes
Mr. Agerbak describes the impact of Japanese ambushes on the Canadians’ ability to remain a cohesive fighting unit.
We had Nothing, Absolutely Nothing.
Mr. Agerbak describes falling back to Hong Kong island when the Japanese attacked, and the garrison’s totally inadequate defenses and weapons.
Return to Civilian Life
Mr. Purse was asked to describe how the Hong Kong experience during the Second World War affected his life once he returned to Canada.
Reaction to end of Second World War
Mr. Purse remembers the reaction of both the prisoners of war and their Japanese guards as news of the end of the war arrived, and reflects on how surprised he continues to be that he survived the experience.
Hong Kong POW
Treatment of the Canadians at the hands of the Japanese guards is painfully remembered by Mr. Purse
Hong Kong POW
The diet fed to the Hong Kong Prisoners of War by the Japanese is described by Mr. Purse.
Hong Kong POW
Mr. Purse recalls the day the Japanese troops arrived in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong
Mr. Purse describes his first impression of the army's military camp in Hong Kong and goes on to explain why he originally thought the Canadian troops had been sent there.
Patriotism
Mr. Purse gives a thought-provoking - and somewhat unexpected - answer to the question of what he would say to today's young Canadians about duty, patriotism and love of country.
Hong Kong POW
Eventually, the captured troops were moved from the colony of Hong Kong to Japan. Mr. Purse describes that move and the train ride to their new location where they were put to work in nickel mines.