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"D" Coy, RR of C's position on Obelisk Hill
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The Winnipeg Grenadiers to the Mainland
The situation on the Mainland was critical. Brigadier Wallis was under
heavy attack and was forced to withdraw all his troops to the island. To
cover their withdrawal Maltby ordered "D" Company of the Winnipeg
Grenadiers to the mainland to hold the line while the Royal Scots, the
2/14 Punjabs and the 5/7 Rajputs moved to Kowloon for evacuation.
The Grenadiers were under the command of Captain Alan Bowman who
had been a school teacher in Winnipeg. He used his men with great skill,
holding off the Japanese time and again as the Royal Scots, Rajputs and
Punjabis began the move back to the island.
The 2/14 Punjabs began to withdraw on December 10/11 moving under
cover of darkness.. The 5/7 Rajputs, having protected their withdrawal by
holding the vital position of Devil's Peak from the Japanese, followed. Had
the Rajputs lost Devil's Peak, the entire mainland force would have been
in dire straits. With the Grenadiers in position to cover the withdrawal of
the Rajputs they began their march to Kowloon.
On December 12, the Royal Scots were the first to reach Kowloon. With
the arrival of the Rajputs and the Punjabis in Kowloon transport was
arranged to take them to the Island of Hong Kong. They used every form
of water transport at hand, but the main stay of the operation was the fleet
of MTB's. Their participation was critical to the successful withdrawal.
In the meantime Captain Bowman, still fighting a rear guard action,
awaited instructions to withdraw "D" Coy of the Grenadiers. It never
came. Finally, on his own initiative, Captain Bowman led his troops to the
ferry docks at Lye Mun and sent word to HQ on the island that he was
coming, and to expect his arrival. He advised he was going to use the ferry
to make the crossing. He was told ... "The ferry is no longer running".
A half mile of open water is a bit of a swim for a soldier loaded down with
equipment, so Lt. Wilfred Queens-Hughes, Transport Officer for the
Grenadiers approached the ferry boat Captain and ... at gun point ...
persuaded him to make the crossing. Much to the surprise of the
Grenadiers a funeral cortège, complete with a horse-drawn hearse,
crowded aboard and made the trip to Hong Kong with them. With the
Japanese at their backs "D" Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers were
the last to cross from Kowloon to Hong Kong. A twenty year old farm
boy from Manitoba, John Grey, missed the ferry, was captured by the
Japanese ... and executed. Grey entered the history books as the first
Canadian infantry man to die in WWII.
The first demand for surrender came from the Japanese even as the
mainland troops were crossing to the island. It was summarily refused by
the Governor.
The East and West Brigades
During the fighting on the mainland General Maltby had decided to divide
the island into two halves along a North/South line that ran from
Causeway Bay in the North to Chung Am Kok in the South. The units
were layered back in depth. The plans assumed the attack would come
from the sea.
.
The East Brigade was under the command of General Wallis. He had
positioned "B" Company of the Royal Rifles in the front lines beside the
line dividing the two Brigades, To their East, on the other side of the bay
was the Royal Rifles "A" Company. To the rear between "A" and "C"
Companies, was "D" Company, RR of C. Behind them, in reserve was
"C" Company, and in the rear echelon were the 5/7 Rajputs, there to rest
and recover from their fighting on the mainland. Strategically placed in the
pockets between the Royal Rifle Companies were units of the HKVDC,
The Royal Artillery, Mortar Units, Machine Guns and The East Brigade
Headquarters.
The situation on the Mainland was critical. Brigadier Wallis was under
heavy attack and was forced to withdraw all his troops to the island. To
cover their withdrawal Maltby ordered "D" Company of the Winnipeg
Grenadiers to the mainland to hold the line while the Royal Scots, the
2/14 Punjabs and the 5/7 Rajputs moved to Kowloon for evacuation.
The Grenadiers were under the command of Captain Alan Bowman who
had been a school teacher in Winnipeg. He used his men with great skill,
holding off the Japanese time and again as the Royal Scots, Rajputs and
Punjabis began the move back to the island.
The 2/14 Punjabs began to withdraw on December 10/11 moving under
cover of darkness.. The 5/7 Rajputs, having protected their withdrawal by
holding the vital position of Devil's Peak from the Japanese, followed. Had
the Rajputs lost Devil's Peak, the entire mainland force would have been
in dire straits. With the Grenadiers in position to cover the withdrawal of
the Rajputs they began their march to Kowloon.
On December 12, the Royal Scots were the first to reach Kowloon. With
the arrival of the Rajputs and the Punjabis in Kowloon transport was
arranged to take them to the Island of Hong Kong. They used every form
of water transport at hand, but the main stay of the operation was the fleet
of MTB's. Their participation was critical to the successful withdrawal.
In the meantime Captain Bowman, still fighting a rear guard action,
awaited instructions to withdraw "D" Coy of the Grenadiers. It never
came. Finally, on his own initiative, Captain Bowman led his troops to the
ferry docks at Lye Mun and sent word to HQ on the island that he was
coming, and to expect his arrival. He advised he was going to use the ferry
to make the crossing. He was told ... "The ferry is no longer running".
A half mile of open water is a bit of a swim for a soldier loaded down with
equipment, so Lt. Wilfred Queens-Hughes, Transport Officer for the
Grenadiers approached the ferry boat Captain and ... at gun point ...
persuaded him to make the crossing. Much to the surprise of the
Grenadiers a funeral cortège, complete with a horse-drawn hearse,
crowded aboard and made the trip to Hong Kong with them. With the
Japanese at their backs "D" Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers were
the last to cross from Kowloon to Hong Kong. A twenty year old farm
boy from Manitoba, John Grey, missed the ferry, was captured by the
Japanese ... and executed. Grey entered the history books as the first
Canadian infantry man to die in WWII.
The first demand for surrender came from the Japanese even as the
mainland troops were crossing to the island. It was summarily refused by
the Governor.
The East and West Brigades
During the fighting on the mainland General Maltby had decided to divide
the island into two halves along a North/South line that ran from
Causeway Bay in the North to Chung Am Kok in the South. The units
were layered back in depth. The plans assumed the attack would come
from the sea.
.
The East Brigade was under the command of General Wallis. He had
positioned "B" Company of the Royal Rifles in the front lines beside the
line dividing the two Brigades, To their East, on the other side of the bay
was the Royal Rifles "A" Company. To the rear between "A" and "C"
Companies, was "D" Company, RR of C. Behind them, in reserve was
"C" Company, and in the rear echelon were the 5/7 Rajputs, there to rest
and recover from their fighting on the mainland. Strategically placed in the
pockets between the Royal Rifle Companies were units of the HKVDC,
The Royal Artillery, Mortar Units, Machine Guns and The East Brigade
Headquarters.
The West Brigade was under the command of Brigadier John Lawson.
Their western flank, manned by "C" Coy if the Winnipeg Grenadiers, was
beside "B" Coy of the Royal Rifles. To their West was "B" Coy, W.G.,
and in the center, behind "C" & "B" was "A" Coy, W.G. In reserve was
"D" Coy, W.G., and in the rear echelon were the 2/14 Punjabs resting and
recovering. Again, in the pockets between the Grenadier Companies were
HKVD troops, and The Royal Scots who were guarding the Brigade
H.Q. General Maltby's Head Quarters were in the middle of the West
Brigade.
"D" Company, Royal Rifles of Canada
Defense Deployment
"D" Company of the Royal Rifles of Canada occupied Obelisk Hill, an
excellent defensive position on high ground with excellent lines of fire, on a
front 1500 yards wide and 1000 yards deep. It also had 17 below ground
bunkers that could house 9 men each.
The strength of the Company varied between 250 and 124 men,
depending on the demands that were put upon them.
"D" Company had a variety of other support units attached to it such as a
mortar unit, 29 men of the Middlesex Machine Gun Regiment, an artillery
battery, a search light unit, a staff of clerks, drivers, dispatch riders, and
cooks.
Their western flank, manned by "C" Coy if the Winnipeg Grenadiers, was
beside "B" Coy of the Royal Rifles. To their West was "B" Coy, W.G.,
and in the center, behind "C" & "B" was "A" Coy, W.G. In reserve was
"D" Coy, W.G., and in the rear echelon were the 2/14 Punjabs resting and
recovering. Again, in the pockets between the Grenadier Companies were
HKVD troops, and The Royal Scots who were guarding the Brigade
H.Q. General Maltby's Head Quarters were in the middle of the West
Brigade.
"D" Company, Royal Rifles of Canada
Defense Deployment
"D" Company of the Royal Rifles of Canada occupied Obelisk Hill, an
excellent defensive position on high ground with excellent lines of fire, on a
front 1500 yards wide and 1000 yards deep. It also had 17 below ground
bunkers that could house 9 men each.
The strength of the Company varied between 250 and 124 men,
depending on the demands that were put upon them.
"D" Company had a variety of other support units attached to it such as a
mortar unit, 29 men of the Middlesex Machine Gun Regiment, an artillery
battery, a search light unit, a staff of clerks, drivers, dispatch riders, and
cooks.
