2023-12-04 08:03:30
The last Canadian veteran who defended Hong Kong against Japanese invasion dies at 106
[Yahoo News Report]The Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association of Canada stated that the last Canadian veteran who participated in the “Hong Kong Defense War”, Hormidas Fredette, passed away on the 29th of last month at the age of 106. Fredette served as a machine gunner during the defense battle. After surrendering with other defenders, he became a prisoner of war and was sent to Japan to do hard labor. He was awarded a medal by the Canadian government. He also said that he could never forget the cruel scenes of the war and made it clear that he would not accept an apology from Japan. With Fredette’s death, Canada’s past support for Hong Kong’s war of resistance has officially become history.
The association said that Fredette was born on April 11, 1917 in a village near Richmond, Quebec. When he was young, he worked on his father’s farm and also worked as a lumberjack. In the 1930s, Fredette joined the militia and learned to use a Vickers machine gun, which gave him the skills to participate in future wars to defend Hong Kong. Before coming to Hong Kong, Fredette joined the Royal Rifles of Canada and was stationed in Newfoundland, where he met his future wife Lillian and got engaged.
In 1941, the Pacific War was looming, and Hong Kong’s military strength was still insufficient. However, the British assessed that Hong Kong was difficult to defend and preferred to concentrate resources on the British mainland and other colonies with defensive value, and did not agree to increase troops. When Edward Grasett, the commander of the British Forces in Hong Kong, completed his term in the same year, he went to Canada to lobby the Canadian government to send reinforcements. In the end, he successfully obtained the Royal Canadian Rifle Battalion and the Winnipeg Grenadiers (Winnipeg Grenadiers) to reinforce Hong Kong. The battalion of 1,975 men was named “C Force” and arrived in Hong Kong on November 16, three weeks before the war broke out.
Photo of Fredette as a young woman. He learned machine gun shooting skills in his youth and eventually played a role in the war in Hong Kong. (Picture: Screenshot from Canadian Broadcasting Corporation video)
Thanks to the efforts of the former Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in Hong Kong, the Canadian government agreed to dispatch the Royal Canadian Rifle Battalion and the Winnipeg Grenadier Battalion to form “C Troop” to reinforce Hong Kong. The picture shows the arrival of the Winnipeg Grenadier Battalion in Hong Kong on November 16, 1941. About three weeks later, on the morning of December 8, Japanese fighter planes headed south to Hong Kong via Guangzhou and bombed Kai Tak Airport, setting off an 18-day ” “Battle to Defend Hong Kong”. (Photo: Imperial War Museum, London)
Machine gun master becomes prisoner of war Was sent to Japan to do hard labor
The association pointed out that Fredette fought with his comrades to resist the Japanese invasion. During the war, he served as a machine gunner. Even if he had to use the longest range, he could still hit all targets, which impressed his commander Lester. Unfortunately, the Japanese army died on December 25. Japan finally took over all of Hong Kong, and Fredette and other defenders surrendered in Stanley that day and became prisoners of war.Data refers toIn addition to living in North Point and Sham Shui Po prisoner-of-war camps, he faced malnutrition and beatings. He also became a coolie for the Japanese army and was forced to participate in the expansion of Kai Tak Airport. He was even sent to the shipyard in Yokohama and Iwate Prefecture, Japan. forced labor in steel plants.
In August 1945, World War II ended with Japan’s surrender. Fredette immediately returned to Newfoundland, married Lillian after nearly 4 years, and had two sons, Ronald and Brian. Fredette’s post-war jobs included eight years with the National Railway Company in Richmond, Quebec, and a paper mill until her retirement in 1979. Her wife died 10 years later.
Information shows that Fredette was imprisoned in the North Point Prisoner of War Camp from the end of December 1941 to the end of September 1942. The current site of the North Point Prisoner of War Camp is the King’s Road Recreation Ground opposite Kinway Gardens. (Picture: CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM—19770323-019)
Pain accompanies life I still recall the cry of my comrades, “Come and save me!”
To commemorate Fredette’s contribution during World War II, he was awarded the “Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal” by the Canadian government in 2012.
Although Fredette received the honor she deserved as a veteran and was raised into a happy family, the cruel memories of the war lingered even after 80 years. Fredette is here Interviewed 3 years ago, he said that he served as a scout during the war and saw many comrades injured or even died. Even at the age of 100, he still remembered the voices of his comrades shouting “Come and save me.” Fredette also pointed out that she never cried, but she remembered that one day when she was captured, she suddenly felt homesick and finally couldn’t hold back the tears.
year 2011Japanese Foreign Minister Toshiyuki Kato apologized for the Japanese army’s treatment of Canadian soldiers. Fredette was interviewed at the time and stated that he would not accept Japan’s apology. He even expressed an unforgettable experience: “If you try to forget it during the day, , I always dream about it at night.”
To commemorate Fredette’s contribution during World War II, he was awarded the “Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal” by the Canadian government in 2012. (Photo: Canadian Hong Kong War Veterans Memorial Association)
According to information, 290 people of Troop C were killed and 493 injured during the battle on Hong Kong Island. During the Japanese occupation, 267 Canadian soldiers died in prisoner-of-war camps. In other words, on average, 1 out of every 4 Canadian soldiers who went to fight in Hong Kong failed to return home safely.
There are still places in Hong Kong that commemorate the fallen soldiers of World War II. In addition to the “Peace Cenotaph” in Central, the remains of more than 280 Canadian servicemen are also buried at the “Sai Wan Memorial Cemetery” in Chai Wan. In the past, when many Canadian prime ministers such as Harper and Trudeau visited Hong Kong, they would lay wreaths at the Sai Wan Memorial Cemetery.
On September 6, 2016, during his visit to Hong Kong, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau went to the Sai Wan Memorial Cemetery to lay a wreath to the Canadian soldiers who died in Hong Kong, and learned more about the Canadian soldiers’ service in Hong Kong from historian Tony Banham (left) Hong Kong’s experience in participating in the war. (Photo by Sam Tsang/South China Morning Post via Getty Images) (South China Morning Post via Getty Images)
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