The Fall of Hong Kong

An item from the Legion Magazine.

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Museum exhibition tells personal stories of war

Story by Stephen J. Thorne

A new exhibition at the Canadian War Museum relates the personal stories of dozens of Canadians who had roles in the Second World War, but it is the story of Regina’s Campbell brothers that struck a particular chord with historian Tim Cook.

The twins, Pilot Officer Alexander (Grant) Campbell and Flying Officer Robert (Roy) Campbell, both navigators aboard Lancaster bombers, were killed a month apart—Grant on April 11, 1944; Roy on May 13. They were 21 years old.

Military Moments | The Fall of Hong Kong

Narrated by Stephen J. Thorne

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the American base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, invaded Malaya the next day, and marched on Hong Kong. Canada had dispatched the Winnipeg Grenadiers and Royal Rifles from Quebec City to join 14,000 Allied defence troops in the Hong Kong garrison. Undertrained, poorly armed and without their transport and heavy equipment, every one of the 1,975 Canadians became a casualty of war: 290 were killed in battle, 493 were wounded, and everyone who survived the battle was taken prisoner. In the following months, 260 Canadian PoWs died of starvation, disease, overwork and brutal treatment in the 44 months they were interned.

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Christmas offensive

Story by Sharon Adams

When bad weather interfered with air reconnaissance on Dec. 16, 1944, the Germans took advantage to launch a surprise attack on a weak point in Allied lines in the densely forested Ardennes region in eastern Belgium and northeastern France.

The plan was for more than two dozen divisions to split the lines, take Antwerp, Belgium, squeeze shut the Allied supply line, encircle and capture the British and American armies, and force a negotiated end to the war.