Hong Kong veterans association honours struggle of Canadian PoWs

By Lethbridge Herald on August 15, 2022.

Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Kathie Carlson, in pink, whose father was Lieutenant Leonard Corrigan, joins others laying wreaths in remembrance of Hong Kong Veterans on Monday morning in front of the Cenotaph.

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – apulido@lethbridgeherald.com

To commemorate the 77th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) and the liberation of Canadian prisoners of war who fought in the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941, a wreath laying and flag raising ceremony took place on Monday at Lethbridge City Hall.

“I think my dad would be proud to know that we’ve carried the torch, that we are still remembering,” said Kathie Carlson, a veteran’s daughter and event speaker.

Carlson’s father was Lieutenant Leonard Corrigan, from Swift Current, Sask. 

The Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association honoured the fallen and survivors who were captured during the war in Hong Kong by raising the Hong Kong Veterans flag at 11:00 a.m. Monday, the exact time when they were liberated on Aug. 15, 1945. 

On Dec. 8, 1941 50,000 Japanese soldiers invaded Hong Kong overland. After 17 days and nights of battle, the Canadian troops were exhausted, out of ammunition, food, and water, and on December 25, 1941 the British Governor surrendered, even though the soldiers were willing to carry on the battle.

The surviving soldiers were prisoners of war in Hong Kong and Japan for almost four years. They were liberated on August 15, 1945 at 11:00 a.m. when the Japanese surrendered, after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They were the first Canadian soldiers to be engaged in World War II in the Pacific, and the last to return home to Canada after the end of the war.

“It’s a long time ago the war ended, but you know for the rest of their lives those veterans struggled because of ill health, emotional difficulties, failed marriages — it went on and on and in essence they had what they call now PTSD,” said Carlson. 

She said her dad was 30 as he was a lieutenant when he was captured, but most of the other men were teenagers. 

“After almost four years and so much deprivation, they were damaged, very damaged. Imagine almost four years with terrible food, bugs in their beds, I mean it was horrendous. We have lots of documentation to show what that was all about,” said Carlson. 

She said she always feels responsible to continue remembering and commemorating them. 

“I’m sort of the only one here in Lethbridge (related to a Hong Kong veteran) and so that’s why I seek out Cynthia from Cardston and Norma from Calgary,” said Carlson. 

She was referring to Norma Fuchs who travelled from Calgary with her husband Glen to commemorate her father John Doiron from Prince Edward Island who served in the Royal Rifles. 

“I knew a lot of the veterans in Calgary and there was one in particular that we spent the last 20 years with going for lunches and dinners and he just passed away in 2020 at the age of 97,” said Fuchs. 

She said she was able to learn a lot about the battle and her father from him. 

“It helped me so much to understand how my dad was. They were captured on Christmas Day so Christmas was always hard. My dad tried his best to be fun at Christmas, but I know where his memory was always,” said Fuchs. 

For Carlson, learning about what happened during the battle and her father’s capture came through his secret diaries, as he never spoke about his experience to his family when he came back. 

“It was only when we discovered my dad’s diaries that he kept silently, if they did that they could be killed if they found them in the camp,” said Carlson. 

She said through them, she found out that the situation was bad for officers, but it was worse for those enlisted.

“I just feel it’s my responsibility to never forget any of the soldiers that were in war, of any war, they all need to be honoured. It was very tough, it was awful, and you don’t want people to go through that,” said Carlson.

She said education about the subject is key and that is why they continue to commemorate the day.

“We’re making people aware bit by bit,” said Carlson. 

Follow @APulidoHerald on Twitter