By Donna Thiessen
I would like to pay my respect to a grandfather I never knew.
Reginald Haley, Royal Rifles of Canada, fought at the battle of Hong Kong.
Late October 1941, 1,975 Canadian soldiers set sail for the Far East from Vancouver on board the Awatea. They arrived in Hong Kong on Nov. 16 under command of Brigadier J.K. Lawson.
My grandfather was taken prisoner Christmas Eve 1941, and died in a prisoner of war camp on Nov. 21, 1943 at the age of 27.
He was buried at the Yokohama War Cemetery – 30 kilometres from the centre of Tokyo.
Donna Thiessen is a Watch Lake resident.