Sergeant Gander

by Robyn Walker

  Royal Air Force Ferry Command, October 1941. Lockheed Hudson Mark IIIs are prepared for their trans-Atlantic ferry flights.

  2: Sergeant Gander, Royal Rifles of Canada

  Mobilized at Quebec City, in July 1940, the Royal Rifles of Canada drew most of their recruits from eastern Quebec and western New Brunswick. It was an English-speaking unit, but almost one quarter of the recruits were bilingual French Canadians. In the fall of 1940, the Royal Rifles were transferred to Sussex, New Brunswick, for further training, and by November they had been moved to Newfoundland. Their primary task there was to protect Gander Airport from German attack. They had been performing guard duty, combined with some training, for about six months when they acquired their regimental mascot, Sergeant Gander. As George MacDonell remembers, “…the regiment was presented with a purebred Newfoundland dog. He was jet black and looked more like a small pony than a dog. He was named Gander, after the airport. Gander was the biggest dog I had ever seen. He had a heavy, furry coat and webs between his toes, and could swim in the cold Atlantic like a walrus.”

  The Royal Rifles adored their new recruit. A handler, Fred Kelly, was assigned to Gander. Each day Kelly fed him, brushed him, and gave him a shower. Although Gander loved his daily shower, Kelly needed to be quick on his feet, because once Gander was finished, one big shake of his body was all that was needed to leave his handler soaking wet. Another one of Gander’s tricks was to bolt outside after his shower and roll in the sand, leaving himself a filthy mess. Therefore, every effort was made to keep Gander inside until his coat had dried. Fred Kelly recalls, “Gander was no problem to look after. I had dogs all my life and we kind of took to each other right away. He ate anything and everything but had a particular taste for beer which he would drink out of the sink. He was a very playful dog and would often stop me in my tracks by resting his front paws on my shoulders.”2

  The Royal Rifles treated Gander like one of their own. Gander was given his own kitbag, just like the other soldiers, a kitbag that contained his blanket, brush, and food bowl. The soldiers even built Gander a doghouse, but he didn’t like it very much. He howled and cried so much that Fred Kelly simply brought him inside the barracks and let him sleep on the floor beside his bed.

  Gander appeared to be well aware of his importance in the regiment. Explains George MacDonell, “He was soon promoted to sergeant and wore his red stripes on a black leather harness with the regimental badge. He proudly strutted at the head of the band on church parades and … refused all other canines entry to the barracks.”3

  In May 1941, the Royal Rifles were transferred to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to perform garrison duty and receive further training. By September 1941, the Royal Rifles had been moved back to Canada, and were stationed at Saint John, New Brunswick. At that point, the director of military training, Colonel John Lawson, identified the Royal Rifles as “insufficiently trained and not recommended for operations.”4 Despite his observation, a month later the Royal Rifles received their orders to prepare for overseas duty. Although their destination was unknown, the decision had been made that the Royal Rifles, along with the Winnipeg Grenadiers, would be sent to Hong Kong to help reinforce the British garrison against Japanese attack. The British had been hoping that the combination of Japan’s military commitments in China, their fear of antagonizing the United States, and the threat of an attack by Soviet Russia on their northern borders, might deter Japan from attacking Britain’s Asian colonies. However, when Japan signed a Neutrality Pact with the Soviet Union in April 1941, the British recognized the increased threat to their holdings in Asia. With Great Britain tied down defending their homeland from German attack, they needed all the help they could get to protect their colonies in other parts of the world.

  The decision to reinforce the defences of Hong Kong was a contentious one. Both the British chiefs of staff and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill opposed any further strengthening of the colony. In August 1940, the chiefs of staff stated:

  Hong Kong is not a vital interest and the garrison could not

  withstand Japanese attack … Even if we had a strong fleet in the

  Far East, it is doubtful that Hong Kong could be held now that

  the Japanese are firmly established on the mainland of China …

  In the event of war, Hong Kong must be regarded as an outpost

  and held as long as possible. We should resist the inevitably strong

  pressure to reinforce Hong Kong and we should certainly be

  unable to relieve it.5

  This sentiment was echoed by Churchill at the beginning of 1941, when he stated, “If Japan goes to war with us there is not the slightest chance of holding Hong Kong or relieving it. It is most unwise to increase the loss we shall suffer there. Instead of increasing the garrison it ought to be reduced to a symbolic scale … We must avoid frittering away our resources on untenable positions. Japan will think long before declaring war on the British Empire and whether there are two or six battalions at Hong Kong will make no difference to her choice. I wish we had fewer troops there, but to move any of them would be noticeable and dangerous.”6

  Yet there was a faction, including Air Chief Marshall Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, Rear Admiral Sir Tom Phillips, and Major-General A.E. Grasett (commander of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Force), who believed that Hong Kong should be held. Grasett’s appeal to the British War Office, suggesting that the Canadians might be willing to assist in the reinforcement of Hong Kong, found some receptive ears and in September 1941, a cable was sent to Ottawa, proposing that,

  A small re-enforcement of the garrison of Hong Kong, e.g. by one

  or two battalions, would be very fully justified. It would increase

  the strength of the garrison out of all proportion to the actual

  numbers involved and it would provide a very strong stimulus to

  the garrison and to the Colony, it would further have a great moral

  effect in the whole of the Far East and would reassure Chiang

  Kai Shek as to the reality of our intent to hold the Island … We

  should therefore be most grateful if the Canadian Government

  would consider whether one or two Canadian battalions could be

  provided from Canada for this purpose….7

  The Canadian Cabinet War Committee met on September 23, 1941, to discuss the proposal and on October 2, 1941, Canada agreed to reinforce the Hong Kong garrison.

  The Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers were selected for the mission. Canada’s best trained units were classified as Class A and units that were not quite as far along in their training were labelled Class B. The remaining units, “due either to recent employment requiring a period of refresher training, or to insufficient training” that were “not recommended for operational employment at

  The Winnipeg Grenadiers

  The Winnipeg Grenadiers trace their origins back to 1908, and were one of the first units mobilized when Canada entered the Second World War. The Grenadiers were an English-speaking unit, recruited from western Canada. First designated as machine-gun unit, they completed basic training during the winter of 1939–40. In May 1940, they were converted to a rifle unit and sent to the island of Jamaica in the Caribbean to perform garrison duty. In Jamaica, the Grenadiers, like the Royal Rifles in Gander, adopted a dog as their mascot. Named “Queenie,” the little dog was a favourite amongst the men. Winnipeg Grenadier William Bell recalls, “At some point while we were there, Queenie became pregnant. I remember one day when members of the regiment were on the way up the mountain near Newcastle and we all had to stop so that Queenie could have her puppies along the way. I don’t know whatever happened to Queenie, but she was a good friend to many of us.”11

  After sixteen months in tropical Jamaica, the Grenadiers were recalled to Canada and told to prepare for service overseas. Like the Royal Rifles, the director of military training, Colonel John Lawson, had deemed the Grenadiers “insuffi
ciently trained and not recommended for operations.”12

  Japanese Expansion

  As early as 1931, when Japan seized control of Manchuria, their desire to win complete control over Eastern Asia and the Pacific was evident. In 1934–35, the Japanese began a rapid naval buildup (in violation of the Washington Naval Conferences of 1921–2213and later treaties) and in November 1936, Japan joined Germany in an Anti-Comintern Pact, which was ostensibly a defensive alliance against the spread of Communism.14On July 7, 1937, Japanese and Chinese troops clashed along the

  Japanese expansion in Asia, 1931–41.

  Chinese-Manchurian border. This skirmish led to full-scale war, and most historians refer to this as the start of the Second World War in Eastern Asia.

  By 1938, the Japanese had penetrated deep into South China. In May of that year Japanese troops landed at Amoy, 483 kilometres northeast of Hong Kong, and by October they had landed troops at Bias Bay, only fifty-six kilometres northeast of the colony. Canton fell to the Japanese later that month and by early 1939 the Japanese occupied all of the territory adjacent to Hong Kong’s mainland frontier.15In September 1940, the partnership between Germany and Japan (also including Italy) was further formalized with the signing of the Tripartite Pact, which stated,

  The Governments of Japan, Germany and Italy consider it the

  prerequisite of lasting peace that every nation in the world shall

  receive the space to which it is entitled. They have, therefore, decided

  to stand by and cooperate with one another in their efforts in the

  regions of Europe and Greater East Asia respectively. In doing this

  it is their prime purpose to establish and maintain a new order of

  things, calculated to promote the mutual prosperity and welfare of

  the peoples concerned….16

  In other words, they intended to establish their own political and social agendas in their chosen geographic spheres of influence, by force if necessary.

  As the war continued to rage in Europe, Japan was adding to its conquests in Asia. In July 1941, Japanese troops occupied French Indochina, an act that elicited a strong response from the United States. President Roosevelt ordered all Japanese assets in America frozen and placed an embargo on the shipment of goods to Japan. Japan retaliated by freezing American assets in Japanese controlled territories, and trade between the two nations effectively came to a standstill. Britain, preoccupied with the war in Europe, could do little in response to Japan’s aggression, but was concerned about the security of the British colonies in Asia. In September 1941, Britain sent a request to Canada for two battalions to help reinforce the colony of Hong Kong.

  Britain’s Situation in Europe

  In the fall of 1941, Britain was facing a serious threat to her national security.She stood alone in Europe, facing a powerful German war machine. From 1936, when Germany entered the Rhineland, German aggression towards its European neighbours went virtually unchecked. Germany annexed Austria in 1938, and invaded Poland the next year. The spring of 1940 saw the German Blitzkrieg attack sweep through Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.

  German expansion in Europe, 1937–42.

  The British Expeditionary Force (BEF), which had been stationed in France, was pushed back against the sea, and only the miraculous evacuation at the Dunkirk beaches17saved the BEF from complete annihilation. Although a large number of soldiers were saved all of the British Army’s heavy equipment and machinery (guns, trucks, ammunition, and fuel supplies) had to be left behind. Following the Dunkirk evacuation, Britain needed months to re-equip and re-supply its armed forces properly.

  The critical shortage of materials left the island extremely vulnerable to attack.

  The Royal Navy was also stretched beyond its capabilities, having to provide not only homeland defence but also to defend the convoys of war supplies that Britain was importing across the Atlantic to sustain the war effort. They were also providing support for the ground troops in the Mediterranean area and North Africa. The Royal Air Force was busy defending Britain’s skies against the waves of punishing German bombers who appeared over the island. It was amidst these circumstances that Britain launched its appeal to Canada for help in reinforcing their Hong Kong garrison.

  present” were labeled Class C.8 Both the Royal Rifles and the Winnipeg Grenadiers were Class C units. General Henry Duncan Graham Crerar,9 who selected the two units, explained his choice stating, “In order to adhere to the principle of territorial representation, I consider it most desirable that one unit should come from Western Canada and the other from Eastern Canada” and “in the case of the Royal Rifles, there is also the fact that this battalion, while nominally English-speaking, is actually drawn from a region overwhelmingly French-speaking in character and contains an important proportion of Canadians of French-descent.”10 Further, the Hong Kong posting was considered garrison duty and both the Royal Rifles and Winnipeg Grenadiers had experience with that type of assignment.

  On October 11, 1941, Colonel J.K. Lawson, the army’s director of military training, was promoted to the rank of Brigadier and given command of the two Canadian battalions, nicknamed “C” Force, who had been selected to reinforce Hong Kong.

  3: Mascot on the Move

  The Royal Rifles were determined not to leave Gander behind. As Rifleman Phil Doddrige remembers, “… he was a favourite of all the men … He was looked after by his handler, Fred Kelly, but I think he had love enough to go around as he showed great affection for all of us. As Regimental Mascot he went everywhere with us, including Hong Kong.”1 Gander travelled with the men to Valcartier Camp (north of Quebec) where the Rifles were given “embarkation leaves,” which

  Royal Rifles en route to Vancouver (at Valcartier), Oc–tober 23, 1941.

  Gander marching with Fred Kelly in Quebec City, 1941.

  allowed them to make a final visit home or to enjoy one final holiday, and new light-weight tropical uniforms. Sergeant George MacDonell remembers, “… excitement was high and we were so glad to be leaving our boring garrison duties behind for our new adventure.”2 Some of the men figured that the tropical uniforms meant they were headed to North Africa to serve with the British fighting there.

  After the leaves were over and the necessary equipment had been distributed, the Royal Rifles travelled to Quebec City. Gander marched with the troops on parade up to the Plains of Abraham. Once at the top, Fred Kelly found a washroom with shower facilities and treated Gander to a cooling shower before the long, hot descent. The crowds loved him.

  Boarding a train in Quebec City, the Rifles were surprised to find themselves heading west towards Vancouver, instead of east towards Halifax (the most likely departure point for the suspected posting to North Africa).3 On their way westward the train stopped at Winnipeg and the Rifles were joined by the Winnipeg Grenadiers. The combined force of just over two thousand men (and Gander), nicknamed “C” Force and under the command of Brigadier General J.K. Lawson, set off for Vancouver.

  Once in Vancouver, however, the Royal Rifles ran into some difficulties with Gander. Fred Kelly was assigned to embark on the HMCS Prince Robert, the escort for the troop ship the TSS Awatea. The captain of the vessel refused to allow Gander entry, insisting there was no place for a “bear” on his ship. The enlisted men of the Royal Rifles were furious, especially since an officer in their regiment had been allowed to board with his small, black dog. After a tense conference, where the soldiers managed to convince the captain that Gander was, in fact, simply a very large dog, Gander was allowed to walk down the gang plank and join his comrades.

  It was a difficult start to a voyage that was only going to get worse. The Awatea, escorted by the HMCS Prince Robert, set sail for Hong Kong, carrying a personnel strength of 1,975. Included were: ninety-six officers, 1,877 other ranks, two civilian auxiliary services supervisors, two nursing sisters, two medical officers, two officers of the Canadian Dental Corps and their assistants, three
chaplains, and a detachment of the Canadian Postal Corps.4 The ships were dreadfully overcrowded. Rifleman Sydney Skelton recalls:

  We walked around on the deck and nearly everywhere was Out of

  Bounds, No Smoking Below Decks, and only smoking in rooms —

  officers had the smoking rooms, indeed the officers had everything

  … Things began to look bad. Supper … came and the lads waited

  hours for it and it turned out to be tripe and onions, and it really

  was tripe. One thing led to another and the troops were going to

  march off the boat … Fifty men got off, and the first time arguing

  Gander and the Royal Rifles aboard the HMCS Prince Robert, Novem–ber 15, 1941.Gander is front.

  The Awatea and the Prince Robert

  The Awatea was built in 1936, and was designed to accommodate 540 passengers, a crew of 342, and weighed in at over 13,000 tons. She travelled at about twenty-three knots, making her one of the fastest liners in the world at that time. The Awatea was a New Zealand ship and had made most of its early runs between Auckland and Tasmania, Auckland and Sydney, and from Sydney to Wellington. When the Second World War broke out, she was fitted with a four-inch gun and was used for the transportation of troops and refugees, those civilians arriving from the Philippines and Singapore after the Japanese attacked. She was requisitioned by the British Government in September 1941, to act as a troop transport, and she sailed to Vancouver. Most of the Royal Rifles and Winnipeg Grenadiers travelled to Hong Kong aboard the Awatea. Later in the war she was used as a troop ship for the Allied landings in North Africa. On November 8, 1942, the Awatea carried troops to Algiers. As she was leaving she was attacked by Italian bombers and sunk.