IMPORTANT MOMENTS IN WORLD WAR 2 FOR CANADA

Canadian History

The Battle of Hong Kong

The first Canadian military fight in WW2 happened in the British Colony of Hong Kong (1941)

2000 troops from the Winnipeg battalion fought

Japan kept invading and the Canadians job was to defend British colonies like Hong Kong

• On Dec. 8th 1941, Japan attacked Northern Malaysia, the Philippines, Guam and Wake Islands.

•The attack also included Hong Kong

The Result

-290 died in the battle

-267 Canadians died in the prisoner war camps

The Battle lasted 17 days, our troops were young and inexperienced

Hong Kong surrendered on Christmas Day (Dec. 25th) 1941

Allied soldiers were captured by the Japanese, and held as war prisoners

Conditions in the War Camps were brutal--The Japanese derived Canadians of basic rights like drinking water to get revenge on the allies.

Lack of clothing, food and shoes!

Women were eager to join the war beyond working in the factories and making guns and ammunition

Moment 2: Women go to War!

The work never ended

Women took over the farms and had to maintain ALL the food productions

Women worked in factories so much that daycares were set up in the actual factories

Women had a key role keeping things going at home

Women visited the wounded, wrote letters to lonely soldiers, they helped clean and bandage the wounded and women began saving items– wrappers, food scraps etc to SAVE money and supplies

Women having to Prove themselves

-Women were fighting for equal rights since before WW1

-They were earning their own money and new they were getting less money for the same work a man was doing

Women continued

Women couldn’t officially join the war as a soldier, they formed volunteer units such as CATS Canadian Auxiliary

Territorial Service Taught women first aid

and technical training so they could assist in the makeshift hospitals at war

Women in Uniform

In 1941, the armed forces were desperate for recruits, women were finally allowed to join

45000 women officially signed up to join the war

244 women gained medals of bravery

73 were killed and 19 were wounded

The Change

Unfortunately, Conscription happens again

Hesitantly, Conscription occurs under McKenzie King

(1942)

The war begins to heat up more- Italy invades France (axis against allies)

In Nov. 1944 King ordered 16000 men to go overseas to aid in fighting off the axis powers

French Canadian leaders mostly stood by King’s decision this time even though they were against the entire thing– they saw it as necessary to win the war and bring their men home