Student Tasks

Did conditions experienced by Canadian Prisoners of War (P.O.W.'s) in Japanese internment camps meet the standards established by the Geneva Convention?

When determining whether conditions experienced by Canadian POWs in Japanese POW camps met the standards established by the Geneva Convention, you may want to consider the following aspects:

• food and shelter
• sanitation and medical facilities
• treatment by Japanese soldiers
• conditions compared to other World War II POWs
• how closely Japan followed international agreements on the treatment of POWs
• the immediate and long term effects of the POW camps on the veterans.

Historical Context for Teachers

• During World War II, most of Canada’s overseas military effort took place in Europe; however, Canadian soldiers were also deployed in the Pacific theatre of war.
• The Royal Rifles and the Winnipeg Grenadiers were chosen to help defend the island of Hong Kong and the mainland areas of Kowloon and the New Territories.
• On November 16, 1941, 1975 Canadian soldiers arrived in Hong Kong. They joined the 14 000-strong Hong Kong defence force that included troops from Britain, India, Singapore and Hong Kong.
• On the morning of December 8, 1941, Japan attacked Hong Kong. Japanese warplanes pounded the airport and ground forces poured across the frontier from China into the mainland portion of the colony. Canadian soldiers from D Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers engaged the enemy, becoming the first Canadian army unit to fight in World War II.
• After three days of combat, the defenders were pushed back from the mainland to the island of Hong Kong. On December 13, and again on the December 17, the Japanese demanded the surrender of the defence force; both times, the offer was rejected.
• Canadian forces and other defending troops prepared for the inevitable Japanese assault onto the island of Hong Kong. Under the cover of darkness on December 18, 1941, the Japanese invaded. Despite heavy losses, the defenders held out for eight more days but, by Christmas day, the Allied defence force surrendered.
• Although the Canadian forces in Hong Kong held out for more than 17 days before laying down their weapons, their ordeal was far from over. They became prisoners of war (POWs) for more than three-and-a-half years, first in Hong Kong until early 1943, and then in Japan until their liberation in September 1945.