🇨🇦 LEST WE FORGET 🇨🇦 OCTOBER 27, 1941 — CANADIAN SOLDIERS DEPART FOR HONG KONG 85 YEARS AGO TODAY On this day in 1941, approximately 1,975 Canadian military personnel departed Vancouver, bound for Hong Kong and a mission from which hundreds would never return. Known as C Force, the contingent included the Royal Rifles of Canada, the Winnipeg Grenadiers, and supporting personnel under Brigadier John K. Lawson. They sailed aboard the troopship Awatea and the armed merchant cruiser HMCS Prince Robert, arriving in Hong Kong on November 16. At the time, the Canadians were expected to reinforce the British garrison. Many had limited training and little combat experience. Just three weeks after their arrival, everything changed. On December 8, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. For 18 desperate days, Canadian and Allied soldiers fought against overwhelming odds. On Christmas Day, 1941, Hong Kong surrendered. Approximately 290 Canadians were killed in the fighting. The survivors faced more than three and a half years of brutal captivity, during which another 267 Canadians died. More than 550 Canadians who sailed to Hong Kong would never return home. 🐾 And there’s a remarkable story behind today’s photograph. Standing among the Royal Rifles is Sergeant Gander, their beloved Newfoundland dog mascot. Originally named Pal, Gander accompanied the soldiers overseas and became a hero during the battle. He repeatedly helped protect Canadian troops and ultimately lost his life carrying away an enemy grenade that threatened wounded soldiers. In 2000, Gander was posthumously awarded the Dickin Medal for animal bravery. This photograph captures Canadian soldiers and their faithful companion in Vancouver around October 27, 1941. They were preparing to cross the Pacific, unaware of the terrible ordeal awaiting them. Today, we remember their courage, their suffering, and the sacrifices of those who never came home. We will remember them. 🇨🇦 Lest We Forget. 🥀 📸 Department of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada, PA-116791. #LestWeForget #BattleOfHongKong #WW2

🇨🇦 THEY STOOD ON GUARD Private George Gordon Laing (1896–1917) 58th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force He was just 21 years old when his life ended on the muddy battlefields of Passchendaele. Born on July 15, 1896, in London, Ontario, George Gordon Laing was the son of James Laing and his wife, whose family later lived on Essex Avenue in Toronto. On December 6, 1915, at just 19 years old, George enlisted with the 110th Battalion. He would eventually be transferred to the 58th Battalion and sent into the fighting of the First World War. On October 26, 1917, Canadian troops began their offensive at Passchendaele, Belgium. The battlefield was a nightmare of flooded shell craters, shattered trees, deep mud, and relentless artillery and machine-gun fire. Soldiers struggled to advance across ground that had been devastated by months of fighting. Among those who lost their lives that day was Private George Gordon Laing. He was only 21. George has no known grave. His name is inscribed on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres, Belgium, alongside thousands of soldiers whose final resting places remain unknown. Back home in Ontario, a family was left to mourn a young man whose life had barely begun. Today, 109 years later, we remember George not simply as another casualty of war, but as a son, a young Canadian, and an individual whose life mattered. Private George Gordon Laing July 15, 1896 – October 26, 1917 Forever 21. We will remember him. #TheyStoodOnGuard #LestWeForget #WWI

🇨🇦 LEST WE FORGET October 26, 1917 — Canadians Begin Their Assault at Passchendaele Into the mud, under fire, and against overwhelming conditions. On this day in 1917, Canadian soldiers began their offensive at Passchendaele, Belgium, in what would become one of the most gruelling chapters of Canada’s First World War history. After months of fighting, the battlefield had been reduced to a devastated landscape of flooded shell craters, shattered trees, barbed wire, and seemingly endless mud. The ground was so treacherous that simply moving forward, carrying supplies, or evacuating the wounded could become a life-threatening ordeal. Under Lieutenant-General Arthur Currie, the Canadian Corps had spent days preparing for the assault, improving roads, positioning artillery, and planning a series of limited advances. On the morning of October 26, the 3rd and 4th Canadian Divisions went forward. The 3rd Division advanced toward Bellevue Spur, encountering fierce German resistance from fortified positions. To the south, the 4th Division fought toward the higher ground leading to Passchendaele. Progress was painfully slow. Soldiers struggled through deep mud while exposed to machine-gun fire, artillery bombardment, and counterattacks. Some units secured their initial objectives, while others faced intense fighting for every stretch of ground. The human cost was devastating. Over the first three days of the offensive, approximately 2,500 Canadians were killed or wounded, a sobering indication of the price being paid for every advance. For those on the battlefield, October 26 was not a moment of celebration. It was a day of extraordinary hardship, courage, and loss. Today, 109 years later, we remember the Canadians who advanced into those terrible conditions, those who never returned, and those who carried the memories of Passchendaele for the rest of their lives. We will remember them. #LestWeForget #CanadianHistory #WWI