Sergeant Gander (2 page)

At the ceremony I was accompanying the family of Canada's first Victoria Cross winner, Sergeant Major John Osborn of Winnipeg, who was killed at Hong Kong in the selfless act of saving several of his men by throwing himself on a hand grenade. The family were the guests of the Canadian War Museum as they had donated the medal to the Museum, and I was tasked with looking after them during their stay in Ottawa.

At the social gathering after the medals award ceremony I was gathered with a group of Hong Kong veterans from both the Royal Rifles of Canada and Winnipeg Grenadiers, and the family of John Osborn. We were discussing the medals and the courage of Sergeant Major Osborn. I made a casual remark to the assembled guests that it must have taken tremendous courage and immediate instinctive reaction to have performed such a deed with a deadly smoking hand grenade just feet away, waiting to deliver death and destruction to many.

One of the veterans near me, who I believe was Bob Manchester of the Winnipeg Grenadiers, answered my statement by replying “Yes. Just like that damn dog.” In answer to my immediate question, Bob Manchester and his friend Robert “Flash” Clayton told me all about Gander and what he had done. I shall never forget it; I was stunned by what I heard. I had heard many stories about the battles in Hong Kong, and indeed in many other wars, but never one about a dog picking up a grenade in the middle of battle. That night Manchester told me that he and his comrades had always felt that the dog deserved a medal for what he had done in saving the lives of seven wounded men, but that in the aftermath of war and history no one wanted to know about a dog mascot. Still, they kept hoping it would happen. And so it has.

So that night in August 1995, Gander, the beloved dog mascot of the Royal Rifles of Canada, entered the story and my life. It was the start of three years of dedicated work by my volunteer group and office staff to find out what had happened, research all the evidence, and present the story to the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) in the United Kingdom for eligibility for the award of the Dickin Medal, known as the “Animals' Victoria Cross.”

For me, one of the most poignant moments came at the end of August when Roger Cyr, past president of the Hong Kong Veterans' Association (HKVA), sat in front of me in my office at the War Museum and told me the story of Gander from the point of view of the men who were there and knew him. Roger told the story with difficulty because he had to tell me about the regiment's battle at the same time. He burst into tears in the middle of it and said to me through his tears, “Jeremy don't ever let them forget us!” I have always felt that in this meeting, in the moment of tearful memory while he told the story of Gander, he was also telling me the story of the men he served with, and that somehow by recognizing Gander's bravery perhaps we could all remember the courage of the men who fought, died, and endured unspeakable horrors at Hong Kong, so many years before. It seemed that Gander's recognition would help the generations that follow to understand and recognize what the soldiers had done.

Roger Cyr was a wise man, as well as a brave one. It would not have been easy to deny a request from a man with such heart and soul. That afternoon I promised him that I would do what he had asked. I did not let him down. It took three years to complete, but we did it. Roger was there at the award ceremony. I am sure I saw a glint in his eye and a wink of thanks as he presented me a life membership in the Hong Kong Veterans' Association in October 2000, in recognition of my work for Gander and the Association.

What took place between the moment of Gander's story being revealed and the awarding of the Dickin Medal is contained within this fine book by Robyn Walker. It is a fascinating tale. I have never asked Robyn how she learned of Gander, or why she wanted to do the book, but in meeting with her I did know that it was going to be a good one and that the story would be complete, which it has proved to be. In reading this book I have been immensely gratified to learn so many things about the Gander story that my volunteers and office group did not know at the time. I realize now that there were many “blanks” in the narrative and many unanswered questions over the years, which time and events did not allow us to understand, but now we have them all gathered here, in Robyn's book.

This is a wonderful story that will ensure that Gander's story will be remembered in Canadian history for all time. As a result of this book, and Robyn Walker's impeccable research and hard work, I hope that generations of children will learn about Gander and come face to face with Canadian history, in particular with the history of the veterans of Hong Kong. The late Roger Cyr and Bob Manchester would be pleased. Roger would surely agree that his tearful moment with me, over a decade ago, was worth it for him, his comrades, and for their mascot who has been recognized at last. Let this book, and the story of the brave and wonderful Gander, serve as a literary memorial to them all and a testament to their collective courage. All because of that “damn dog.”

So now we have had the recognition of the veterans and the medal for Gander, and now we have the story in print. I hope to live to see a statue of Gander erected in Ottawa, so that Canadian children and visitors will ask about it, and learn about the extraordinary Canadian men who fought at Hong Kong in extraordinary times. It is a heroic tale indeed.

Jeremy Swanson
   Ottawa, Ontario

Introduction

Grenade! A group of Canadian soldiers stare in terror at the small but deadly object that has landed among them. Are the soldiers doomed? Are they destined to die on a dirty, dusty Hong Kong road, thousands of kilometres away from home? Only an act of tremendous courage and selflessness can save the young Canadian soldiers. Suddenly one of their comrades darts forward, ready to make the ultimate sacrifice.

The Battle of Hong Kong

France and Great Britain declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939; the Second World War was formally underway. Under the leadership of Adolf Hitler
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, Germany had been steadily overpowering its weaker neighbours, such as Austria and Czechoslovakia, and when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, both Great Britain and France finally realized that only military intervention might stop Nazi Germany from taking over all of Europe.

However, in the year that followed Germany seemed unstoppable. In April 1940, Norway and Denmark fell to the Germans. On May 10, 1940, the Germans launched a massive attack against the Netherlands and Belgium. In less than a month the Germans had pushed into France, pinning the British Expeditionary Force that had been stationed there against the sea. While many of the British troops were evacuated across the English Channel, France itself surrendered to the Germans on June 22, 1940. Britain now stood alone in Europe against the powerful German forces.

In Asia, Japan was also looking to expand its empire. Japan invaded China in 1937, and in November 1940, signed a pact aligning itself with Germany and

Southeast Asia,

1940.

Italy. This alliance allowed Japan to put pressure on the Dutch (who were under German occupation) to sell more oil to Japan from their East Indian oil reserves.
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Vichy France,
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whose government was, in fact, controlled by the Germans, was pressured into allowing Japanese troops to be stationed in French Indochina. The influx of Japanese troops and aircraft into Indochina posed a very real threat to the British colonies of Burma, Hong Kong, and Malaya, and to the British naval base at Singapore. Britain knew that her Asian colonies were vulnerable to Japanese attack, but most of the British military strength was focused on the war in Europe. Therefore, the British asked Canada to help them defend their colonies in Asia.

The Canadians agreed to help their British ally. Canada had already demonstrated their solidarity with Britain by declaring war on Germany on September 10, 1939, and was already sending a steady stream of war materials and soldiers to support Britain. The Canadian navy patrolled the Atlantic sea lanes, protecting the convoys of supplies being sent from North America, and Canadian pilots and soldiers were being recruited and trained to help in the fight against Germany. When asked to assist in defending the Hong Kong colony against possible Japanese aggression, Canada agreed to send two infantry battalions to the island to help reinforce the British garrison that was stationed there. During the autumn of 1941, two Canadian units, the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers, departed for Hong Kong.

Less than a month after the Canadians' arrival in Hong Kong, the Japanese launched their attack against the colony. The Canadians fought bravely, but could not withstand the Japanese onslaught and in less than three weeks the colony of Hong Kong was completely overrun. The British and Canadian troops surrendered to the Japanese on Christmas Day 1941, and were dispatched to Japanese prisoner of war camps for the remainder of the war. Those who survived the horrific conditions of the camps and returned to Canada at the end of the war helped to form the Hong Kong Veterans' Association of Canada. They continue to work hard to preserve the memory of their fallen comrades.

Of all the Canadians who participated in the Battle of Hong Kong, only one was awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal. This medal is awarded to animals that display gallantry and devotion to duty while under the control of any branch of the armed forces. Sergeant Gander is the nineteenth dog ever to receive this medal, and the first Canadian canine to do so. This is his story.

List of Maps

Map:1 Southeast Asia, 1940.

Map 2: Location of Gander in Newfoundland.

Map 3: Territorial boundaries between Canada and Newfoundland, 1941.

Map 4: Japanese expansion in Asia, 1931–41.

Map 5: German expansion in Europe, 1937–42.

Map 6: The Crown Colony of Hong Kong, 1941.

Map 7: The initial disposition of forces in Hong Kong, December 8, 1941.

Map 8: The initial positions of the Royal Rifles of Canada, December 1 to 18,1941.

Map 9: The positions of the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Japanese lines of

attack, December 19, 1941.

1: Bear on the Runway

Gander, a purebred Newfoundland dog, was born in the Dominion of Newfoundland, most likely in 1939. His family, the Haydens, had named him “Pal.” Newfoundland dogs are enormous animals, with long, shaggy black fur, known for their love of children, swimming skills, and rescuing abilities. As a puppy, Pal had a voracious appetite and grew rapidly. His intelligence and good temperament made him easy to train, and he enjoyed spending much of his time out of doors. Pal was well-known to the members of the small local community and was a much loved family pet. Certainly no one could have predicted that the small but growing bundle of black fur would one day be considered a war hero!

Gander, Newfoundland, was selected as the site for the construction of an airport due to its location near the northeastern tip of the North American continent. Construction began in 1936, and the town started to develop. In 1940, Gander was not so much a town as a collection of construction camps. There were very few civilians living there and only about ten homes had been built. When the one-room schoolhouse opened, it had only fourteen pupils. Rod Hayden, his wife, and his young son Jack were one of the few families living there. Rod Hayden was the depot officer for the Shell Oil Company, and Gander Airport was a major refilling station for planes that were on their way to England.

In July 1940, the Germans had launched a massive bombing campaign against England in preparation for the invasion of the island nation. British factories, airfields, and cities were the targets of the German bombers. The Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter pilots sustained heavy casualties in defence of their homeland, and the supply of replacement pilots could not keep pace with the losses. To help bolster the RAF numbers, many pilots were trained in Canada and then sent over to England, where they defended England's skies against German bombers or engaged in bombing missions themselves against German targets.
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