Chiu (2025). Canada’s C-Force In Hong Kong And Its Forerunners 1940-45

Canada’s C-Force In Hong Kong And Its Forerunners 1940-45 by Sam Chiu. Canadian troops sent to help defend Hong Kong in 1941 suffered many years of hardship. BNAPS Exhibit Series No. 123. May 2025, spiral bound, 48 pages, 11×17, colour. ISBN: 978-1-989280-52-2. Stock # B4h923-123-1. Price: C$36.00

On a Boy Scout hike in the hills of Hong Kong in the 1960s, the troop leader brought his scouts, including a young Sam Chiu, to the Sai Wan Bay Cemetery. The Memorial honours the men of the British Commonwealth and Empire who died in the defense of Hong Kong during World War II, 228 of whom were Canadian. The impression made during that visit led to Sam collecting WWII Canadian Hong Kong military postal history, and ultimately to Canada’s C-Force In Hong Kong And Its Forerunners 1940-45. The 123rd volume in the BNAPS Exhibit Book Series is also the eighth BNAPS exhibit book to be published in 11×17” landscape format.

After a 20-day sea voyage from Vancouver, the 1975 men and two nurses of C-Force disembarked in Hong Kong on 16 November 1941. Little did they know that three weeks later, on 7 December 1941, Japan would attack Pearl Harbour, touching off the full Pacific version of World War II, which had been ongoing since Germany attacked Poland in September 1939. Just one day later, on 8 December 1941, Japanese troops attacked Hong Kong and C-Force went into captivity.

The book  is beautifully laid out. Many rare covers to and from members of C-Force are interspersed with photos showing local scenes, postal markings, collateral philatelic material, contemporary newspaper articles and especially photos of officers and soldiers of C-Force during their time in Hong Kong and later. Especially poignant are postmarks applied to mail from prisoners that was held by the Japanese until the end of the Pacific war in August 1945.