Gerry Gerrard was in the reserve artillery as of 1938. The day before the war broke out, he was called up and reported to the colonel, who told Gerry he needed a dozen men to go to Victoria. Since Gerry waswas 17, he didn’t have to go, but he went anyway. In Victoria, he joined the 5th Heavy Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery.
Gerry trained on coastal defense guns, and then took a course in signaling and was sent to Fort Rodd Hill as a wireless operator. He worked with the navy, and examined all ships that were going through the Juan de Fuca Strait, serving in several forts there.
Then the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals took over all communications on the coast, and he was transferred to the Signal Corps. From there he was sent to bases in Ontario and Nova Scotia for additional training and was waiting for a convoy to go to Europe. Instead he was sent back to Ottawa and then out to Vancouver and then onto the boat headed for Hong Kong.
Within days they were at war with the Japanese. The first week of the battle saw the Japanese begin artillery fire and bombing. There was no defense for the planes, as there was no anti-aircraft defense in Hong Kong. On the 19th of December, the Japanese landed in Hong Kong, and one of the first landing places was in Wong Nei Chong Gap, where Gerry was situated. Gerry saw battle in a few locales before the Christmas Day surrender. Like the other Canadians, he became a POW of the Japanese, enduring very harsh conditions all the way through 1945 and his liberation.
Gerry Gerrard was interviewed by Thekla Lit at BC Alpha Education, who was kind enough to allow us to post this min-interview here.
