MacDonell, George

George MacDonell was one of Canada’s last survivors of the Battle of Hong Kong. He was born August 5, 1922, and he grew up in and around Listowel, Ontario against the backdrop of the Great Depression. He made the decision to enlist early in the war, and was shipped overseas early in the war; he and his fellow soldiers expected to be sent to England, but they were instead sent to Hong Kong, to help in the defence of that British colony. George was a sergeant in the Royal Rifles of Canada. Overwhelmed by the Japanese attack in December 1941, George and his fellow Canadians fought valiantly, only surrendering when ordered to by the governor of the island. George went on to be a POW for the remainder of the war, surviving the brutal treatment of the Japanese POW camps. Despite harsh discipline and threats of death for even minor infractions, there were episodes of exceptional bravery. At one point two Canadians managed to set fire to a room full of blueprints, destroying them and bringing ship construction to a halt at least for a time. They were not caught. George celebrated what those men did, and always reminded his men that their job was to resist. He was liberated at the end of the war, returning to Canada and building a life; he also told his men that as soldiers on the victorious side they were victors too – not victims. In Canada George was successful in business and government – and an advocate for remembrance. That included working through the Memory Project, which led him to Crestwood many times. In 2022 George’s medals were donated to the Royal Canadian Military Institute, yet another fitting tribute to his bravery, integrity and citizenship. Please take the time to meet George here – https://ohp.crestwood.on.ca/ohp/macdonell-george/.