George MacDonell 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. 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. George has worked through the Memory Project for several years now, and he has now spoken at Crestwood many times, including at Crestwood’s 2012 Remembrance Day Assembly. Michael Lawee and Jessie Cooke interviewed him at that time, and in February 2017 we again visited George, with Audrey Melkoumov, Rhys Malisch, Zach Morris and Macaulay Harling taking the lead on this project. In 2022 George’s medals were donated to the Royal Canadian Military Institute, yet another fitting tribute to his bravery, integrity and citizenship.
Videos
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- 1. Life before the War
- 2. Enlisting; Training and Teaching
- 3. On Leave; A World without Women
- 4. From Newfoundland to Hong Kong
- 5. Combat and Surrender
- 6. A POW
- 7. Your War Is not Over; The Shipyard and Captain Reid
- 8. The Aftermath of the Shipyard Fire
- 9. Liberation Day and Postwar
- 10. Thoughts on Canada; A History Neglected
- 11. From Pearl Harbour to Accountability and Forgiveness
