Sergeant Gander Read Online Free PDF Page B

political and social agendas in their chosen geographic spheres of influence, by force if necessary.
    As the war continued to rage in Europe, Japan was adding to its conquests in Asia. In July 1941, Japanese troops occupied French Indochina, an act that elicited a strong response from the United States. President Roosevelt ordered all Japanese assets in America frozen and placed an embargo on the shipment of goods to Japan. Japan retaliated by freezing American assets in Japanese controlled territories, and trade between the two nations effectively came to a standstill. Britain, preoccupied with the war in Europe, could do little in response to Japan’s aggression, but was concerned about the security of the British colonies in Asia. In September 1941, Britain sent a request to Canada for two battalions to help reinforce the colony of Hong Kong.
    Britain’s Situation in Europe
    In the fall of 1941, Britain was facing a serious threat to her national security. She stood alone in Europe, facing a powerful German war machine. From 1936, when Germany entered the Rhineland, German aggression towards its European neighbours went virtually unchecked. Germany annexed Austria in 1938, and invaded Poland the next year. The spring of 1940 saw the German Blitzkrieg attack sweep through Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.
    German expansion in Europe, 1937–42.

    The British Expeditionary Force (BEF), which had been stationed in France, was pushed back against the sea, and only the miraculous evacuation at the Dunkirk beaches 17 saved the BEF from complete annihilation. Although a large number of soldiers were saved all of the British Army’s heavy equipment and machinery (guns, trucks, ammunition, and fuel supplies) had to be left behind. Following the Dunkirk evacuation, Britain needed months to re-equip and re-supply its armed forces properly.
    The critical shortage of materials left the island extremely vulnerable to attack.
    The Royal Navy was also stretched beyond its capabilities, having to provide not only homeland defence but also to defend the convoys of war supplies that Britain was importing across the Atlantic to sustain the war effort. They were also providing support for the ground troops in the Mediterranean area and North Africa. The Royal Air Force was busy defending Britain’s skies against the waves of punishing German bombers who appeared over the island. It was amidst these circumstances that Britain launched its appeal to Canada for help in reinforcing their Hong Kong garrison.
    present” were labeled Class C. 8 Both the Royal Rifles and the Winnipeg Grenadiers were Class C units. General Henry Duncan Graham Crerar, 9 who selected the two units, explained his choice stating, “In order to adhere to the principle of territorial representation, I consider it most desirable that one unit should come from Western Canada and the other from Eastern Canada” and “in the case of the Royal Rifles, there is also the fact that this battalion, while nominally English-speaking, is actually drawn from a region overwhelmingly French-speaking in character and contains an important proportion of Canadians of French-descent.” 10 Further, the Hong Kong posting was considered garrison duty and both the Royal Rifles and Winnipeg Grenadiers had experience with that type of assignment.
    On October 11, 1941, Colonel J.K. Lawson, the army’s director of military training, was promoted to the rank of Brigadier and given command of the two Canadian battalions, nicknamed “C” Force, who had been selected to reinforce Hong Kong.

3: Mascot on the Move
    The Royal Rifles were determined not to leave Gander behind. As Rifleman Phil Doddrige remembers, “… he was a favourite of all the men … He was looked after by his handler, Fred Kelly, but I think he had love enough to go around as he showed great affection for all of us. As Regimental Mascot he went everywhere