I am Canadian

Each year, in early December, the Canadian Consulate hosts a commemorative ceremony at the Sai Wan War Cemetery, honouring the memory of the Canadian victims of the Battle for Hong Kong during WWII.  This year's event, also marking the 65th anniversary of the end of the War, was held on Sunday, December 5th.
The Japanese coordinated their attacks on Hawaii, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia.  These attacks were all launched on December 7th and 8th 1941, depending on which side of the International Date Line the attack came.  Two battalions of Canadian soldiers - the Royal Rifles from Quebec City and the Winnipeg Grenadiers - had arrived in HK in mid November, 1941.  Along with the British soldiers already on guard in HK, they were ill-prepared for the Japanese attack.  The battle was brutal: almost 300 of the 1,975 Canadians died, and 500 were wounded.  Another 300 died as POWs in either HK or Japan.  These were the first Canadians to engage in a land battle in WW2.

The cemetery rises up the hill from the sea.  When it was built in 1946, there was a clear view of the channel where the Japanese pontoons crossed from Kowloon to invade HK Island.  Today, the view is obstructed by the high-rise buildings in Chai Wan, at the eastern end of the island.  The Canadian soldiers buried in this cemetary include Brigadier John Lawson, the highest-ranking officer to be killed in the defence of HK.

Jeff and I were moved to tears throughout the ceremony.  The crowd was assembled at the bottom of the hill.  A bagpiper led the dignitaries slowly down the long slope.  The dignitaries included Doreen Stiedle, the Consul General, and three veterans of the battle - Horace Gerrard, Frederick Cooper, and Arthur Pifher (all in their late 80s) and their families, including their grandchildren.  The junior choir from the Canadian International School sang "Amazing Grace" during the speeches and the laying of wreaths.  The highlight for me was Fred Cooper's reminiscences of the battle and his imprisonment in Japan for the duration of the War.  He spoke in a strong, calm, understated way.  I suppose he's just a typical Canadian, if there is such a thing.  We felt very proud, to put it mildly.

At the end of the ceremony, the 1st HK Canadian Scout Group placed poppies on the Canadian graves, accompanied by the choir singing "What a wonderful world".  The morning ended with the choir and audience belting out O Canada (followed by the Chinese national anthem).
The crowd slowly climbed the hill again to the luncheon reception at the top.  I was walking behind an elderly woman who was being helped up the hill by a younger, local woman.  I asked if she needed another arm, and we chatted as we hiked.  She is the widow of one of the soldiers who had died in the battle.  She's a francophone living in Winnipeg.
This event has made us reflect on how fortunate we are living in Hong Kong in peaceful, prosperous times.  Throughout our travels, we always have been, and will continue to be proudly Canadian.