John K. Lawson

John K. Lawson

Brigadier John K. Lawson (1887 - 19 December, 1941) was the senior Canadian officer and commander of the West Brigade during the Battle of Hong Kong. He was the most senior officer to be killed in action during the battle and the highest ranking Canadian soldier killed in action in World War II.

Early career

Lawson was born in Great Britain in 1887, and served in WWI, being awarded a Military Cross at the Battle of Passchendale.

When WWII broke out, he was Director of Military Training in Ottawa, and was given the command of the Royal Canadian Regiment and the other Canadian militia units who arrived in Hong Kong on November 16, 1941 as reinforcements for the British garrison there.

Battle of Hong Kong

After the forces defending Kowloon were withdrawn to the island of Hong Kong on December 11, 1941 General Maltby organized the defence of the island into two brigades, west and east. Lawson was placed in charge of the west brigade, which included the Winnipeg Grenadiers, the Royal Scots, the Punjab Regiment (India) and the Canadian Signallers. The Japanese landed on Hong Kong island on December 18, 1941 with the intent to split the defenders in two. After fierce fighting, Japanese forces surrounded Lawson's HQ at around 10 a.m. on December 19th. Lawson radioed his commanders that he was going to "fight it out" and left his pillbox with a pistol in each hand, and was killed in the ensuing fight. [http://www.wwii.ca/index.php?page=Page&action=showpage&id=42] .

When the Japanese arrived and found his body, they gave him a proper burial nearby as a respect due to his courage while facing his enemy (i.e. the Japanese). However, he was reburied at the Sai Wan War Cemetery after the war. The original headstone was destroyed and a memorial plate was erected by the Canadian Government at the site in 2005.

Links and references

* [http://www.wwii.ca/index.php?page=Page&action=showpage&id=42 Canada at War:The Battle of Hong Kong]
* [http://northernblue.ca/mblog/index.php?/archives/243-Canadian-Troops-in-the-Battle-of-Hong-Kong-Timeline-Dec.-1941.html Canadian Troops in the Battle of Hong Kong]

External links

*


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • John Howard Lawson — (September 25, 1894 August 11, 1977) was an American writer, and head of the Hollywood division of the American Communist Party. He was also the cell s cultural commissar, and answered directly to V.J. Jerome, the Party s New York based cultural… …   Wikipedia

  • John Howard Lawson — (* 25. September 1894 in New York; † 11. August 1977 in San Francisco, Kalifornien) war ein US amerikanischer Dramatiker und Drehbuchautor. Nach einem Studium am Williams College entwickelte sich Lawson zu einem der der einflussreichsten… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Cuthbert Lawson — (* 14. Oktober 1874 in Weston in Gordano, Somerset; † ) war ein britischer Gelehrter. Er war Fellow und Lecturer am Pembroke College in Cambridge und früher Craven Student der Universität. John Cuthbert Lawson wurde als Sohn von Robert Lawson und …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John D. Lawson — John Daniel Lawson (February 18, 1816 January 24, 1896) was a U.S. Representative from New York.Born in Montgomery, New York, Lawson attended the public schools.He moved to New York City and was employed as a clerk in a dry goods store. Later, in …   Wikipedia

  • John W. Lawson — John William Lawson (September 13, 1837 February 21, 1905) was a U.S. Representative from Virginia.Born in James City County, Virginia, Lawson attended the schools of Williamsburg, College of William and Mary, and the University of Virginia at… …   Wikipedia

  • John Kevin Lawson — Articleissues cleanup = August 2008 COI = y notable = August 2008 primarysources = August 2008 review = August 2008John Kevin LawsonArtist, aka John K. Lawson was born in Birmingham, England, in 1962 and raised in the countryside until his family …   Wikipedia

  • John Edward Lawson — Infobox Writer imagesize = 150px name = John Edward Lawson caption = pseudonym = birthdate = birth year and age|1974 birthplace = United States deathdate = deathplace = occupation = Novelist, Poet, Editor, Publisher nationality = African American …   Wikipedia

  • John Howard Lawson — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Lawson. John Howard Lawson est un scénariste américain né le 25 septembre 1894 à New York, New York (États Unis), décédé le 11 août 1977 à San Francisco (Californie). Biographie Dans les années 1950, il fut une… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Sir John Grant Lawson, 1st Baronet — (28 July 1856 27 May 1919), was a British Unionist politician.Lawson was returned to Parliament for Thirsk Malton in the 1892 general election. He served under Lord Salisbury and later Arthur Balfour as Parliamentary Secretary to the Local… …   Wikipedia

  • Lawson — bezeichnet einen Ort in den Australischen Blue Mountains gelegen, Lawson (Australien) eine Stadt in Arkansas, Lawson (Arkansas) eine Kleinstadt in Missouri, Lawson (Missouri) ein amerikanisches Unternehmen, Lawson Software eine japanische… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”