Company Sergeant-Major (Warrant Officer Class II) Rene John Charron

Rene John Charron was born at Ottawa, Ontario, on 29 June 1913. A secretary and stenographer, he enlisted at Montreal on 1 October 1940 as D-114803 and served with the Corps Military Staff Clerks. He went overseas in October 1941 and was wounded by shrapnel during the defence of Hong Kong before being captured on 25 December 1941. He spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of Japan in camps in Hong Kong and Japan, including Sham Shui Po, North Point, Yokohama and the Sendai coal mines. Liberated in 1945, he returned to Canada that September and underwent post-POW medical assessment and treatment. He was discharged at Montreal on 30 April 1946 on demobilization as a Company Sergeant-Major, Warrant Officer Class II. His awards included the 1939-45 Star, Pacific Star, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Clasp and War Medal 1939-45. Charron died on 20 December 1995.

1913-06-29 — Born.
1940-08 — Served with the Non-Permanent Active Militia before active-service enlistment.
1940-09-19 — Medical examination; Category A.
1940-10-01 — Enlisted for active service as D-114803.
1941-10-20 — Promoted Lance-Corporal; service statement also records Acting Sergeant without pay.
1941-11-01 — Later reconstructed order records him as Sergeant from this date.
1941-12-23 — Admitted before capitulation.
1941-12-25 — Wounded by shrapnel during the Battle of Hong Kong and captured by Japanese forces.
1942-01-21 — Transferred from War Memorial Hospital to POW camp.
1942-01-23 — Transferred to North Point Camp.
1942-09 — Transferred back to Sham Shui Po Camp.
1943-01 — Transferred to Japan.
1944-04-29 — Appointed Company Sergeant-Major and Acting Warrant Officer Class II.
1944-12-12 to 1944-12-16 — Hospitalized for haemorrhoidectomy while a POW.
1945-05 — Transferred to final POW work camp.
1945-09-09 — Liberated from Japanese captivity.
1945-09-13 — Reported for reprocessing and subsistence after liberation.
1945-09-16 — Transferred for onward movement.
1945-09-18 — Reported aboard U.S. Naval Hospital No. 10 after transit from FLT 115.
1945-09-19 — Transferred onward from U.S. Naval Hospital No. 10.
1945-09-25 — Returned to Canada after overseas service.
1945-09-29 — Arrived in Montreal after liberation and repatriation.
1945-11-19 — Admitted for post-repatriation investigation.
1946-02-20 — Moderate Ascaris infection confirmed during readmission.
1946-04-29 — Medical Board proceedings completed before release.
1946-04-30 — Discharged to return to civil life on demobilization.
1949-03-23 — Postwar address changed to 15 Stevenson Street.
1995-12-20 — Died aged 82 from complications of lung cancer.
1996-01-06 — Funeral service; cremation followed.