A story I was told by my grandfather when young was that he and his friends had a "gang", called "The Lazy J". The way it was told sounded like they were numbered more than just a couple buddies. When the war came they all left, everyone one but him. He was put in the reserves for being blind in one eye. None of his friends made it out alive.
What might have happened to them? Might they all have served in the same unit? Might they all have died at Dieppe?
Anyone that could provide a little insight or info would be much appreciated, I was too young to ask for more details but these are details I remember very clear.
Thank you very much! Apologies if this is posted in the wrong place.
It depends on what regiment they joined, honestly; if they were all from Winnipeg, there's a very good chance they joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers and, from there, were sent to Hong Kong. The fall of Hong Kong saw the Canadians take serious casualties, with over 500 of the roughly 2000 members of C Force (the Winnipeg Grenadiers and the Royal Rifles of Canada) dying over the course of the battle and their subsequent captivity. The Grenadiers suffered 130 fatalities during the battle alone.
If you want to do a bit more reading on the subject, Tony Banham has a couple of solid, recently published books on Hong Kong - Not the Slightest Chance: The Defence of Hong Kong, 1941 and We Shall Suffer There: Hong Kong's Defenders Imprisoned, 1942–1945