Percy Coleman Atwood, was born 16 September 1921in Barrington Head, to Winford and Mabel (Garron) Atwood. Four of his five brothers also served. Norman was killed while Benjamin, Clayton and Herman survived. He also had six sisters. 
Percy enlisted on 16 July 1940. He trained in Aldershot and then was assigned to the Royal Rifles of Canada and continued his training with the regiment, in Newfoundland from December 1940 until August 1941. The regiment embarked for Hong Kong 27 October 1941. Percy, sent a telegram to his mother from Hong Kong telling her of his safe arrival on 17 November 1941.
After eighteen days of fighting, the last seven days of which were marked with continuous air and artillery bombardment, the British government of Hong Kong surrendered to the Japanese on 25 December 1941. Percy was killed on the 23 December 1941. His attestation papers show he was on a patrol party of 30 soldiers, under a British Officer, approaching Repulse Bay Hotel. There were 'a few bursts of enemy machine gun fire which killed Atwood outright'. He is commemorated on the Sai Wan War Memorial, Column 24, Hong Kong.


Percy Atwood killed at Hong Kong

Arnold Howard Allen, was born 5 January 1922 in Lower Ohio, Shelburne County. He was a mechanic when he enlisted in Halifax on 11 April 1941and joined the Cape Breton Highlanders Regiment. He trained at Aldershot, Nova Scotia. While there he met Joyce Marie Bent. Arnold was sent to Bermuda for two years. On his return to Aldershot he married Joyce in Kentville on 26 April 1944 and some time later embarked for England. There he switched to the Second Battalion, Algonquin Regiment, Royal Canadian Rifle Infantry and was sent to France on 25 August 1944. Arnold was in Belgium when he was reported missing on 14 September 1944. On 3 January 1945 word was received that he was a prisoner of war in the German camp at Leipzeg. Arnold was killed, during an Allied Air Raid when bombs were dropped on the camp where he was held. His daughter, Johanna Arnold Allen was born in Kentville, Nova Scotia, one week before her father was killed on 22 February 1945. Arnold is buried at Groesbeek Canadian Military Cemetery, Grave 1, Row D, Plot 12, Gelderland, Netherlands.


Morton Allen, in interviews, related since he was twelve years older than Arnold, the youngest of his nine siblings, he was not closely involved with events during Arnold's growing up years. Morton enlisted in 1940 and they met at Aldershot in 1941 when the snapshot was taken. Morton was in England when Arnold was killed. He remembers Arnold wrote about being forced to work in a mill while he was a prsioner.

Arnold Allen, killed by allied bombing

Gerald Bower, was born 13 November 1914 in West Baccaro, Shelburne County to Charles and Edna (Crowell) Bower. He married Anna Maria Madden on 24 January 1939. They had two daughters, Donna and Verna.
Carlyle was a fisherman when he enlisted in Halifax on 1 December 1943. He embarked for overseas on 2 June 1944 and for Italy on 17 July 1944. On 12 September 1944 the attack to capture the Coriano Ridge in the Adriatic sector of the Italian Campaign began. The ridge was captured but the losses were heavy. Carlyle was killed in this battle on 15 September 1944 and is buried at Coriano Ridge War Cemetery, Italy in Grave 3, Row B, Plot 10.