By Bird Bouchard
While most people can only dream of celebrating their 100th birthday, a former Richmond native will be celebrating his 106th birthday today.
“There’s no secret,” said Hormidas Fredette when asked about the secret to living a long life. “My sister lived until she was 104 and nine months old. You just got to keep surviving.”
For the World War Two veteran who lived through the Great Depression and survived nearly four years as a prisoner of war, his 106th birthday is another day of survival.
Back in December of 1941, Fredette fought with The Royal Rifles of Canada and was dodging bullets in the Battle of Hong Kong.
Fredette recalls being picked as a first scout, which he explained was a very dangerous job. He recalled watching helmets fly as friends were being shot and hearing the screeching sound of cries as friends asked for help before dying a slow and painful death.
The Battle of Hong Kong began Dec. 8, 1941, and lasted until Dec. 25. The Allies surrendered after almost 18 days of fighting. A total of 290 Canadians were killed and 493 wounded.
