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The younger Wong served in the Second World War and helped to win the vote for Chinese Canadians. Wong did his basic training at Camp Shilo in Manitoba where he learned all about artillery. Later he agreed to join Force 136 and was trained as a demolition expert.
Aug 16, 2019 · World War 2, Chinese Canadian Veteran Victor Wong, overcame racial discrimination in Canada, and served his Country with honour, in some of the deadliest bat...
- 5 min
- 245
- Alison MacLean
Double Victory: Chinese Canadians in the Second World War. Chinese Canadian veterans describe their experiences in the Second World War, fighting the Axis in Europe and the Pacific, and advancing civil rights at home. 2023 marks the 78th anniversary of V-J Day (Victory against Japan Day).
- Background
- Chinese Canadian Recruits
- Recruitment and Training
- Field Operations
- After The War
- Legacy
In late 1941, Japan entered the Second World War and quickly invaded and occupied large areas of Southeast Asia, including several Dutch and British colonies (see Canada and the Battle of Hong Kong). Britain was desperate to regain control of its Southeast Asian colonies. To that point in the war, the British intelligence organization Special Opera...
SOE went looking for a new kind of spy and found Chinese Canadians to be ready and willing to join the war effort. About 600 Chinese Canadians volunteered to fight for their country during the Second World War, but they were either not accepted to certain branches of the service or were recruited but never called to active duty. In British Columbia...
The SOE recruited Chinese Canadiansto Force 136 in stages. The first group included 13 men who were hand-picked for a mission code-named Operation Oblivion. Initially, the plan was to send these men into Japanese-occupied China, where they would train resistance fighters. In some ways, this first group of men were viewed as a test to determine whet...
The conditions in the jungles of Southeast Asia made life miserable. Men had to suffer through malaria, dysentery and broken bones. They were forced to endure incredible heat, humidity and monsoon rains. They fought off insects and snakes of every kind. And once deep in the jungle, they experienced how difficult it was to find their way out. “You c...
Fortunately, all Chinese Canadians in Force 136 survived their time in the jungle and returned home to Canada. Some experienced ongoing health issues as a result of the conditions and diseases they encountered in the field. After leaving the jungle in Malaya, Henry Fung arrived in England suffering from jaundice and malaria. Norman Low became sick ...
Operation Oblivion, a feature documentary, was released in 2012. The documentary, which is part of the National Film Board of Canada’s CAMPUS collection, tells the story of the 13 Chinese Canadians recruited to Force 136. In 2016, the Chinese Canadian Military Museum in Vancouver mounted an exhibit titled Rumble in the Jungle: The Story of Force 13...
Force 136 member Gordon Wong returns home from the war to Vancouver. The Vancouver Sun newspaper captured his warm greeting from his sisters Violet (L) and Mabel. Force 136 men who had been stationed in Australia, were forced to find work on cargo ships in order to earn their passage home to Canada.
Victor Eric Wong served in the Canadian Army and the British Army's Force 136 during the Second World War. See below for Mr. Wong's entire testimony. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events.
Force 136 – Victor Wong, Fred Yip, Dake Yip, Poona India, 1944. Share this: Twitter.
