Asian ANZACs

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I will no longer be updating this page.
 
This page will list all the Asian ANZACs who I can find photos, stories or articles of. This is only the tip of the iceberg, there are A LOT more. Please check back regularly as it will constantly be updated, hopefully I will be able to link the photos up to stories. I will also put the medals and ranks in later, and it'll look scrappy from time to time but it will be cleaned up.

Monument in Darling harbour
Introduction - to be added
The monument comprises a 10-metre high sculpture with 380 light rods that spiral around a column. The structure symbolises water and the Chinese belief that relationships of reciprocity do not end with death.




Parliament speech

Boer War
Introduction - to be added

WW1
Introduction - to be added

Amoy, Thomas 3rd Light Horse Regiment Picture source	He's somewhere in this pic
Foo (Ford), Ernest Arthur Picture source
Foo, Walter Denman 2nd Light Horse Regiment Picture source
Freame, Harry	Pic to come
Gooey, William 13th Light Horse Regiment	Pic to come
Gum, Raymond Frank 9th Light Horse Regiment	Pic to come
Hong, Thomas 10th Light Horse Regiment	Pic to come
Hoyling (Hoy Ling), Harry Pic 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
James, Harry Colonel 6th Light Horse Regiment	Pic to come
Kew-Ming, Leslie Sergeant, MM ADU Post	Pic to come
Kong Meng, George 8th Australian Light Horse George was initially denied entry into the AIF because his father was Chinese. His brother somehow managed to get in. Read his letter to the Argus Newspaper re Recruiting Stupidity The Kong Meng Family Picture source
Kong Meng, Herbert Sergeant	Pic to come
Langtip, Bertie Allen 4th Light Horse Regiment	Pic to come
Langtip, Ernest Walter 4th Light Horse Regiment	Pic to come
Langtip, Henry "Harry Staff Sergeant 4th Light Horse Regiment	Pic to come
Langtip, Leslie Oliver Corporal, DCM 4th Australian Light Horse Regiment Leslie received a military good conduct medal for bravery during the charge on Damascus. He knocked out a Turkish gun which was defending the gates. Read the recommendation here. Leslie and his brothers enlisted together, embarked together, served together and returned together. One of them is said to have king-hit Lawrence(of Arabia) for mistreating a Turkish prisoner. Picture source
Loo Long, William Corporal, MM and Bar ADU Post	Pic to come
Ping, Julian Edward William 11th Light Horse Regiment	Pic to come
Poon, Hunter(This guy has the best name) Corporal 15th Battalion Hunter was the first Australian of Chinese heritage (he is 3/4 Chinese) to play first-class cricket Wikipedia Entry
Quong Tart, Arthur Son of Mei Quong Tart	Pic to come
Sam, George Flood Sergeant, MM Five of the seven sons of the Sam family served in the AIF. The fifth son signed up using a different name.	Pic to come
Sam, Henry Herbert	Pic to come
Sam, James Francis	Pic to come
Sam, Norman	Pic to come
Shang, James Caleb DCM & Bar, MM Caleb is the most highly decorated Chinese Australian of WW1. The DCM was awarded for numerous acts of gallantry, one of which included attacking and accounting for snipers in broad daylight. The bar was awarded for volunteering to man a post, defending it until it was blown up, and then acting as ammunition runner. ADB Entry Wikipedia Entry
Sing, Billy DCM, Belgian Cross aka "The Assassin" Wikipedia Entry Pic 1, Pic 2, Pic 3, Pic 4
Sing, George Reuben Imperial Camel Corps Brigade	Pic to come
Tongway (Tong Way), Hedley	Pic to come
Tongway (Tong Way), Samuel J Airminded Article
Young, William Picture source
Yum, George Henry 1st Light Horse Regiment	Pic to come

WW2
Introduction - to be added

Ah Chee, Alex RNZAF Kiwi Pic source
Ahyee, C.A. Corporal WAAAF (Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force) Picture source
Anguey, Bob Pic source
Anguey, Phyllis Senior Sister RAAF Nursing Service	Pic to come
Chan, George Sergeant RNZAF	Pic to come
Chan, Kow Kow was killed during the first bombing raid of Darwin.	Pic to come
Cheong, Tom P/O 43 Squadron Wireless Air Gunner RAAF He flew, making convoy runs and bombing raids and laying mines in New Guinea. Tom received an OAM in 2006 for commemorating Chinese Australian War Veterans.  Tom planned, supervised and inspired the monument built in Darling Harbour in memory of all Chinese Australian servicemen and servicewomen. (Source)
Chow, Mai Merchant Navyman Mai was killed during the first bombing raid of Darwin.	Pic to come
Choy, H. Hong Sergeant 6th Division Corps Signals Pic 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Choy, Valda Olive Intelligence WAAAF	Pic to come
Fore, Eileen WAAF Kiwi	Pic to come
Fore, Jimmy Wanganui Home Guard Kiwi	Pic to come
Fore, Teresa WAAF Kiwi	Pic to come
Goon, Bertram Robert Pic source
Goon, Eric William Pic source
Goon, Ernest Leonard Pic source
Goon, Jack Article here
Goon, Norman Geoffrey Pic source
Kong, Charlie Article and audio clips here
Land (or Lang), 1940-08. PTE. LAND AND SON. (OR LANG). FIRST CHINESE TO ENLIST IN THE A.I.F. for WWII - They are obviously mixed. Pic source
Lee, Daniel Chan 7RMT Royal Military Transport Kiwi and also his brothers Willie and Harry Article here
Lee, Donald Pic source
Lee, Harry Pic 1, 2
Lee, J. (right)
Lee, Wellington OAM, OBE Wellington has also served as the Deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne Pic source, 2
Liu, Bo OAM
Lee, Willie RNZAF Kiwi Willie's plane crashed in England and his grave can be seen at Shropshire Cemetery	Pic to come
Lock, Billy  (left) Pic 1, 2
Nomchong, Lionel
Nomchong, Norman	Pic to come
Quan, Kate (Kathleen) WAAAF Kate served in the WAAAF and later worked with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration in China
Quay (Kee or Key), Stanley Wing Corporal 2/3rd Battalion Mentioned in dispatches, see here. Also served in Korean War (see below)	Pic to come
See, Frederick Wong (first ABC to serve in RAAF) Pic 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Sing, Arthur John Gunner 2 Mountain Battery, Royal Australian Artillery He was killed in action on 31 March 1944 in New Guinea, at the age of 31. Pic source
Sue, Jack Wong
Yen, Wong Aircraftman RAAF Source
Yep, Thomas Tung Flight Officer, bomb aimer RAAF Pic source
Yin, Charles Sergeant N-Force Kiwi	Pic to come

Korean War
Introduction - To be added

Quay (Kee or Key), Stanley Wing Company Sergeant Major 3RAR Stanley also served in the Second World War Pic 1, 2

Vietnam War

Introduction - To be added

Long, China Pic source

Random Photos








PICTURE STORY OF A "CHINESE VILLAGE" IN AN AUSTRALIAN SETTING SOMEWHERE IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA. ..  There are plenty of pictures in this series, just go to Trove and search for Chinese Village.




Members of Chinese Labour Company in Central Australia drilling on the Parade Ground. These men were formerly seamen serving in ships plying between Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore, and are now volunteers in the Australian Army.


PORT HEDLAND, AUSTRALIA. 1943-05-02. CHANG SEE YAW OF THE CHINESE LABOUR CORPS AT HEADQUARTERS, "A" COMPANY, 19TH AUSTRALIAN GARRISON BATTALION. HE SAW SERVICE IN FRANCE DURING 1914 TO 1918 WAR AND SPEAKS FLUENT FRENCH.



PERTH, AUSTRALIA. 1943-03-30. SERGEANT OF CHINESE LABOUR CORPS AT 3RD AUSTRALIAN CORPS HEADQUARTERS.



PERTH, AUSTRALIA. 1943-03-30. LAUNDRYMEN OF THE CHINESE LABOUR CORPS AT 3RD AUSTRALIAN CORPS HEADQUARTERS.



A Chinese labourer attached to the 2nd Australian Tunnelling Company, resting with his pack, near Contalmaison, during the British retirement before the big German offensive, which commenced on 21 March 1918. Note the boxes to his right.  - I wonder if the story that Beneath Hill 60 is based on had Chinese labourers doing all the digging? =P



Eight members of the Chinese Labour Corps at a railway yard with three unidentified staff of the 2nd Australian Light Railway Operating Company. The soldier second from the left is a corporal. Large numbers of labourers went from Britain to France to work on roads and railways.  -The Asians here are most likely British and not Australian.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

William Poy (born in Chiltern, NSW) - his daughter was the Governor-General of Canada

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

the tiger's mouth

Australian Light Horse Studies Centre
Chinese Australian ANZACs - Chinese Light Horsemen - Embarkation roll A-Z

Australian Chinese Ex-Services National Reunion (ACESNR)

Dinki-di: The Contributions of Chinese Immigrants and Australians of Chinese Descent to Australia’s Defence Forces and War Efforts, 1899–1988, Morah Loh and Judith Winternitz

Dinkum Aliens: Chinese New Zealanders in World War II – Manying Ip

Dinkum Aliens

Mapping Our ANZACs

Auckland War Memorial Museum

Big White Lie: Chinese Australians in White Australia – John Fitzgerald

Blood on Borneo – Jack Wong Sue

A Matter of Honour – Documentary – Jack Wong Sue

Gallipoli Sniper - The Life of Billy Sing - John Hamilton

Two Sides of a Coin - Hunter Poon Biography

SBS Documentary – The Chinese Diggers – Teck Tan.  Last shown late 1980’s? I rang SBS and they don’t have it on their database anymore so it was shown a while back.

SBS Documentary – Not Forgotten – features the Story of Victor Lepp.  Last shown Nov 2008?

Gong for Chinese Diggers

Forgotten Soldiers of the Australian Army

Join the Asian ANZACs facebook page. 

RIP Jack Wong Sue

 Jack with three of his seven children

It is with great sadness that I make this post. Jack Wong Sue OAM DCM, WW2 ANZAC, has passed away at the age of 84.

It was over a year ago on ANZAC day when I first noticed Jack while channel surfing. He was in the ANZAC day march in Perth and my first reaction was "wtf". I was confused. The commentator said something along the lines of "...WW2 veteran Jack Wong Sue..." I made a mental note to chase this up. This is something I never expected to see.

ANZAC day for me has always been a day when the whites grandstand over the rest of us. That we were just 'japs' and we were a threat to them in WWII, conveniently forgetting that the other menace during WWII were the Germans, aka whites. Or that I wasn't even a 'jap'.

So to see someone with Asian features in the ANZAC parade was truly mystifying. In my full twelve years of Australian education, not one teacher had even hinted that there may be Australians of non-white race, apart from indigenous Australians, fighting for Australia. No one ever told me about Chinese Diggers. You can see why they would omit those details.

Anyway, it wasn't until this year that I started to do a bit more research and boy was I surprised. There seemed to be so many: John Joseph Shying, Billy Sing, Jack Wong Sue, Kate Quan and many more.  There are also many who had fully anglicised names who we may never track down, and many mixed children of Chinese fathers and white mothers who took on their mother's maiden name when enlisting in the hope that they would not be discriminated against by the army/government.

In addition to these, there were also many who were denied the opportunity to fight for their country due to discrimination and many whose efforts were not recognised. The Australian Government had betrayed them.

Jack himself suffered a lot of racial discrimination and abuse before, during and after the war. Yet despite all of this he was a determined man who achieved everything with steely resolve. He took crap from nobody, not even higher ranked officers. A larger than life character who was skilled in many things, he enjoyed scuba diving and playing music with his band. I don't think my descriptions or his wiki do him justice. I really recommend reading his book "Blood on Borneo".

I had been in discussions with his son Barry on Friday about making a documentary on Jack's life, especially before and after the war. Barry had told me his father was really sick and it had gotten worse. So this afternoon when I came across a story about his passing away, I was shocked but not surprised.

We've lost one of our greatest.

Lest we forget.


Hear Barry Sue talk about his father

World War II hero Jack Sue has died in Perth at the age of 84.

Mr Sue was a member of Z Special Unit, a special forces reconnaissance unit which operated behind enemy lines in South-East Asia during World War II.

Z Special Unit was the predecessor to the Special Air Service Regiment.

Mr Sue spent months behind enemy lines in Borneo and in his memoirs claimed Z Special Unit commandos in Borneo killed 1,700 Japanese and trained 6,000 guerrillas.

Allied forces later invaded Borneo.

Mr Sue was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and rose to the rank of Sergeant during his army career.

He was awarded the Order of Australia in 2006.

His son Barry Sue confirmed he died today.

In 2006, The West Australians' Rod Moran wrote of Mr Sue's war-time exploits.

Head-hunting Dyaks, murderous Japanese infantry and the tragedy of the Sandakan Death Marches in the fetid jungle of what was then British North Borneo provided the grim backdrop to teenage warrior Jack Wong Sue's experience of World War II in the South-West Pacific, Moran wrote.

His award of the Order of Australia Medal was partly for his recording of those experiences in Blood on Borneo, a remarkable memoir of his nine months behind enemy lines in 1944-45. Published in 2001, more than 17,000 copies of the book have been sold in WA alone.

But Mr Sue's trajectory to war began when he was merely 16 years old. After receiving a white feather in the mail - a symbol of cowardice - he joined the merchant navy, sailing the submarine-infested high seas on a Norwegian oil tanker.

En route, he rubbed shoulders with nazi sailors on shore leave in pro-German neutral ports, and witnessed the fiery death by torpedo of an Allied merchantman at night.

On returning to Fremantle he attempted to enlist in the Royal Australian Navy, but was rejected because of his Chinese background. The fact that he was Australian-born and that China was a wartime ally made no difference.

Ironically, it was precisely his oriental appearance and connections - as well as his fluency in Chinese and Malay - that led to Mr Sue's recruitment into Z Special Unit, an ultra-secret organisation that infiltrated agents behind Japanese lines throughout the South-West Pacific for sabotage, guerilla warfare, and intelligence gathering.

After extensive training in the ruthless methods and technologies of clandestine warfare, Mr Sue was sent into the field as agent AKR 13. Leaving Fremantle on the USS Tuna, he was inserted into Borneo to conduct operation Agas 1. He had been issued with “L-tablets”, lethal capsules to be ingested if captured. At the time, Borneo was occupied by 37,000 troops of the Japanese Imperial Army.

The aim was to gather intelligence on Japanese troop movements as a prelude to the Australian invasion of Borneo. It was during this operation that Mr Sue won the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions in securing intelligence at Bongawan railway station.

Mr Sue was also involved in Operation Kingfisher, a plan to rescue the PoWs at the brutal Sandakan prison camp in northern Borneo. With nearly 2000 Japanese troops in the area, Mr Sue had to reconnoitre the camp and its hinterland.

All but six of the 2400 prisoners at the camp died on the subsequent Sandakan Death Marches, or were murdered at the camp itself. Mr Sue is the last living witness to the third and final march.

Historian Lynette Silver, author of Sandakan: A Conspiracy of Silence, describes his predicament: “Into their line of vision came a contingent of Japanese guards, followed by four skeletal creatures, so starved and emaciated they looked more like mummified corpses than human beings.” They were Australian PoWs.

Mr Sue's instincts told him to kill the guards and free the prisoners. But his training told him to stay under cover. The image of his countrymen as the living dead haunted Mr Sue.

In 1945, at the age of just 19, Mr Sue emerged from the jungle emaciated, psychologically haunted and a decorated war hero. With great fortitude, he began the process of building a new life in civvy street.

Jack Sue, a quiet hero and a brave man
World War II RAAF Officer and Z Special Unit hero Jack Sue remembered
PerthNow
ABC
Yahoo

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