Share on Facebook
Share on X
Share by Email
Share on Google Classroom
"We [Chinese-Canadians] did our share during the war and we did our share to fight for our rights which we got in 1947, we got our vote [in federal elections] now, so we were equal to harmonize with the fabric of our society."
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. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
![Contemporary Photo of Mr. Wong, 2010.]({"id":"e447beab-55e7-42a1-bf7c-97331fdf6dd5","disk":"s3","directory":"MemoryProject\/ThomasKwokHungTommyWong","filename":"7380_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":143731,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2021-08-18T20:11:59.000000Z","updated_at":"2021-08-18T20:11:59.000000Z","title":"Contemporary Photo of Mr. Wong, 2010.","alt":"Contemporary Photo of Mr. Wong, 2010.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of Thomas Wong","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/ThomasKwokHungTommyWong\/7380_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/ThomasKwokHungTommyWong\/7380_original.jpg","credit":"Courtesy of Thomas Wong","pivot":{"mediable_id":"b5a0f92d-3b5d-4970-8f08-b52c7c0d6526","media_id":"e447beab-55e7-42a1-bf7c-97331fdf6dd5","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":1},"translations":[{"id":"8104022e-fd25-463c-857a-e2ecbcfe24da","media_id":"e447beab-55e7-42a1-bf7c-97331fdf6dd5","title":"Contemporary Photo of Mr. Wong, 2010.","alt":"Contemporary Photo of Mr. Wong, 2010.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of Thomas Wong","locale":"en","credit":"Courtesy of Thomas Wong"},{"id":"be64d168-0c4f-4da4-84dc-e10ed7d157d8","media_id":"e447beab-55e7-42a1-bf7c-97331fdf6dd5","title":"Portrait contemporain de M. Wong en 2010.","alt":"Portrait contemporain de M. Wong en 2010.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Avec la permission de Thomas Wong","locale":"fr","credit":"Avec la permission de Thomas Wong"}]} "Contemporary Photo of Mr. Wong, 2010.")
![Contemporary poster acknowledging the efforts of Chinese-Canadian and Japanese-Canadian soldiers during the Second World War.]({"id":"16ec150c-cdb5-4f3a-8796-fd7c7829ff67","disk":"s3","directory":"MemoryProject\/ThomasKwokHungTommyWong","filename":"7384_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":1333319,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2021-08-18T20:12:00.000000Z","updated_at":"2021-08-18T20:12:00.000000Z","title":"Contemporary poster acknowledging the efforts of Chinese-Canadian and Japanese-Canadian soldiers during the Second World War.","alt":"Contemporary poster acknowledging the efforts of Chinese-Canadian and Japanese-Canadian soldiers during the Second World War.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/ThomasKwokHungTommyWong\/7384_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/ThomasKwokHungTommyWong\/7384_original.jpg","credit":"","pivot":{"mediable_id":"b5a0f92d-3b5d-4970-8f08-b52c7c0d6526","media_id":"16ec150c-cdb5-4f3a-8796-fd7c7829ff67","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":2},"translations":[{"id":"9dcdba6b-f35f-4f39-bf25-920c725eb9cd","media_id":"16ec150c-cdb5-4f3a-8796-fd7c7829ff67","title":"Contemporary poster acknowledging the efforts of Chinese-Canadian and Japanese-Canadian soldiers during the Second World War.","alt":"Contemporary poster acknowledging the efforts of Chinese-Canadian and Japanese-Canadian soldiers during the Second World War.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"","locale":"en","credit":""},{"id":"e06936a8-1874-4455-bdde-883e1cc543e6","media_id":"16ec150c-cdb5-4f3a-8796-fd7c7829ff67","title":"Affiche contemporaine reconnaissant les efforts des soldats sino-canadiens et des nippoo-canadiens pendant Seconde Guerre Mondiale.","alt":"Affiche contemporaine reconnaissant les efforts des soldats sino-canadiens et des nippoo-canadiens pendant Seconde Guerre Mondiale.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"","locale":"fr","credit":""}]} "Contemporary poster acknowledging the efforts of Chinese-Canadian and Japanese-Canadian soldiers during the Second World War.")
![A brief paragraph from the Chinese Canadian Military Museum outlining Mr. Wong's service.]({"id":"53c412cf-5bc6-4b45-8184-0523f609c77a","disk":"s3","directory":"MemoryProject\/ThomasKwokHungTommyWong","filename":"7383_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":263881,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2021-08-18T20:12:00.000000Z","updated_at":"2021-08-18T20:12:00.000000Z","title":"A brief paragraph from the Chinese Canadian Military Museum outlining Mr. Wong's service.","alt":"A brief paragraph from the Chinese Canadian Military Museum outlining Mr. Wong's service.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/ThomasKwokHungTommyWong\/7383_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/ThomasKwokHungTommyWong\/7383_original.jpg","credit":"Courtesy of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum","pivot":{"mediable_id":"b5a0f92d-3b5d-4970-8f08-b52c7c0d6526","media_id":"53c412cf-5bc6-4b45-8184-0523f609c77a","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":3},"translations":[{"id":"aa561790-c2c0-48ec-9203-e8903e81a6a4","media_id":"53c412cf-5bc6-4b45-8184-0523f609c77a","title":"A brief paragraph from the Chinese Canadian Military Museum outlining Mr. Wong's service.","alt":"A brief paragraph from the Chinese Canadian Military Museum outlining Mr. Wong's service.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum","locale":"en","credit":"Courtesy of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum"},{"id":"88d97cd9-3a00-477a-bbd9-f017d60f5ec5","media_id":"53c412cf-5bc6-4b45-8184-0523f609c77a","title":"Court paragraphe sur le service de M. Wong publi\u00e9 par le Chinese Canadian Military Museum (mus\u00e9e militaire canadien chinois).","alt":"Court paragraphe sur le service de M. Wong publi\u00e9 par le Chinese Canadian Military Museum (mus\u00e9e militaire canadien chinois).","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Avec la permission du Mus\u00e9e militaire canadien chinois","locale":"fr","credit":"Avec la permission du Mus\u00e9e militaire canadien chinois"}]} "A brief paragraph from the Chinese Canadian Military Museum outlining Mr. Wong's service.")
![Service Medical Record of Thomas Wong, September 1945.]({"id":"985662a3-4226-4e56-9161-845ff94fc754","disk":"s3","directory":"MemoryProject\/ThomasKwokHungTommyWong","filename":"7381_original","extension":"jpg","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","aggregate_type":"image","size":540059,"variant_name":null,"original_media_id":null,"created_at":"2021-08-18T20:11:59.000000Z","updated_at":"2021-08-18T20:11:59.000000Z","title":"Service Medical Record of Thomas Wong, September 1945.","alt":"Service Medical Record of Thomas Wong, September 1945.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of Thomas Wong","conversion_urls":{"original":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/ThomasKwokHungTommyWong\/7381_original.jpg"},"url":"https:\/\/d2ttikhf7xbzbs.cloudfront.net\/MemoryProject\/ThomasKwokHungTommyWong\/7381_original.jpg","credit":"Courtesy of Thomas Wong","pivot":{"mediable_id":"b5a0f92d-3b5d-4970-8f08-b52c7c0d6526","media_id":"985662a3-4226-4e56-9161-845ff94fc754","mediable_type":"App\\Models\\Article","tag":"gallery","order":4},"translations":[{"id":"c0f3c575-1d23-435c-804b-730ea94d32e4","media_id":"985662a3-4226-4e56-9161-845ff94fc754","title":"Service Medical Record of Thomas Wong, September 1945.","alt":"Service Medical Record of Thomas Wong, September 1945.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Courtesy of Thomas Wong","locale":"en","credit":"Courtesy of Thomas Wong"},{"id":"e9520c51-4b80-4f24-9111-38466332cd52","media_id":"985662a3-4226-4e56-9161-845ff94fc754","title":"Dossier m\u00e9dical de service de Thomas Wong, septembre 1945.","alt":"Dossier m\u00e9dical de service de Thomas Wong, septembre 1945.","caption":null,"creator":null,"source":"Avec la permission de Thomas Wong","locale":"fr","credit":"Avec la permission de Thomas Wong"}]} "Service Medical Record of Thomas Wong, September 1945.")
Transcript
I joined the air force or the airplane club in Victoria [British Columbia]. So I had the basic training of the airplane. And I loved flying, so I joined the war because I like flying. Early in 1939, I applied in Vancouver [British Columbia] to get into the [Royal Canadian] Air Force, but I was told to wait until further development and I was accepted after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor [on December 7, 1941]. There’s not many Chinese in the Canadian Air Force, they’re mostly Army. There’s some Naval people, not many. I know I was the first one in because following, there’s a few; very few. Yeah, I was the first one in.
All my family, I’ve been writing home and tell them my progress in my school work, which is pretty high marks and all that. So they’re very, very happy that I was serving the country with interest. So they were very, very happy because myself, being second generation in the war, because two of my uncles served in World War I, so my mother kept it like we were very, very interested to help the country. So patriotically, we were all for it.
So, in the beginning, I was airframe mechanic and then afterward, I was promoted to further study as an aeronautical inspector. So I’m the only, what they call AID, Aeronautical Inspection [District], that’s what it means, so that’s the highest groundcrew promotion you can get – AID – so I went to Malton [Ontario] to study. So I was graduated. I had a very, very good job being an aeronautical inspector.
When I joined, there were a certain amount of discrimination. We were discriminated [against], but I myself, I did my jobs so I have proven that I got the highest reward for my education. We [Chinese-Canadians] did our share during the war and we did our share to fight for our rights which we got in 1947, we got our vote [in federal elections] now, so we were equal to harmonize with the fabric of our society. And I think that’s good.
Other people have a lot of complaint. I have no complaint whatever. The service, they gave me the best treatment because the job I performed, it required cooperation and I enjoy 100 percent. So, on this note, I’d like to tell you that I have no complaint whatever. Despite of the discrimination and all that which was, is not my move to complain. What I did was very, very enjoyable.
