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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

#booksky #SOE #force136 The creation of multicultural #Canada came in part from #WWII in Asia. Alan Bartley profiles one of the protagonists and his plan that became a catalyst for change. See my book review at www.reddit.com/u/force136ca...

Book cover of:

Beyond Operation Oblivion: A Canadian Spy Before, During, and After the Fall of Hong Kong, 1941
by Allan Bartley
Heritage House Publishing
September 1, 2026
Paperback
288 pages
Price: $29.95
ISBN: 978-1772035841

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

#histbookchat #booksky #SOE #force136 "Beyond Operation Oblivion" by Allan Bartley is the best narrative about Mike Kendall and Operation Oblivion. See my book review at www.reddit.com/u/force136ca...

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

#WWII #VJDay Eight decades ago the war in Asia ended, or did it? Find out at www.reddit.com/user/force13....

The Japanese surrender on board the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945. General Umezu Yoshijiro, Chief of the Army General Staff, signing the Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters. (courtesy National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

#LestWeForget 🍁 Juno Beach, Bernières-sur-Mer, 6 June 1944.

Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders land on Juno Beach at Bernières-sur-Mer, France, on 6 June 1944.

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

The callup & successful paramilitary training of 150 Chinese Canadians by Special Operations Executive ( #SOE ) for special duties within South East Asia Command ( #SEAC ), demonstrated their loyalty to #Canada and gave leverage to their fight for equal rights... (2/3)

Mike Kendall and John Ko Bong of Force 136 on a training exercse for Operation Oblivion in Australia in late 1944.

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

#OTD in 1973, Francis Woodley "Mike" Kendall passed away in Hong Kong at the age of 65. The Vancouver-born mining engineer was the architect of #OperationOblivion, a #WW2 secret mission to insert Chinese-Canadian special forces behind enemy lines in the #HongKong region... (1/3)

Portrait of Francis Woodley "Mike" Kendall, a Vancouverite who during the Second World War conceived the plan for Operation Oblivion to recruit Chinese Canadians for covert operations behind Japanese lines in Southern China and Southeast Asia.

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

The pivot rebranded Japan's "New Order in East Asia" as the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere," drawing Japan into direct conflict with Britain, the Netherlands and the US. Had the IJA prevailed, Japan's resources may never have turned south, leading toward Pearl Harbor. (2/2)

A map depicting Japanese forces liberating the Asia-Pacific region from Western exploitation within a Japanese propaganda booklet published during the Tokyo Conference held from 5-6 November 1943. (courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

#OTD in 1939, Japan's defeat at Khalkhin Gol fatally discredited the Imperial Japanese Army's Hokushin-ron (Strike North) doctrine, sidelining advocates of northward expansion against the USSR in favour of the navy-backed Nanshin-ron (Strike South)... (1/2)

Soviet BT-7 tanks in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol. (courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Strategic map of "Hokushin-ron", the Japanese plans for a potential attack on the Soviet Union. (courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

2/2 The #Oblivion 13 underwent paramilitary training 7 days a week from 6AM - 9PM for 3 months. Instruction included Cantonese & swimming lessons. Training success prompted the call up of the Chinese Canadians in August 1944 to volunteer for special duty in SE Asia in #Force136; ~150 would serve.

Dunrobin’s Bay on Lake Okanagan in 1944, location of the temporary SOE training camp for the 13 Chinese Canadians recruited for Operation Oblivion. Today, it is an historic site known as Commando Bay. (courtesy Rick Wong)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

#AsianHeritageMonth 1/2 In May 1944, having received approval for #SOE Operation Oblivion, Mike Kendall & Hugh Legg recruited the first 13 #Force136 Chinese Canadians. Along with 2 Special Training School 103 instructors & Kendall's wife, a temporary training camp was set up on Lake Okanagan. ->

Mike Kendall and instructor Andy McClure (seated) pose with 12 of the Chinese-Canadian Operation Oblivion volunteers on the dock at the Commando Bay training camp on Lake Okanagan in 1944. (courtesy Chinese Canadian Military Museum)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

#histbookchat #force136 EVENT: Talking History April 30, 6:30 - 8:30 PM WongAvery Asia Pacific Peace Museum 1775 Lawrence Ave E, Scarborough, ON Catherine Little shares her fascinating story on writing "Endgame: The Secret Force 136". More details at www.asiapacificpeacemuseum.com/event-detail...

Advertisement for an Asian Heritage Month Event, Talking History, featuring Catherine Little, the author of the acclaimed children's book, "Endgame: The Secret Force 136".

Children's book cover for "Endgame: The Secret Force 136" by Catherine Little and illustrated by Sean Huang.

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

#OTD in 1940, Wang Jingwei formally announced formation of his Reorganized National Government of the Republic of #China (中華民國國民政府) in Nanjing. Backed by #Japan, the collaborationist regime deepened China's fragmentation, creating a rival nationalist centre that further weakened resistance.

Wang Jingwei and supporters at the 30 March 1940 National Assembly Hall inauguration ceremony of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China in Nanjing. (courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

#OTD in 1933, Japan announced its withdrawal from the League of Nations in reaction to the Lytton Commission report on Japan's seizure of #Manchuria. This symbolized increasing Japanese militarism, expansionist ambitions, and the dismantling of democratic governance in Japan—precursors to #WWII.

Members of the Lytton Commission inspect track on the South China Railway at the site of the Mukden Incident, an explosion which the Japanese used as justification for occupying Manchuria. (courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

#OTD in 1945, a second group of 16 #Force136 Chinese Canadians arrived by ship in Brisbane, Australia, from San Francisco. Since the #SOE Hong Kong #Oblivion mission had been canceled, they trained for deployment to Sarawak on the island of Borneo instead, including learning to speak Malay.

USNS Fred C. Ainsworth (T-AP-181) off San Francisco, CA, 11 August 1955. (courtesy the collections of the US Naval Historical Center via Wikimedia Commons)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

#OTD in 1934, Franklin Roosevelt signed the Tydings-McDuffie Act into law, which established a ten-year transition period for the Philippines to achieve independence set for July 4, 1946. Unlike other Southeast Asian countries, this mitigated the conditions for a war of independence after #WWII.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signs the Tydings-McDuffie Act on March 24, 1934. Standing behind him (from left to right) are Wyoming Democratic Sen. Joseph O'Mahoney, Secretary of War George H. Dern, Filipino Senator Elpidio Quirino, Filipino leader and future president Manuel Quezon, Maryland Democratic Senator Millard E. Tydings, and Chief of the Bureau of Insular Affairs C.F. Cox. (courtesy Encyclopædia Britannica)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

#OTD in 1944, British Security Co-ordination opened a temporary Special Operations Executive training camp at Dunrobin’s Bay on Lake Okanagan. Here, the first 13 #Force136 volunteers for Operation #Oblivion undertook paramilitary training. Today, the site is known as Commando Bay.

Wing Wong, John Ko Bong, Norman Mon Low, and Tom Lock pose with pistols drawn at the #SOE Commando Bay paramilitary training camp on Lake Okanagan in British Columbia. (courtesy Keith Lock)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

#OTD in 1932, fighting breaks out in #Shanghai between the #Chinese 19th Route Army and #Japanese marines. Known as the January 28 Incident or the Shanghai Incident, this was the first example of modern urban warfare fought between two heavily-equipped armies. A ceasefire was signed on May 5.

Chinese Nationalist Military Police manning an improvised roadblock in Shanghai's Zhabei district during January 28 Incident fighting with the Japanese. (courtesy Hinode Shimbun (日出新聞) via Wikipedia)

A map by Su Chia-jung showing Japanese-Chinese warfare in Shanghai on 24 February 1932 during the January 28 Incident (courtesy Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center, Boston Public Library)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Tracing this global conflict back to the start of ongoing hostilities that lead to this point, one must begin with the Marco Polo Bridge Incident of 7 July 1937. War broke out between #China and #Japan in #Beijing which would involve British, Soviet, and US support for the Nationalist Chinese.

A Chinese defensive position across the Lugou Bridge (卢沟桥) on the Yongding River (永定河) during the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in July 1937. This skirmish with the Japanese resulted in the outbreak of open warfare, considered the start of World War II in Asia. (courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

#OTD in 1941, Franklin D. #Roosevelt wrote to Ambassador Joseph C. Grew in response to his inquiry about #US policy toward #Japan: “I believe that the fundamental proposition that we must recognize is that hostilities in Europe, in Africa, and in Asia are all parts of a single world conflict.”

Franklin Delano Roosevelt signing the Lend-Lease Bill (H.R.1776) on 11 March 1941. (courtesy New York World-Telegram and Sun collection at the Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

"1945: The Reckoning" by @philmcraig.bsky.social speaks to the global context of #Force136 and the making of modern Canada. The effort to achieve respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, happened at both national & international levels. See Phil on #WW2TV at www.youtube.com/live/OIvLXg6...

Book cover of "1945: The Reckoning" by Phil Craig.

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

The best account of this escape is Tim Luard's well-researched book, "Escape from Hong Kong". Tim has a blog at timalisonontour.blogspot.com where he retraced the journey in 2010. For a personal account of the December 25 departure, see Colin McEwan's diary entry at gwulo.com/node/56910.

Admiral Chan Chak with the Christmas Day escape party upon arrival in Huizhou in Free China on 29 December 1941. (courtesy Hong Kong Museum of The War of Resistance and Coastal Defence)

#histbookchat Book cover of "Escape from Hong Kong: Admiral Chan Chak’s Christmas Day Dash, 1941" by Tim Luard. (courtesy Hong Kong University Press)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

#OTD in 1941, it was Black Christmas in #Hongkong when Governor Sir Mark Aitchison Young surrendered the colony to the Japanese at the Peninsula Hotel. Those of C Force surviving the battle, would have to endure 3 years, 8 months, and 4 days of brutal incarceration under the Japanese...

Surrender formalities being discussed at the Peninsula Hotel on 25 December 1941. Major General Maltby is centre. Lieutenant General Sakai Takashi (酒井隆) is in the back row, second from the right. (courtesy Mainichi Shimbun via Wikimedia Commons)

Front page of South China Morning Post on December 26, 1941, announcing Hong Kong's surrender to the Japanese. (courtesy Gwulo.com)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Looking for a thoughtful children's #Christmas gift? Endgame: The Secret #Force136, written by @catherinelittle.bsky.social and vividly illustrated by Sean Huang, teaches on many levels. Read this review for details thebcreview.ca/2025/09/21/2.... #histbookchat #BookSky #KidsBook #HistoryForKids

The colourful book cover for "Endgame: The Secret Force 136", written by Catherine Little and illustrated by Sean Huang.

An illustration from pages 6 & 7 of the children's book, "Endgame: The Secret Force 136", showing ancient Chinese warfare from the Chin Dynasty.

Illustrations from pages 8 & 9 of the children's book, "Endgame: The Secret Force 136", explaining the game of Chinese chess, called Xiangqi (象棋 xiàngqí), which directly translates as "elephant chess".

Graphics from pages 18 & 19 of the children's book, "Endgame: The Secret Force 136", that illustrate the skills that the main character's grandfather had to train for in Force 136.

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

#histbookchat Looks like a suitable addition to Spencer Chapman and Kenneison. I'm very interested in the beginnings of the #SOE Far East Mission and those who trained at STS 101.

Book cover of "The Special Operations Executive in Malaya" by Rebecca Kenneison.

Book cover of "The Jungle is Neutral" by Freddy Spencer Chapman.

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

While militarily futile, the Battle for Hong Kong was a political necessity that is part of a web of interconnected events in which Canada saw its first land action in World War II. Thus was set in motion a chain of events that would see significant political & social changes in post-war Canada...

Imperial Japanese Army soldiers crossing the Kwong Fuk Bridge (廣福橋) on the Lam Tsuen River (林村河) at Tai Po (大埔). Undemolished, the bridge allowed the Japanese to advance more rapidly on Kowloon from the Chinese border. (courtesy Mainichi Shimbun via Wikimedia Commons)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

#OTD in 1941, Japan invaded the British colony of #Hongkong as part of co-ordinated strikes on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and the Southeast Asian colonies of Britain, the Netherlands, and the United States that aimed to secure vital natural resources...

Japanese aircraft attacking Kowloon on 8 December 1941. Kai Tak Aerodrome is in the foreground with wrecked aircraft in front of the hangar on the right. (courtesy ACME / Harrison Forman)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

#OTD in 1940, the Treaty Concerning the Basic Relations Between #Japan and the Republic of #China is signed in Nanjing. This was Japan's formal diplomatic recognition of Wang Jingwei’s collaborationist Reorganized National Government of China which was an attempt to split Chinese resistance.

A Japanese propaganda leaflet commemorating the first anniversary of the Treaty Concerning the Basic Relations Between Japan and the Republic of China. The main text on the right reads:

One year has passed since the signing of the Sino-Japanese Basic Treaty! Now is the time for a united China, Japan, and Manchukuo! Recalling that a year prior, at 10:25 AM on November 30th, 1930, the Basic Treaty between China and Japan was signed in Nanjing, along with the joint declaration issued by China, Japan, and Manchukuo. China, Japan, and Manchukuo should work together to seek comprehensive peace in East Asia, and then establish four principles: a world alliance, economic co-operation, cultural exchange, and co-operation. What are these four principles?

Anyone holding this red leaflet can enter any theatre in Nanjing City for free on November 30th (excluding cinemas).

中日基本條約簽訂一週年來矣! 現在為中日滿大同團結之時機! 回憶一年前即民國二十九年十一月三十日上午十時二十五分,在南京簽訂中日基本條約,同時發表中日滿共同宣言,中日滿協力一致謀東亞之全面和平,進而確立世界同盟,經濟合作,文化溝通四原則,所謂四原則者爲何? 和平,此基本條約及共同宣言之納前要不外政治獨立,軍事同盟,經濟合作,文化溝通四原則,所謂四原則者爲何?

凡持此赤色傳單者十一月三十日當日可以免費入淡口市內各戲場(但電戲院不在此例)

(courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

#OTD in 1936, the Anti-Comintern Pact was signed in Berlin between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. It was aimed at countering the influence of the Communist International and signaled Japan’s readiness to associate itself with revisionist powers in Europe. #WWII #WWIIhistory #antifa

German envoy, Joachim von Ribbentrop, signing the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan. Left: Japanese ambassador Viscount Mushanokōji Kintomo‎. Right: Dr. Hermann von Raumer (assistant to Ribbentrop). In the background, left to right: Dr. Theodor Böttiger (assistant to Ribbentrop), Baron Ōshima Hiroshi (military attache), embassy counselor Inoue Kojiro, and the legation secretaries Yanai and Furuuchi. (courtesy Ullstein Bild via Wikipedia)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

#histbookchat "The Soong Dynasty" has been on my bookshelf for a very long time. Thought it was time to follow the money to better understand the Republican period power dynamics before getting into biographies on Jiǎng Jièshí (AKA Chiang Kai-shek). Has anyone read this? #booksky #sinology

Paperback book cover of "The Soong Dynasty" by Sterling Seagrave.

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Back in Canada, Ray first visited his family's New York Cafe in Gananoque, Ontario. Back in Winnipeg, he first found work in the produce industry with his brother. He later worked in military security. Pat returned to Winnipeg after the war. They married on 2 February 1948, and raised 3 children.

Mileage card for New York Cafe in Ganoque, Ontario. (courtesy Doug Avery)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Ray Lowe, John Ko Bong, and Wing Wong had minor assignments until transferred to repatriation duties for Canadian prisoners of war when Japan surrendered. At the 5th Replacement Depot in Manila, they helped care for the PoWs when they arrived. The three departed Manila for Canada in October 1945.

Canadian Prisoners of War captured during the battle of Hong Kong, 25 December 1941. Individuals shown here were part of a group sent from Hong Kong to Japan on 19 January 1943. (courtesy Larry Stebbe/The Memory Project)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Kendall oversaw the Australia training, covering areas not possible at Commando Bay: Japanese weapons, jungle warfare, parachute jumping, and submarine infiltration. By mid-December, they were ready to board the submarine for China. Next month, Operation Oblivion was cancelled.

Operation Oblivion team at Mount Martha outside Brisbane in 1944. Back row: Doug Jung, Jim Shiu, Norm Wong, Hank Wong, Louey King. Front row: John Bong, Edward Chow, Roy Shin Twe Chan, Wing Wong, Norman Mon Low, Roger Kee Cheng, Tom Lock, Vincent Yeung, and Ray Lowe. Vincent Yeung was attached to Oblivion from the British Army Aid Group to facilitate making contact with BAAG after landing in southern China by submarine.

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

A skilled wireless operator, Ray went for an advanced W/T course in Meerut, India. En route, he met his future wife, Pat, in England. She was a Canadian marooned when the war began. Mike Kendall picked him up in India at the end of the course, and they continued on to Australia for more training.

Instruction manual diagram of the Type 3 MK II portable wireless set used by Special Operations Executive in the field. (courtesy Crypto Museum)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Lowe first enlisted in the Canadian Army in Winnipeg in 1942. When approached by #SOE for special duties overseas in 1944, he accepted. Intensive paramilitary training ran 6AM-9PM, 7 days a week, from May to September. The only relief was to help harvest fruit at Katherine Wilson’s Paradise Ranch.

Group photo of the Operation Oblivion volunteers on the dock at the Commando Bay training camp with Mike Kendall and Andy McClure. Tom Lock is missing. (courtesy Chinese Canadian Military Museum)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Lowe was born on 29 October 1913 in Victoria, BC, the youngest of six children. He was raised by his father and older siblings after the death of his mother. Ray lived in Victoria until 1929, then left to work as a salesman in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and eventually, Winnipeg.

Vintage postcard of Victoria Chinatown looking west on Fisgard Street showing the Chinese Methodist Church. The 1910s were a period of growth in Chinatown, with an emerging merchant class and the construction of many buildings. (courtesy City of Victoria Archives)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

#LestWeForget🍁 Raymond Young Lowe (1913–2005), “The Voice,” was a Victoria-born businessman and one of 13 Chinese Canadians recruited by Mike Kendall for Operation Oblivion, a covert #SOE mission in southern China under #Force136 ... #WWII #CanadianHistory #RemembranceDay

Portrait of Raymond Young Lowe in uniform. (courtesy Winnipeg Free Press)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

After the war, a reunion was held on 17 September 1988 to dedicate a bronze plaque commemorating the #SOE Okanagan training camp. 87-year old Wing planted poppy seeds on the beach. He said he would never return. But with the poppies, there would always be a little of Wing Wong at Commando Bay.

Commemorative plaque dedication ceremony at Commando Bay on 17 September 1988. Pictured from left to right, Charles Lee (Colour Party), Roy Chan, John Ko Bong, Anita Low, Jimmy Shiu, Ray Lowe, Norm Wong, Louie King, Wing Wong, Eddie Chow, Hank Wong, Doug Jung, and Daniel Lee. (courtesy Rick Wong)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

The original 13 recruits were ready by mid-December. But without US approval, Operation Oblivion was cancelled on 26 January 1945. The Japanese suddenly surrendered on 15 August while Wing awaited reassignment. With no repatriation plan for the men, they had to work their way home on freighters.

Many of the Force 136 Chinese Canadians returned to Vancouver on freighters, such as the SS Kootenay Park. She was a Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship, completed on 6 October 1944 by Burrard Dry Dock Company in North Vancouver. She was managed by the Canadian-Australasian Line Limited of Vancouver until 1946, then sold to Seaboard Shipping and renamed SS Seaboard Pioneer, as pictured here. (courtesy City of Vancouver Archives/Walter E. Frost)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Wing completed the intensive Force 136 paramilitary training that ran seven days a week from 6AM-9PM. On 1 October 1944, the main group sailed for Melbourne, Australia, for further instruction in the use of Japanese weapons, jungle warfare, parachute drops, surveillance, and submarine infiltration.

Training in Australia covered Japanese weapons, knowledge of the Japanese military, surveillance techniques, jungle warfare, parachute jumping, and submarine infiltration operations. Here are Mike Kendall and John Ko Bong during training in Australia. (courtesy Chinese Canadian Millitary Museum)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

In 1944, Mike Kendall summoned Wing Wong to Vancouver for an interview because of his signals training and language ability. He was one of the last to join the Operation Oblivion group. Reminiscing 44 years later, he recalled the reaction of the other men, saying, "The young punks called me, Dad."

Wing "Dad" Wong, John Ko Bong, Norman Mon Low, and Tom Lock pose with pistols drawn at the SOE Commando Bay paramilitary training camp on Lake Okanagan in British Columbia. (courtesy Keith Lock)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Like many Canadians facing similar hardships, Wing enlisted in Regina in 1941. He lied about his age — because he was too old. Wing took basic training at No. 110 CABTC in Vernon, BC, then went to Canadian Signal Training Centre in Barriefield, ON. Afterwards, he was remustered to the Artillery.

The No. 110 Canadian Army (Basic) Training Centre in Vernon, British Columbia. (courtesy Greater Vernon Museum and Archives Photograph Collection)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Born in 1901, Wing came to Canada around when he was 9. He first worked as a houseboy in missionary homes, receiving some schooling. Several years later, he moved to the Prairies, acquiring a farm and a restaurant. Fire gutted the restaurant, drought and the Great Depression destroyed the farm.

A dust storm rolling in over Pearce, Alberta, in November 1942. (courtesy Glenbow Archives)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

#LestWeForget🍁 Wing Lee Wong (1901–1992) was one of 13 Chinese Canadians recruited by Mike Kendall for Operation Oblivion, a covert #SOE mission in southern China under #Force136. At 43, he was the oldest of the group and the only one not born in Canada. #WWII #CanadianHistory #RemembranceDay

Wing Lee Wong holds a Japanese flag and sword at the Liverpool Rest Camp in Moorebank, Australia. (courtesy Chinese Canadian Military Museum)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

With no plan to repatriate the Chinese Canadians from Australia, the Force 136 group were left to find their own way home; typically, working for their passage on freighters. After the war, Norman married Marjorie Kerr, author of "The Dragon and the Maple Leaf: Chinese Canadians in World War II".

One of the Force 136 Chinese Canadians who was stranded in Australia at the end of the war, painting the deck of a freighter to work for his passage home. (courtesy Chinese Canadian Military Museum)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Finishing the basic paramilitary course, the Force 136 contingent sailed to Australia for schooling in Japanese weapons, surveillance, jungle warfare, parachute drops, and submarine landing. Oblivion was cancelled in January 1945. Norman was awaiting reassignment when the war ended on August 15.

Mike Kendall demonstrating to Norm Wong use of a Japanese Nambu Type 92 7.7mm heavy machine gun at Fraser Island, Australia. (courtesy Chinese Canadian Military Museum)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Upon The Fusiliers return from Kiska, they readied for posting overseas. Norman was not to join them. He was sent for an interview with Mike Kendall at the Hotel Vancouver instead, where he signed on to Force 136. Joining the Oblivion team at Commando Bay, he was promoted to Senior Staff Sergeant.

The dock at Commando Bay was completed by the middle of May 1944. This boat was leased from Hugh Leir to move men and supplies between the training camp and Penticton. (courtesy Okanagan Historical Society)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Norman's CO had issued a notice to all troops that the Oriental with them was not Japanese but Chinese. When they landed on Kiska on 16 August 1943, the Japanese had already evacuated. Norman was recalled to Vernon from Kiska on November 21. He next took a jungle warfare course in Prince George.

Allied Landing on Kiska Island, August 15, 1943. This was the first day of the invasion, but Americans and Canadians had already extended a long earthen ramp into the water to help the leaders avoid underwater rocks. (courtesy National Museum of the U.S. Navy)

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Norman was part of the transfer of 10,000 German PoWs from New York City to new camps in Alberta. Later, he was deployed with the 13th Canadian Infantry Brigade for Operation Cottage — a combined US-Canadian campaign for the retaking of Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian Islands from the Japanese.

Internment Camp 130 (Camp K) in Kananaskis, Alberta, was Canada’s first internment camp of the Second World War (courtesy Library and Archives Canada).

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From Oblivion to Triumph @force136ca.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Like Eddie Chow, Norman had tried to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941 without success. Although he was not refused, there was a long waiting list. He was called up under National Resources Mobilization Act in 1942 and was posted to The Canadian Fusiliers (City of London Regiment).

Royal Canadian Air Force Second World War "Let's Go" recruitment poster. (courtesy Canadian War Museum)

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