Dragon and the Maple Leaf

A newsletter of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum Society

..cont from welcome to... came about when the Second World War veterans returned home and through their actions, helped to repeal the Chinese Immigration Act (AKA the Exclusion Act) and became Canadian Citizens, and won the right to vote. There are many stories to be told, and many artifacts to exhibit but funds are required to acquire, record and display them. Your membership and or donation is greatly welcomed.

China on the Western Front by Larry Wong

There are Chinese graves in the World War One cemeteries in Europe. raising the question. what are they doing there? I researched the matter by reading academic papers from the universities of Vancouver and Toronto. I then widened my search to the archives in Vancouver, Victoria and Toronto as well as inquiring the museums and archives in England, France and China. It is not entirety a Canadian story but nonetheless it is a fascinating tale. It began in 1917, when the British Government asked the Canadian missionaries in China to recruit labourers to provide manual labour behind the front line in Europe. The result was a labour battalion called the Chinese Labour Corps. With the help of the Canadian Covernment, Canadian Paciflc Steamers, specially modified trains, and military convoys shipped approximately 100.000 labourers to the Front. Their journey within Canada was kept a secret and a press blackout was imposed on all newspapers. Armed Canadian soldiers were on each raiIway car to none of the Chinese would escape - Canadian doctors & misssionaries were also on board the trains. Working behind the front lines, the labourers unloaded ships, built roads, repaired war vehicles and dug trenches. In more then one incident, the Chinese saved the lives of their British superiors from dangerous situations. Medals were awrarded for the heroism. The labourers remained after the war to clean thebattlefields of corpses and debris. The most dangerous job was collecting live ammunition & bombs buried in the ground. By 1920, the Chinese Labor were ready to be repatriated. Two thousand of their number died from various causes & it is their graves that dot the European war cemetries. On arrival in Halifax, they were greeted by a handful of women welcomed them with fruits and chocolates. It was the only cheerful moment in Canaca for the Chinese. Under armed guards on the train, the Chinese were returned to Victoria. There, at the William Head Quarantine Station, the labourers rioted against the authorities and tried to escape. They were quickly roundedup and within days were on board ships going back to China.