Canada Post's new Remembrance Day stamp honours 150 Chinese Canadian volunteers who went behind enemy lines
The stamp recognizes men who volunteered while still barred from full citizenship under the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act.
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Canada Post's new Remembrance Day stamp honours 150 Chinese Canadians who volunteered for covert operations in 1944, when the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act still barred them from full citizenship. The stamp was unveiled in Vancouver on Nov. 3, and a ceremony was held in Toronto on Tuesday, attended by family and friends of the volunteers.
The men were recruited for their language skills and their ability to blend in on missions behind enemy lines in Japanese-occupied Asia. They served with Force 136, part of Britain's Special Operations Executive, or with Australia's Services Reconnaissance Department, and trained in espionage, sabotage, guerrilla warfare, parachuting and intelligence gathering.
Rick Wong's father, Hank Wong, served in Operation Oblivion. Rick called the sacrifice "actually kind of extraordinary." He recalled his father did not think it was a big thing, saying only that "you gotta do what you gotta do."
The Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed two years after the war ended, and Chinese Canadians gained full citizenship rights, including the right to vote. Historians say the Force 136 members' contributions extended beyond the battlefield.
The stamp features a black-and-white photograph of Force 136 members awaiting repatriation in 1945, overlaid with the unit's red phoenix insignia. Its name appears in English, French and traditional Chinese.
Sharifa Khan of the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto said Canada Post needed to recognize that immigrants built Canada and also fought in the war.
How many of the 150 volunteers survived the war or returned to Canada?
What is the stamp's print run, price and where can it be bought?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
