Basic Training
Heroes Remember
Basic Training
Transcript
We got a letter from his majesty, the King and it said, "you're
called up for service" and we went to Little Mountain in
Vancouver and there of course we had to get our certificate from
our doctors, telling in what category we were in and I was A1,
everything was nothing wrong with me. I remember we registered in
Picture of Chinese Canadian Soldier standing my himself.
Little Mountain, in Vancouver and that was in September of 1944.Three Chinese Canadian Soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder.
Three rows of Soldiers with rifles in front of barracks.
And they interviewed us, which part of the service you want toLarge group of soldiers posing in front of their barrack.
join more or less and I was in the artillery and I think 5 of us from, one of them was my cousin, 5 of us went to Camp Shiloh, Manitoba. And a lot of them went to, there was over about 800 of us being called up. Some went to Wetaskiwin, Red Deer, MapleSoldiers in winter gear with rifles.
Creek, Camp Shiloh, Chilliwack, Camp Borden and Barryfield. And these were basic trainings in Canadian services, some were in the infantry, tank corps, engineering, air force, the air force. No, they didn't give us a hard time, they treated us, you know, as ordinary people, the occidentals, we all felt the same, you know, we weren't being discriminated when in the services. Matter of fact, they all looked up at us, we felt like kings, when the whole bunch of us were walking down Vancouver, you know, we just feeled, they just, they were very proud of us. Especially, you know, when we were in uniform. I myself felt that was the best time of my life, in this, my life time, we had known many new comrades and it was very enjoyable.Description
Mr. Wong speaks about the treatment the Chinese received during basic training.
Victor Eric Wong
Mr Wong was born in Victoria, BC and enlisted in 1944 at the age of 18. He went overseas to fight in China after training at Camp Shiloh in Manitoba. He was a rifleman with the Special Operative Executive that fought in Burma and was trained in guerilla warfare.
Meta Data
- Medium:
- Video
- Owner:
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- Duration:
- 02:47
- Person Interviewed:
- Victor Eric Wong
- War, Conflict or Mission:
- Second World War
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