Larry George Wong

Larry George Wong served in the Newfoundland Regiment. « View Transcript

Larry Y (Interviewer)

Larry Wong was conscripted in 1944, and was the only Chinese in his regiment.

Larry George Wong (Interviewee)

I was conscripted actually; I wasn't considered as a... a as general serviceman. I did join in a little later on to consider myself as a general service, and I thought maybe perhaps being ignored by the Canadian government for so long that maybe I had a little misforgiving [sic] about all of this but anyways, I got over that. And the... my... my sergeant that talked me into being a general serviceman, so that... that's what happened.

Larry (Interviewer)

And where were you stationed with the army?

Larry

After basic training in Halifax, I think it was three months basic training in Halifax in the winter. Oh, was it cold there. I'll have to tell you a funny story about that, about Halifax. I... I heard, we were issued four blankets and ... we had a pillow and ..., but even one blanket below and three blankets on top, I was still cold. Then I remembered ... hearing somebody saying that maybe you should put paper, newspaper in between the blankets and you'll stay a lot warmer. And that's what I did one night and then next day I was hearing some... some soldiers next to me saying that, "What was all that rustling last night? I couldn't sleep at all. " I was... I thought well maybe... maybe I better not put anymore newspaper into... in between the blankets (laughs).

After basic training I was... I was transferred to a regiment called the Edmonton Fusiliers, and they actually... we... they shipped us to Newfoundland and the regiment that the French regiment in Newfoundland, was shipped overseas. So we stayed in Newfoundland for roughly about... maybe about ... six... six months and then the war was over.

And we, I think we got shipped back to the... The regiment broke up in the meantime and I was shipped to Winnipeg, to a... a regiment, Princess Patricia's. And we spent the winter there and one thing I remembered in the... in Winnipeg was that one morning, standing at... at attention, I found out that that one of my ears were frozen. And the sergeant told me that... that my... my ears are frozen; I guess they'd turned white (laughs), and for 20 years after that, every spring my ears would itch.

Larry (Interviewer)

Were there any other Chinese in the regiment?

Larry

In the Edmonton, Edmonton Fusiliers I was the only Chinese I believe. I don't remember any other Chinese there. I was sent back to Vancouver and discharged there in 1948.