Canada Post unveils Remembrance Day stamp honoring Chinese Canadians who served in Force 136

Canada Post on Wednesday unveiled a new Remembrance Day stamp paying tribute to the Chinese Canadians who volunteered for Force 136 and served in secret Allied operations in Asia during the Second World War.

Despite facing racial discrimination at home, about 150 Chinese Canadians stepped forward for dangerous missions behind Japanese lines. Their service helped advance the Allied war effort and break down racial barriers in Canada. The stamp was unveiled at an event at the Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver, attended by family and friends of the volunteers.

Demonstrating their commitment to Canada

At the start of the war, Chinese Canadians were initially barred from enlisting due to racial discrimination. That changed in 1944, when Allied planners sought Chinese Canadians with language skills and the ability to blend in for covert operations in Japanese-occupied Asia.

About 150 Chinese Canadians were recruited and served with Force 136, part of Britain's Special Operations Executive, or with Australia's Services Reconnaissance Department for missions behind enemy lines. They underwent intense training in espionage, guerrilla warfare, parachuting, wireless operation and jungle survival, gathering intelligence, supporting resistance networks and carrying out sabotage.

For the Chinese Canadian community, military service was about more than supporting the war effort. At the time, Chinese Canadians were denied the right to vote and could not practise their professions, and immigration from China was heavily restricted by the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act, leaving them as second-class citizens. Many saw enlistment as a way to demonstrate their commitment to Canada and press for change.

"They wanted to prove that they were Canadians, and they thought the best way to do that was to fight for this country, even though they were treated as second-class citizens," said community historian, author and curator Catherine Clement.

By the end of the war, more than 600 Chinese Canadians had served in all three branches of the Canadian military. The 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in 1947, and Chinese Canadians were granted full citizenship and the right to vote.

About the stamp

Designed by Toronto-based Clear Space, the stamp features a black-and-white photograph of Chinese Canadian soldiers awaiting repatriation in 1945, overlaid with the red phoenix insignia of Force 136, whose name appears in English, French and traditional Chinese.

Printed by Colour Innovations, the issue includes a booklet of six domestic-rate stamps, an Official First Day Cover and a pane of five stamps. The cover is cancelled in Vancouver, home of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum and the Chinese Canadian Museum, where the stamp was unveiled. The cancellation mark features the Burma Star, awarded for service in the Burma campaign.

The stamp and collectibles are available at canadapost.ca and postal outlets across Canada from November 4.

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