# Sergeant Chan, Sin Twe



## Old Sweat (6 Nov 2005)

I was searching the CD of Second World War awards to Canadians when I came across the citation for the award of the Military Medal to K69908 Sergeat Chan, Sin Twe. He was dropped behind the Japanese lines in Borneo and organized and led a party of Dyak headhunters in support of the 9th Australian Division.

Now, I knew that Chinese-Canadians served with Force 136 in Malaya and with the Australians in Borneo, but this is the first mention for a gallantry award I have come across. It is one of the most unique citations I have ever see. Does any one have any more information on this matter?


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## Old Sweat (6 Nov 2005)

While walking our dog this afternoon I decided to search the complete Canadian army file for others. (The citations are organized by letter and I came across Chan's while looking for something else in the C file.) There were four Canadian sergeants in all awarded the Military Medal for actions behind Japanese lines in Borneo in support of the 9th Australian Division. The others awards went to King, Louey K50207, Low, Norman Mon K49785 amd Shieu, James K69286.

Their contribution must have been significant for this many medals to have been awarded.


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## 3rd Herd (6 Nov 2005)

Quick search of Vancouver newspapers

Four Chinese Decorated For Secret Borneo Mission  

The Vancouver Sun, Monday September 6, 1946: Final Home Edition

Four Chinese Decorated For Secret Borneo Mission

The award of the Military Medal to four Canadian born Chinese was announced today as the arm partially lifted the lid on the most secret and colourful operations against the Japs in which Canadians participated.

The four all enlisted in Vancouver and secretly trained in the interior in 1944 parachuted into Jap held Borneo early in 1945 organized Dyak headhunters into guerilla bands and led them for five months behind Jap lines.

Citations accompanying the awards credit them with a major role in driving the Japs out of the British protectorate of Sarawack one of Nippon's last South Pacific strongholds.

So secret were the operations that none of the decorated men has yet told Canadian Army Intelligence or his own family what he did in Borneo.

Warned by British intelligence that their activities must not be disclosed to anyone, the four were amazed today at the decorations and information released by the Canadian Army. The decorated four, all discharged some months ago with the rank of sergeant are:


"¢ Louie King

"¢ Norman Mon Low

"¢ Roy Sin Twe Chan

"¢ James Shiu

CITATIONS GIVEN

Citations Released from the army today said:

Norman Mon Low... organized communications for patrols which gave field headquaters vital information. With utter disregard for his own safety, he maintained his wireless link inside the enemy's area, frequently passing out information under direct enemy attack. His coolness and bravery, his resourcefulness and inititive played a significant part in the success of the Rejang River operations.

Louey King... played an outstanding part in the capture of Sarawak by organizing guerrilla resistance. This also meant setting up and maintaining wireless communication with headquarters of the Ninth Austrailian Division from spots on the Rajang River area to Lebuan. This was achieved under conditions of the greatest hazard. The work of Sgt King was worthy of the highest praise.

Ray Chan... organized and led native guerrillas and succeeded in blocking the Rajang River to the enemy forcing them back on their headquarters near the coast and controlling river traffic. His patrols also successfully attacked the enemy inflecting heavy casualties.

James Shiu... established communications with patrols and headquarters of the Nineth Austrailian Division at Labuan. His untiring efforts, his skill and efficiency contributed largely to the uninterrupted maintainence of vital communications, producing valuable intelligence from behind enemy lines and the success of the opertions generally. So bitter was the fighting that it continued nearly a month after VJ Day, when the Japs refused to surrender.

JUNGLE HEROISM WINS AWARD FOR FOUR CHINESE

All had high praise for Capt. Roger k Chang. 653 East Pender, who trained with them and led them in the Borneo battles.

If we deserve a military medal, Roger deserves the Victoria Cross. Said louey king. We never expected anything like this. The war has beenover for a year and we have forgotten all about it.

Anyways I couldn't say we did anything extraordinary. Anyone in our position would have to do the same to get out alive.

Said Norman Low "I just can't believe it."

From Victoria, Roy Chan commented when his citation was read to him by telephone "it sounds pretty good."

SINGULAR OPERATION

The army release termed the operation as singular as it is interesting.

The four with Capt Chang, were selected from 30 volunteer Canadian Chinese trained in 1944 in BC. In jungle fighting, commando tactics,  radio communications and other specialized matters.

Later they joined British and Austrialian commandos and guerrilla  experts for further training and learned how to speak Malaysian.

Late in March 1945, just before the Australian ninth Brigade. (Originals Rats of Tobruck) attacked the mouth and east coast of Jap held Borneo, they parachuted from a flying fortress with a number of Australian and New Zealanders near the headwaters of the Rajang River, which flows west across Sarawak and became the main escape highway of Japs fleeoing for the port of Kuching.

JOINED BY DYAKS

They made friends with the short, wiry, savage Dyak head hunters who had suffered in the hands of the Japs and were eager for revenge.

The commandos supplied natives with parachuted rifles, ammunition and food, medicine and clothing, taught them to shoot and to adbandon their individualist fighting methods for cooperation and tactfully applied discipline

Splitting up, sometimes joining forces, they led groups of 60 or more natives in harassing the Japs..setting up river blocks to mow them down, splitting up large parties, then picking off the parts.

They fought in the jungles and on the jungle bordered river, attacked and took towns held by the Japs, hid in Dyak villages.

And many times they saw shriveled Japanese heads, though there was no open head hunting among the Dyaks.

UNBELIEVABLE STORIES

The things we saw were so unbelievable that they sound silly when you tell them. Says Louey King .

The commandos learned to use blowpipes which shoot a twelve in poisoned dart, but preferred a submachine gun or rifle as safer than the thirty foot blowpipe range.

The Dyaks also taught them to wield the curved razor sharp thirty inch parang, a jungle knife which can slice through a three inch teack tree in one blow of skilled hands.

When air borne food supplies ran short, they shot monkeys, small deer, wild pigs, and blasted tiny fish out of the water with hand grenades.

One of their greatest boons in getting on with the natives was the medical training they had received. They treated civilian Dyaks for malaria and dysentery and opened, sprinkled with sulpha and stitched up hundreds of tropical ulcers.

In five months they ranged five hundred miles and trained an estimated 1000 Dyaks. Casualty figures are not available but they heard reports that guerilla activities killed as many Japs in Borneo as the entire Ninth Australian Division.

Louie King Left and Norman Mon Low smiled with pleasure today as they read citations which accompanied to them of the Military medal. The army's announcement made public for the first time of their exploits in organizing Dyak Head hunters as guerillas

Roy SIN TWE CHAN: Roy Chan who works for his father at the Pannorama Café, 1407 Government, Victoria and James Shiu now a university student at Berkley, California, were today awarded the Military Medal for gguerilla exploits in Jap held Borneo in 1945.


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## 3rd Herd (6 Nov 2005)

SGT. Norman Mon Low CIC K49785 - Pacific Theatre SOE/SRD
Norman Mon Low... organized communications for patrols which gave field headquaters vital information. With utter disregard for his own safety, he maintained his wireless link inside the enemy's area, frequently passing out information under direct enemy attack. His coolness and bravery, his resourcefulness and inititive played a significant part in the success of the Rejang River operations.

King, Louey, SGT -Pacific Theatre SOE/SRD
RCAC K50207
Louey King... played an outstanding part in the capture of Sarawak by organizing guerrilla resistance. This also meant setting up and maintaining wireless communication with headquarters of the Ninth Austrailian Division from spots on the Rajang River area to Lebuan
This was achieved under conditions of the greatest hazard. The work of Sgt King was worthy of the highest praise.

Chan, Ray SGT -Pacific Theatre SOE/SRD
RCA K69908
Ray Chan... organized and led native guerrillas and succeeded in blocking the Rajang River to the enemy forcing them back on their headquarters near the coast and controlling river traffic. His patrols also successfully attacked the enemy inflecting heavy casualties.

Times Colonist
Friday, October 1998
Bitterness tinges reunion of Canadian-Chinese vets 

Operation Oblivion committed the 13 Canadians to going behind Japanese lines into China to raise and lead an army of 300,000 Chinese against the Japanese. They were to use weapons captured from the German Afrika Corps, but had to know their governments would disavow them if captured. That meant they could be executed. 

The operation was called off at the last moment by U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who claimed China as an American war zone. 

The Canadians were transferred to operations in Burma. There, four of the 13 - Islanders Roy Chan, Norman Low, Louie King and James Shiu - were awarded the military medal for bravery. 

Several others of SOE Force 136 were also highly decorated. 

Jung said the veterans have not spoken up to tell their story. 

"If we had, there would not be as much criticism of the Chinese community in Canada now," he said. 

hope this helps


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## Old Sweat (6 Nov 2005)

Thank you very much. Four real Canadians! Lest we forget.


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## arnold2ice (29 May 2012)

That's my father!  I grew up hearing about his adventures.  I met many of the people he served with including Douglas Jung who went on to become the first Chinese Canadian Member of Parliment.


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