James Jimmy Young Ming Wong

James Young Ming Wong was born August 7, 1920 in Vancouver, BC. He was the seventh of eleven children (Allan, Anna, Mary, “baby Wong”, Rosina, Ming, James, Margaret, Gordon, Beverley & Herman) born to Wong Ow & Lequai Ying.

James had a long and storied life.

He was a World War II veteran, having volunteered with the Canadian war effort. He was selected to Force 136 and was known as Corporal Young Ming Wong.

He was a husband, father & grandfather.

He married Marjorie Annabel Lee, a Registered Nurse, on March 8, 1956 in Vancouver. They went to Acapulco for their honeymoon and built their first home in West Vancouver on Esquimalt Avenue, just above Park Royal shopping mall.

James & Marjorie had three children. Keith Leonard was born on January 16, 1957. Cheryl Elaine was born on February 26, 1959 and Doug Raymond was born on March 4, 1961.

Doug married Jacqueline Chang on May 16, 1987. They had three children: Brandon on November 9, 1992 and Rachel & Adam born on June 4, 1995.

Cheryl married Andrew Lee on May 16, 1992. They had two children: Robert on August 10, 1994 and Matthew on November 9, 1998.

James was a hard worker and did not retire until age 75. He worked at many different jobs during his lifetime. He bought and sold produce at Tri-Produce in Chinatown & was involved in hotel management in Coquitlam & Whitehorse.

James fulfilled a life-long dream when he opened Miramar Chinese Restaurant in Kerrisdale in 1979. He ran the restaurant with Marjorie for ten years before selling it and retiring.

James had many interests in his life beyond family & work. He loved to take pictures, travel and grow roses & orchids. He won photography awards and was published in some travel books and won an award from the Rose Society for some of his rose pictures.

James traveled the world extensively with Marjorie, visiting every continent. He loved to take pictures wherever he went. Later, he would look back on them with many fond memories.

He also went on many family trips. Many trips were to Sacramento and Los Angeles to see his sisters, Mary & Beverly and their families. Other trips included Disneyland, Hawaii and a Mexican Riviera cruise.

James was friendly & outgoing. Many restaurant customers became close friends and he ended up travelling with them or going to their restaurants, etc.

James was very loyal. He had many life-long friends. Even today when we go to their old restaurant, we see some of the original staff and they ask about James.

James had a love for food. We remember going on one of our family road trips and we’d be in some restaurant somewhere. He would end up chatting with the owner/manager and getting a tour of the kitchen. This would embarrass the family to no end but he loved it.

James used to smoke cigars & pipes. As you know both of these produce a lot of smoke. Cheryl & Doug remember riding in the back seat of their car with the windows down while he smoked. It was so bad they couldn’t see outside of the window. So much for second-hand smoke back then.

He also used to smoke cigars at work. His desk used to be beside his nephew Bobby Sung, who didn’t like the smoke. Bobbie would put a fan facing James and try to blow the smoke back at him.

Others have described James as being the consummate gentleman, the best conversationalist and the most kindly of men.

Even in his last few days & weeks James was quiet and never complained. He remained brave right up to the end, surrounded by his loving family.

His Military Service:

James volunteered to serve in the Canadian Army during a time when Chinese-Canadians were not allowed to vote or to join professions such as medicine, law, accounting, pharmacy or engineering. James volunteered anyways as he was a loyal Canadian who wanted to do his part for his country.

James enlisted in the fall of 1944 and was completing basic infantry training when he further volunteered for special duties with the British Army, Special Operations Executive. He, along with other Chinese-Canadians, were attached to Force 136, an outfit that was training soldiers to drop behind enemy lines and help organize resistance against the Japanese occupiers in the Far East.

James began his adventurous cross-country trip by train from Vancouver to Halifax in late 1944 and then boarded a troop ship bound for Aldershot, England, where he undertook further training as a wireless operator. It was during his wireless training that James was promoted to Corporal. Force 136’s final destination was Poon, India and this entailed another troop ship going around Africa during early 1945. He was still training when the war ended. James also fondly remembered the return 7,000-mile route home via Bombay to Liverpool, England and then Liverpool to Halifax, before boarding a train to Vancouver. One of the few mementoes that James kept was his Far East Asia patch, consisting of a white patch with a blue dragon, worn below the Canada badge. There is a photo of James proudly wearing his patches on his battle dress uniform back in Vancouver.

James was very quiet about his wartime service for his country. His children never really knew the full story. It was only later in life that he started to open up about the time he spent with Force 136.

The historical steps that volunteers like James took were instrumental in changing Canadian laws to allow the Chinese the right to vote and to enjoy the rights & privileges of full Canadian citizenship. In 1947, Parliament repealed the Chinese Immigration Act, giving Chinese-Canadians the right to vote. This also led to the opening up of all professions to Chinese Canadians.

James had a part in history for which he will always be remembered. James was a proud Canadian and was loyal to his country.

Memories of our Yeh-Yeh:

Our Yeh-Yeh’s ambition, sense of adventure and caring personality are all qualities that we admire; and are the qualities we aspire to continue. His ambition was shown when he followed his lifelong dream and opened Miramar restaurant, the first upscale Chinese restaurant in Vancouver’s west side. Although, he retired and sold the restaurant before us grandchildren were born, we always returned to the same restaurant, now known as Golden Ocean Restaurant. It was there that we spent numerous family dinners sharing laughs with him, sharing current events in our lives and especially sharing great food. Without a doubt, we can say our passion for food came from our Yeh-Yeh. On a cruise when I was five, Yeh-Yeh was so proud of us when he heard we ordered the lamb shank and lobster dishes instead of chicken fingers and hot dogs from the children’s menu.

We are especially fond of the moments when he shared his travel adventures with us on his camera; a camera that he always carried with him. We loved asking him to show us his latest pictures that he had taken; either from one of his many vacations around the world, or his pictures of all his roses that he was growing in his garden. Everyone would gather around his tiny camera oohing and aahhhing as we went through each photo admiring the fine detail and beauty. If he had an Instagram account, I’m sure he would have over a million followers. His pictures were even featured in travel magazines and have won awards. His travel photos have definitely inspired us to do our own travelling. Just last year, Adam and I went to South East Asia, and Brandon to Japan, without our parents. This time, we were able to share our pictures with our Yeh-Yeh.

One thing that we admire about our Yeh-Yeh was his attention to detail. He especially liked to grow orchids and roses. He was always able to get his orchids to re-bloom. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to pass on his green thumb to us.

Anyone who knew our Yeh-Yeh always said he had the biggest smile and was always such a gentle and caring man. Our Yeh-Yeh has greatly impacted our lives. He has passed on to us his love of food, travel and his caring personality. We love and miss you greatly Yeh-Yeh. We will continue to make you proud of us.

Brandon, Rachel & Adam

Memories of our Goong-Goong:

All the grandchildren were very fortunate to have a grandpa who loved and spoilt us very much. He hosted many dinners at his townhouse; where we enjoyed and devoured his delicious meals.

Goong-Goong always kept us up to date on the latest technology, and was the first in the family to get an iPad. He was an avid sports fan, who adored watching his beloved Vancouver Canucks and BC Lions, with whom he was a season ticket holder for many years.

Goong-Goong and Por-Por travelled around the world, visited many different countries, and took an endless amount of breathtaking photographs. We always loved looking at his numerous photos, including ones that were published.

Goong-Goong constantly had a smile on his face, even in his last years, bringing much joy to us all. He always enjoyed eating Chinese food, the one thing he could eat all the time.

My Goong-Goong was very kind, laid back, technologically savvy & determined.

I fondly remember one funny moment. My mom and I went to visit Goong-Goong and Por-Por. I brought along a whoopee cushion (a cushion that makes a sound like a fart when someone sits on it). Goong-Goong was sitting in front of his computer as he always did. At one point, he stood up; the next moment, I slid the whoopee cushion onto his seat. *** fart noise *** . I’d never seen my Goong-Goong move so fast.

We love and are always thinking about you Goong-Goong.

Robert & Matthew

A Tribute to James by the Chinese Canadian Military Museum:

Young Ming (James) Wong was born on August 7, 1920. He was one of a family of eleven children whose father ran a grocery store in Vancouver. At a time when many young men dropped out of school early to earn a wage, Wong stayed in school and graduated from Grade 12.

He was smaller than average and rather slight, but what he lacked in physical prowess Wong made up for with his intelligence. He loved to read and was considered bright and articulate. Prior to joining the war effort, Wong worked his way up to be a bookkeeper for the US Army Engineers in Prince Rupert, BC

The Canadian Army recruiter who first interviewed Wong was quite impressed by the lad as evidenced by the comments made in Wong’s service file.

“Has very high learning ability. In view of his civilian experience as a warehouseman and bookkeeper, he seems suitable for service… He possesses leadership ability and was foreman of a Chinese crew in civilian life. His manner is co-operative, alert and self-confident. Ought to adjust well and become a valuable soldier. Suitable for enriched training during basic.”

Wong was sent off for basic training in the fall of 1944. In February 1945, he was withdrawn from basic training and assigned “special duties” — this was code for recruitment to Force 136. He became one of almost 150 Chinese Canadians who were slated to be trained for secretive, dangerous missions in the jungles of Southeast Asia.

Force 136 came under British Intelligence –Special Operations Executive. Not part of the “regular armed forces” these men would be assigned operations behind Japanese lines in Southeast Asia. Force 136 men were trained in guerrilla warfare and jungle survival techniques. Each man was to specialize in a particular skill (demolition, wireless, interpretation) that would make him useful in a small, mobile, self-sufficient team. The plan was to parachute these small teams into Japanese occupied territory. There they would survive on their own skills; find and train local resistance fighters; and then assist with sabotage and espionage of the enemy.

The young Chinese Canadian men were told they had a 50-50 chance of survival. And if captured, they would likely be tortured and executed by the Japanese. Consequently, anyone going on an ops mission was given a cyanide capsule to keep in their pocket and instructed to bite on the capsule if captured.

Wong was sent to India for his commando training. He was joined there by his cousin Donald Sung. We do not know if Wong was sent on any assignments before the war in the Pacific ended as he seldom shared his memories with his family.

We do know that many isolated Japanese units did not surrender until weeks later. However, once the atomic bombs were dropped, most of the young men of Force 136 were quickly informed that their services were no longer needed by the British and plans were made to send them home.

It was a long boat ride back to England where the famous photo below was taken. After a short stay in the UK, the young men hopped onto another ship bound for Halifax. Once in that port, Wong and most of the Force 136 members boarded a train back to the West Coast of Canada.

Wong returned to Vancouver and eventually married and had three children.

His most successful business venture after the war was a restaurant he started in Kerrisdale, a tony neighbourhood on the West side of Vancouver. The Miramar Chinese Restaurant was one of the first, high-end Chinese restaurants in that part of the city. It is still there today, in its original form, although it has now been renamed The Golden Ocean Restaurant.

Wong passed away peacefully on July 7, 2016 in Coquitlam. He was just shy of his 96th birthday.

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It is with sad hearts that we announce the sudden passing of James, a devoted and loving husband, father & grandfather, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Marjorie; his children: Keith, Cheryl (Andy) and Doug (Jackie); and his grandchildren: Robert, Matthew, Brandon, Rachel & Adam. James had a long life, enjoying travelling, photography and gardening. A Celebration of Life will be held August 7 at 1:30 pm at Forest Lawn Funeral Home, 3789 Royal Oak Ave, Burnaby. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the BC Alzheimer's Society. We love you, Dad.