Hong Kong Veterans Remembered
- Roy Sullivan, Area Representative – Greater Toronto Area
On
December 4, 2007, the Oshawa Central Collegiate Institute (OCCI) unveiled a
granite plaque commemorating the lives of nine Hong Kong Veterans. The plaque is
prominently displayed in the main hallway of the school.
The nine veterans, Jack Arthur, Edward Bolton, Henry Galbraith, William Lee, Edward Lott, Jeffrey Marston, Fredrick Mason and Mathew Murray, all called Oshawa home and raised their families in the city just east of Toronto upon their return to Canada.
The unveiling of the plaque was part of a larger project organized and run by Ms Flora Fung, a Grade 10 History Teacher at OCCI. With her advisor and our ardent supporter, Nancy Hamer Strahl, she put in place a series of events and strategies that honoured the soldiers who fought in the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941, paying particular attention to the nine Hong Kong soldiers who were from the Oshawa area.
As Flora wrote, “In the school year of 2007-2008, Oshawa Central Collegiate
formally adopted the veterans who fought in the Battle for Hong Kong. This
project is special for two reasons; one because Oshawa Central Collegiate is
located in the neighborhood where many of these Oshawa men lived and raised
their families after their return from the Asia and secondly my family is of
Hong Kong descent, which makes this project one of personal significance for
me.”
In November of 2007, Grade 10 history students received a biography of a Hong
Kong veteran who fought in the Battle for Hong Kong. Their Individual Study Unit
(ISU) was to create a tribute to their soldier.
The remembrance reception was held at Oshawa Central Collegiate to remember the contribution of these men. In addition to the plaque, the ISU presentations of all the students were on display. It was an amazing sight to see the care and imagination the students put into their tributes. From narratives and photos to dioramas and sculptures and multimedia presentations, it was evident that the students took great pride in producing their moving tributes.
Representing the Hong Kong Veterans at the unveiling was Robert "Flash"
Clayton and his always charming wife, Jessie. Flash was visibly moved by the
ceremony and the project as he thanked the students on behalf of all veterans
for their tribute. As well, several members of the Honoured Veterans’ families
were in attendance, including Mrs. Mathew (Audrey) Murray.
Other honoured guests included, Senator Vivienne Poy of the Canadian Government,
Mike Babin, Regional Director for the HKVCA in Ontario, our former Regional
Director - Pat Turcotte and myself.