George Chow | |
|---|---|
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:WWII_Veteran_George_Chow.jpg) Chow in 2010 | |
| Born | November 5, 1921 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Died | November 6, 2020 (aged 99) |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Service | Canadian Army |
| Years of service | 1940–1963 |
| Rank | Master Warrant Officer |
| Unit | Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | |
George Chow (5 November 1921 – 6 November 2020) was a Canadian veteran and one of about 600 Chinese Canadians who served in the Second World War.[1]
Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Chow enlisted in August 1940 and was assigned to the 16th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery. The battery was shipped from Windsor, Ontario to England; at a base in Colchester, Chow was part of the "first all-Canadian gun crew to shoot down a German plane". He also met and married an Englishwoman who would return to Canada with him and their children after the war. Chow landed in France during Operation Overlord and participated in the liberation of Europe.[1][2][3]
After the war Chow served as a gunnery instructor with the 43rd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment in Vancouver and was honourably discharged in 1963 at the rank of Master Warrant Officer.[1][2][3] He regularly toured schools to teach students about Remembrance Day.[3]
For his service he was made a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour by the French government and received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.[1][2] On his death, the Minister for National Defence, Harjit Sajjan, posted that "We have lost a trailblazer who broke barriers and showed young children what service, duty and love for one's country are".[3]
- ^ a b c d "Farewell George Chow". Juno Beach Centre. 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b c "Master Warrant Officer (Retd) George Chow, CD". Veterans Affairs Canada. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ^ a b c d "'A trailblazer': Decorated B.C. war hero George Chow dead at 99". CBC. 10 November 2020.