Fallen Soldier.
Forgotten Hero.
Uncovering the legacy of a Chinese-Canadian hero.
Who is Freddy Lee?
Frederick Lee was born into a respected Chinese Canadian family whose members had originally immigrated from Sun Wei county near the city of Guangzhou, China. Among the very first Chinese to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) of the First World War, Lee was one of very few Canadians of Chinese descent who served. Lee subsequently fought at Vimy Ridge and later vanished, likely annihilated by artillery after seeing victory in the Battle of Hill 70.
Why He Matters
Why do the forensics on a fallen soldier, a private, lost in battle more than 100 years ago, whose remains have never been found matter?
In the Spring of 2017, Mark Hutchings of the Hill 70 Memorial Project came out to Vancouver to seek help from the Chinese Canadian community. His mission, to complete the build of a monument that honours the Canadian Corps who fought at the Battle of Hill 70.
This name, Fred Lee, is etched into a Vimy Ridge wall of names of 11,285 other lost Canadians who fought in WW1. Yet Fred Lee, while a t