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 typical example of our volunteer soldiers, was thought to be different. He had Chinese parents, and he was able to enlist at a time when racism was rife in Canada and especially in British Columbia.
How was he able to enlist, and go unnoticed as a soldier of Chinese descent for 100 years?
Retired Colonel Mark Hutchings, explained the significance in “nationhood” as a result of the stunning victory by the Canadians at Hill 70. The Canadian Expeditionary Force led by General Arthur Currie were magnificent in battle and became known as “shock troops”. These troops were comprised primarily from volunteers, from coast to coast, from all walks of life and from all ethnicity.
A walkway at the Hill 70 Memorial in France named after Fred Lee, would represent our “strength in diversity” and the patriotic duty in service of all the volunteer soldiers who made up the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF).
Canada’s very first army, comprised of volunteers from coast to coast, would have a memorial walkway named after the very first fallen Canadian soldier of Chinese heritage.
Why does he matter?
Because Fred Lee is more than an example of patriotic volunteerism. At a time when he became of age, he would have been denied the right to vote, to participate in activities Canadians tak