15. The Hazardous Existence of Spies in Japanese-Occupied China
Chong’s first mission behind enemy lines was to find out what had happened to the British consul in the Portuguese enclave of Macau, with whom contact had been lost. Macao was officially neutral, but it teemed with Japanese, who had heavy patrols throughout the region. Chong completed his mission in Macau and reported back to BAAG, who promptly sent him out on more hazardous operations that called for heroic spies. Some of the missions involved scouting and reporting back on Japanese troop movements. Others entailed helping downed Allied pilots and air crews escape to the safety of friendly lines. Equally hazardous were his missions of mercy, delivering desperately needed medicines to BAAG outposts and resistance cells behind Japanese lines. It was physically exhausting work, that required Chong to travel the war torn countryside on foot. He sometimes covered up to fifty miles in a single day.
The exact number of escapees rescued by Chong is unknown, but many owed their freedom, even their lives, to him. Chong was decorated by Hong Kong’s governor in 1946. That made him the only Chinese-Canadian ever awarded the British Empire Medal. British intelligence knew and appreciated the fact that they had a hero on their hands. After the war, they asked him to stay on as an agent, and he agreed. Chong continued to work for British intelligence, and operated out of Hong Kong. He conducted missions into communist China, until he retired in 1976. He returned to Canada, but nobody knew of his background until somebody noticed a photo of him receiving an award from Hong Kong’s governor. He was talked into joining a veteran’s organization, and after word of his exploits spread, he became the subject of a CBC documentary. Bill Chong died in 2006, at age 95.
