Reverend George Forbes, O.M.I. was a Roman Catholic priest who acted on behalf of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (B .C .) . He was born in Farnham, Quebec on March 29, 1898 . After completing his highschool education in Edmonton, Alberta, Forbes undertook religious studies at various institutions in Ontario and Alberta, and was ultimately ordained in Edmonton on December 17, 1921 . Forbes then held positions at schools in Edmonton (1922-1928) and Kamloops, British Columbia (1928-1930), and as principal of native schools in Williams Lake (1930-1938), Kakawis (1938-1941), and Cranbrook (1941-1942). He subsequently was a priest at the parish in Powell River, British Columbia (1945-1946), and at St. Augustine's in Vancouver, British Columbia (1946-1955), St. Joseph's in Ottawa (1955-1956), and St. Joseph's in Saskatoon (1956-1957). From 1957 until his death in 1969, Forbes was interested in the history of the Roman Catholic Church and the Oblate fathers in British Columbia, and collected information to support his research and writings on these subjects.

Between 1944 and 1945, some 150 Chinese Canadian men were recruited and secretly seconded to British Intelligence as members of Force 136.

Japan had entered the Second World War in late 1941, occupying large swathes of Southeast Asia that had been British, French and Dutch colonies. British Special Operations Executive (SOE) had experienced some success in training and dropping secret agents into occupied Europe to organize and support local resistance fighters, and to engage in espionage and sabotage of infrastructure, supply lines, and equipment.

Chinese Canadians were identified as agents for this mission in Southeast Asia. Scattered throughout the region was a sizeable Chinese population opposed to Japanese occupation and angry with Japanese aggression in China. Chinese Canadian recruits spoke Cantonese and could blend into the population.

The mission of Force 136 members was to be dropped behind Japanese lines; survive in the jungle in small teams with no outside support; seek out and train local resistance fighters; and work with those guerrilla groups to sabotage Japanese equipment and supply lines and conduct espionage.

The men learned commando warfare techniques such as: stalking; silent killing; demolition; jungle travel and survival; wireless operations; espionage; parachuting; interpretation; and silent swimming. Each recruit became a specialist within a small, self-sufficient team of no more than eight men: first and second commanders, two demolition experts, a wireless operator, a coder/decoder, and two Gurkha scouts.

British SOE recruited Chinese Canadians in waves. The first team consisted of thirteen hand-picked men assigned to Operation Oblivion. By January 1945, a total of some 150 men had been seconded, with the majority based out of India. They served in missions with codenames such as Operation Galvanic, Operation Humour, Operation Tideway Green, Operation Snooper, and Operation Sargeant.

Most recruits were not fully deployed before Japan surrendered in August 1945. Some men had been assigned to do short trips into occupied Burma. Fourteen Chinese Canadians operated behind Japanese lines for several months in Borneo, Malay, and Singapore.

Generally, missions ranged from supporting and training local fighters in sabotage activities; forcing Japanese units to surrender; finding and liberating prisoner-of-war camps; and maintaining order and security post surrender.

All Force 136 members survived the war and returned home to Canada in February 1946, although some had contracted tropical diseases.

Back in Canada, as military veterans, they fought for full citizenship and the right to vote for all Chinese Canadians, which was won in 1947. They had served at a time of racial discrimination against Chinese people in Canada. In the early years of the war, many young Chinese Canadian men trying to enlist were denied due to being Chinese. During training, swimming was one of their biggest challenges as bylaws in Canada banned Chinese from public pools.

Among returning members of Force 136, Douglas Jung would study and practice law, and go on to serve in politics as the first Chinese Canadian Member of Parliament in 1957. He would further fight for the rights of Chinese Canadians in that role.

Dr. Joan Ford was born in Newcastle, England on November 4, 1925 and began her medical training during World War II. She graduated from Sheffield University in 1948 with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery degrees. In 1950, she received a Diploma in Obstetrics from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. In 1953, she also received a Diploma in Child Health. She worked at various hospitals in England until emigrating to Canada in 1953.

From 1954-1989, she practiced at her own general medicine office in Burnaby, where she would see upwards of 25 patients per day and even made house calls to remote northern communities for patients. Her practice became so busy that she eventually added three partners to keep up with demand. She also worked at the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster for 40 years and was the first (and only for a period of time) female physician.

She dedicated over 20 years of her life to the Tibetan Refugee Aid Society (TRAS), later renamed to the Trans-Himalayan Aid Society. In 1979, through her work at Save the Children, she met Sir Edmund Hillary where she offered her medical services to the remote Kunde Hospital in Nepal should there be a need. The following July in 1980, Hillary would reach out to Dr. Ford to see if she would be able to temporarily fill a vacancy for eight weeks between October-December 1980. She gladly accepted the opportunity then began the arduous trek from Burnaby to Kunde, a journey that would involve several plane rides, and up to eight days of hiking up 3,840 metres (12,500 feet) above sea level to the small hospital she would run under the support of the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation. At the Kunde Hospital she provided basic to advanced medical care to the local villagers and trekkers of Mount Everest from all over the world. Dr. Ford would return to Nepal six more times from 1980-1989 for various stays at Kunde Hospital to care for the Sherpa peoples. Dr. Ford was Director of TRAS from 1986 until she served as President in 1991. Dr. Ford was also the Director of the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation from 1988-1991; she is currently a Honourary Life Member.

In additional to her work in Nepal, Dr. Ford has spent time volunteering her medical expertise in two other international countries, Dominica and Bangladesh. Dr. Ford worked on the West Indies island of Dominica in 1967 and 1969 as part of a joint plan between Canadian Oversees Medical Aid, Canadian Executive Service Overseas, and the Canadian Medical Association. There she treated children afflicted with skin diseases, protein deficiencies, and other severe medical problems. In 1991, Dr. Ford was a member of the emergency medical team sponsored by the Christian Children’s Fund and spent a month in Bangladesh following a devastating cyclone caring for the Moslem people.

Dr. Ford has been a member in various capacities at numerous professional organizations throughout her career. She was a member of the Save the Children fund for over 35 years and has twice served as President of the B.C. Save the Children Fund board. She was the Director of this chapter from 1960-1990. Dr. Ford has served as the B.C. Branch President of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada and was the National President in 1973 where she fought for equal pay for female physicians.

Throughout her lifetime, she has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work in and outside of the medical field. The highest honour she received was in 1991 when she was appointed as an officer in the Order of Canada for her work in the global health community. She has also been honoured with the David Bachop Gold Medal presented by the B.C. Medical Association in 1991.

Dr. Ford died peacefully on October 31, 2021 in Vancouver.