Person

Low, Norman Mon

• Low, Chew Mon

1923-1960

Norman LOW was born LOW Chew Mon on May 9, 1923 in Vancouver. At the time of his birth, Norman’s father, LOW Mutt, worked at a store called Wo Yick. Later, the family would work on a farm located on Marine Drive near Main Street. And, eventually, the Low family would own and operate Lowe’s Fruit Market in West Vancouver, BC.

During WWII, Norman served with the secretive, guerrilla-trained Force 136 in Southeast Asia. The group was recruited and trained by British Special Operations and were sworn to secrecy, some say for 50 years.

Norman was part of a small, five-man team of Chinese Canadians who parachuted behind enemy lines in Japanese-occupied Borneo. The men survived in the jungle and for five-months helped train Dayak headhunters who were the local resistance fighters. Norman, together with these resistance fighters, undertook espionage and sabotage of Japanese supply lines.

It was during his time, struggling to survive in the hot and humid Borneo jungle, that Norman contracted malaria. When he returned to Canada in February of 1946, he ended up in a hospital suffering from pneumonia and pleurisy arising from his malaria. The local doctors were baffled and skeptical that any Canadian soldier could have contracted the disease. Firstly, Norman’s service records did not indicate he had left Canada. As well, it was not common knowledge that some Chinese Canadians were secretly deployed to the jungles of Southeast Asia and Norman was not at liberty to share details with the physicians.

Norman and his teammates were awarded the Military Medal in September 1946. A Vancouver Sun newspaper photograph shows a thin, young man (Norman) in a dressing gown being presented the award while in his hospital bed. Sitting next to him is his good friend and fellow Force 136 soldier, Louey King.

After the war, Norman would marry Anita Jack Jang and the couple would have two children: a daughter and a son.

The former soldier also was in and out of hospital suffering the after-effects of malaria and also recuperating from back surgery. During this time, Norman studied through correspondence school. He focused on electronics, radio and television, and eventually found work in overseas telecommunications.

Norman never fully regained his health and died in 1960. He was only 37 years old.

Force 136 (1944-1946)

Low, Mary (b. 1920)

Description supplied by collector/curator