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Captain Ho Weng Toh - A Flying Tiger
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Subject :Captain Ho Weng Toh - A Flying Tiger
Published By : None
Location : Hong Kong
Estimated Year : 1942
Media Type : Photograph
Source : Captain Ho Weng Toh, Singapore
Remark : Hoh Weng Toh was born in Ipoh in 1920, the sixth child and first boy in the family. He grew up above a famous shoe shop in Market Street and was educated at St Michael's Institution (SMI). In 1939 he was sponsored by his uncle, a miner in Papan, to complete his education in Hong Kong. He joined Hong Kong University in 1940. With the invasion and occupation of Hong Kong by the Japanese, he decided to escape to Free China, leaving in a bumboat in August 1942 along with many other refugees. This was a hazardous journey running the gauntlet of Japanese ships and aircraft but they finally made landfall at Kukong, Guandong Province.
Here he joined Sun Yat Sen University in Pin Shek, but on seeing an advertisement for pilot officer training he applied and after passing both rigorous physical and written examinations, joined the Chinese Air Force. After a tough period of training in China, he completed flying training in USA, where he assumed the additional role of interpreter between US and Chinese students. Here he picked up the nickname, "Winkie".
He returned to China in September 1944 and joined the 1st Bomber Squadron of the Chinese-American Composite Wing (CACW, The Flying Tigers). This was a unique group with mixed crews operating the aircraft, under the command of General Claire Lee Chennault. He flew the B-25 on bombing and strafing missions of enemy targets in Japanese held territory, until the Japanese surrender.
Soon after the surrender he was moved to Hankow to fly rehabilitation missions and from here he was able to return to Ipoh for a short visit ti visit his parents. He was welcomed by Ipoh as a hero. On return to China he was posted to Shanghai where he joined the Central Air Transport Corporation (CATC). However with the fall of the Kuomintang two years later the CACW and CATC were grounded in Hong Kong by the Communist Regime. Winkie was stuck, jobless, in Hong Kong.
In 1951 Malayan Airways started to take in Asian pilots having previously only accepted Caicasians. Winkie took the opportunity to join them in Kallang, Singapore, becoming one of the pioneers of Malaysia-Singapore Airlines and then Singapore Airlines. He stayed with SIA until retirement flying thousands of hours and becoming trainer and adviser to dozens of young pilots. He became known as "Daddy-O" to them all.
Today (2010) at age 90, Winkie leads an active social life and regularly visits his remaining siblings in Ipoh.
The photographs show, from left to right : Escape on a bumboat. The circle highlights Ho Weng Toh. Standing second and third from the right is Loke Choong Shee (from Lahat) and Lau Seng Thung (from Ipoh).
Captain Ho Weng Toh and Yau Siew Wah in Hankow in 1946. Both from Ipoh and flying with the Chinese Air Force.
Captain Ho Weng Toh and Captain Leong Ming Sen (MS). Both from Ipoh and SMI, these two were best friends for 80 years. In the picture Winkie is with the Chinese Air Force and MS is with CNAC.
To read a summary of an article by Winkie Ho, "Remembering Leong Ming Sen", click here.
To read about Malayan Airways, click here.
Here he joined Sun Yat Sen University in Pin Shek, but on seeing an advertisement for pilot officer training he applied and after passing both rigorous physical and written examinations, joined the Chinese Air Force. After a tough period of training in China, he completed flying training in USA, where he assumed the additional role of interpreter between US and Chinese students. Here he picked up the nickname, "Winkie".
He returned to China in September 1944 and joined the 1st Bomber Squadron of the Chinese-American Composite Wing (CACW, The Flying Tigers). This was a unique group with mixed crews operating the aircraft, under the command of General Claire Lee Chennault. He flew the B-25 on bombing and strafing missions of enemy targets in Japanese held territory, until the Japanese surrender.
Soon after the surrender he was moved to Hankow to fly rehabilitation missions and from here he was able to return to Ipoh for a short visit ti visit his parents. He was welcomed by Ipoh as a hero. On return to China he was posted to Shanghai where he joined the Central Air Transport Corporation (CATC). However with the fall of the Kuomintang two years later the CACW and CATC were grounded in Hong Kong by the Communist Regime. Winkie was stuck, jobless, in Hong Kong.
In 1951 Malayan Airways started to take in Asian pilots having previously only accepted Caicasians. Winkie took the opportunity to join them in Kallang, Singapore, becoming one of the pioneers of Malaysia-Singapore Airlines and then Singapore Airlines. He stayed with SIA until retirement flying thousands of hours and becoming trainer and adviser to dozens of young pilots. He became known as "Daddy-O" to them all.
Today (2010) at age 90, Winkie leads an active social life and regularly visits his remaining siblings in Ipoh.
The photographs show, from left to right : Escape on a bumboat. The circle highlights Ho Weng Toh. Standing second and third from the right is Loke Choong Shee (from Lahat) and Lau Seng Thung (from Ipoh).
Captain Ho Weng Toh and Yau Siew Wah in Hankow in 1946. Both from Ipoh and flying with the Chinese Air Force.
Captain Ho Weng Toh and Captain Leong Ming Sen (MS). Both from Ipoh and SMI, these two were best friends for 80 years. In the picture Winkie is with the Chinese Air Force and MS is with CNAC.
To read a summary of an article by Winkie Ho, "Remembering Leong Ming Sen", click here.
To read about Malayan Airways, click here.
Filename : 20101010-012