Mystery Surrounds Missing First World War Memorabilia Collection of B.C. Veteran
The disappearance of a cherished collection of First World War memorabilia belonging to Chinese Canadian veteran Walter (Wee Hong) Louie has left his family heartbroken and sparked a complex investigation. For decades, more than two dozen personal items from Louie's military service were carefully preserved in a drawer at his home in Orillia, Ontario.
A Treasured Historical Collection
The collection included significant artifacts that documented Louie's service and life. Among the items were a black-leather diary from 1919, a photograph of him in uniform, a bronze uniform button, a gold-plated medallion, military pay books, and a distinctive bronze Maple Leaf badge. These objects represented not just personal mementos but important historical records of Chinese Canadian participation in the First World War.
Walter Louie was among approximately 300 Chinese Canadians who volunteered to serve during the First World War, despite facing significant discrimination at home. According to historical records from Valour Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Canada's military heritage, Louie began his service as a gunner before becoming a wireless operator and eventually finishing his military career as a driver.
The Disappearance and Legal Action
After Louie's death in 1981, ownership of the collection passed to his stepson, Richard Oatway. Several years ago, Oatway decided to loan the collection to the Chinese Canadian Military Museum Society in Vancouver, an institution dedicated to celebrating the stories of Chinese Canadian war veterans.
"My intentions were that they would be held by a responsible institution that would make them available for people to see, study, and appreciate," Oatway explained in an interview with Postmedia News.
However, during the transfer process, the entire collection vanished. Ninette Gyorody, executive director of the Orillia Museum of Art and History in Ontario, confirmed that her museum carefully packed 26 items on behalf of Oatway and sent them with a detailed packing list to Vancouver. Records indicate the package was picked up in-person and officially recorded as delivered.
A Veteran's Remarkable Story
Walter Louie's military service earned him both the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. After the war, he studied engineering and moved to Ontario, where he purchased a radio shop. However, he initially faced discrimination when authorities refused to grant him a business license because of his ethnicity.
In a bold act of protest, Louie mailed his war medals and uniform to then-Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. The prime minister responded with an apology, reversed the licensing decision, and personally returned Louie's medals and uniform.
Ongoing Investigation and Legal Proceedings
The mysterious disappearance has led to exhaustive investigations and a public appeal for information. According to a lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court last September by Oatway against the Chinese Canadian Military Museum Society, Oatway exchanged messages with then-president King Wan in 2019 and arranged to have his stepfather's collection sent to the museum.
The lawsuit states that Oatway followed Wan's instructions to mail the items to the museum's post office box in Vancouver, with the clear understanding that the collection was being loaned, not gifted, to the institution.
The case continues to develop as authorities work to unravel what happened to these historically significant artifacts that represent both personal family heritage and an important chapter in Canadian military history.
