Ho Weng Toh (Chinese: 何永道; 1920 – 6 January 2024), also known as Winkie, was a Malaysian-born Singaporean World War II bomber pilot for the Flying Tigers and later a pioneer pilot for Singapore Airlines. He was the last surviving WWII Flying Tigers pilot.
Ho Weng Toh | |
|---|---|
| 何永道 | |
 Ho in the late 1940s | |
| Born | 1920 |
| Died | 6 January 2024 (aged 103) Singapore |
| Other names | Winkie |
| Spouse | Augusta Rodrigues (m. 1949; died 1979) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
editHo was born in a small town in Ipoh, Perak in 1920 to a shoe shop merchant from China. He was the sixth of six children. He had his primary and secondary education in Malaysia but managed to attend university as his uncle was a rich tin miner.[1]
He attended St. Stephen's College in Stanley and Lingnan University in Hong Kong in 1941 whilst the Japanese invaded China.[1][2] He later escaped with his fellow students from China after enduring the Japanese occupation for a few months by bribing bandits to take them across the border.[3]
He stated that he had also seen the bombing of Kai Tak Airport.[4] Ho left Hong Kong and went to Guangzhou where he saw a poster for air force recruitment.[4] He then became a trainee pilot for the Chinese-American Composite Wing in 1942 and joined the Flying Tigers, where he trained with other pilots in Arizona.[2]
Career
edit
After his training, Ho was sent on missions as a B-25 Mitchell bomber pilot and performed over 18 missions in occupied China during World War II and returned to Ipoh when he was done.[5] After the war, Ho was stationed in Hankou, Wuhan as an instructor.[6] He later went to Shanghai and became a commercial pilot for Central Air Transport Corporation. This was also where he met his future wife, Augusta Rodrigues, and they got married on 5 May 1949.[6]
After the fall of Shanghai, he and Augusta left and went to Singapore in 1951, where he joined Malayan Airlines and later became a pilot for Singapore Airlines after Malayan Airlines split. He worked at Singapore Airlines for 30 years[5] and retired in 1980 as a chief pilot of Singapore Airlines' Boeing 737 fleet.[7]
Personal life
editHo had been living in Singapore since 1953 till his death in 2024. His wife, Augusta Rodrigues, was Portuguese while his son was born in Guangzhou and his daughter in Hong Kong. They later all got Singaporean citizenship.[6] His wife died in 1977 of lung cancer.[2]
In 2019, he released a book titled Memoirs of a Flying Tiger: The Story of a WWII Veteran and SIA Pioneer Pilot from the advice of George Yeo.[8] In 2023, a short film called Flying Tigers based on his life was released and he was portrayed by Richie Koh.[7]
Death
editHo died on 6 January 2024 at the age of 103.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Daud, Sulaiman (4 August 2018). "The amazing story of S'pore's last surviving Flying Tiger — Part I: beating the odds to join the Air Force". mothership.sg. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ a b c Woon, Wallace (7 January 2024). "Flying Tiger and pioneer SIA pilot Ho Weng Toh dies, aged 103". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ Ho, Olivia (21 August 2019). "From war memoirs to poetry: The seniors turning to book publishing in their 80s and 90s". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ a b "WWII Flying Tiger pilot Ho Weng Toh dies at 103 - Focus Taiwan". Focus Taiwan - CNA English News. 7 January 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ a b Woon, Wallace (2022-10-31). "Experiences of pilot who fought in WWII can still inspire: CMG editor-in-chief". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ a b c "Tribute to Capt. Ho Weng Toh: The amazing story of S'pore's last Flying Tiger". mothership.sg. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ a b Li, Winnie (24 September 2023). "Short film on S'pore's last surviving Flying Tiger, Captain Ho Weng Toh, featuring Richie Koh to be released in Dec. 2023". mothership.sg. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ Nazren, Fasiha (6 January 2024). "Captain Ho Weng Toh, one of the last surviving Flying Tigers, dies aged 103". mothership.sg. Retrieved 26 April 2024.