The Six 六人 - The Lost Chinese Fathers of Liverpool

[@libbybeaton]

Sad that they were considered good enough to serve in the merchant navy but then tossed aside after the war.

[@pbworld7858]

Just like the Chinese railway workers in USA. Once they built the railways, they were sent packing (some murdered) and denied American citizenship like other migrants. Useful when they act the coolies to get the undesirable jobs done, and then booted out when they're no longer of any use.

[@comealongcomealong4480]

@libbybeaton The Chinese seamen would have had the lowest status on ships. Doing laundry, cleaning, as cooks and kitchenhands. The British Merchant Navy was filled with a huge range of men. Those who'd missed out on joining the navy for various reasons, former fishermen, and many different nationalities. The role played in WW2 by less protected or armed Merchant Navy ships is being uncovered and told even more this century. Often when their descendants start searching for information.

[@pbworld7858]

@@comealongcomealong4480 Up until last year, Hong Kong men were still doing the laundry unbelievably. They got 'made redundant' because Hong Kong people were deemed a "security threat."

[@herberttan4169]

British gov't racist treatment of Chinese. Sooner or later, they'll face karma.

[@esso0527]

Same thing happened here in Australia. Chinese who served in the war to fight off the Japanese but then got kicked out to make room for white Australia post ww2. Sickening

[@minervaminerva7906]

Thank you for sharing. It is so very important to clear this up. The British government MUST own up to what happened, to what impacted so many citizens, their offspring and the men who worked for the British Empire. These are human lives and an impact over generations, we are talking about.

[@francesfletcher7595]

Tried to send the Caribbean workers back

[@pbworld7858]

With the current Sinophobia, no chance.

[@misteryhs]

The LABOUR government

[@torbjrnmelbye6823]

A touching story. There's a father somewhere, or he might have died, but his blood runs through her veins. She has not been able to experience his touches, his love, his words or his knowledge.

[@tamuz9633]

Her mother should have chosen better. Its not that she didnt know that s*x leads to pregnancy!

[@tamuz9633]

Us women also need to be held accountable for our action. We nilly willy get impregnated by males that are not fit or ready to stay in our lives for life. Then we blame others when he leaves or has to leave. Women bring 90% if their own misery through unplanned pregnancies 😮 This is the TRUTH and we need to change this behaviour.

[@tamuz9633]

Women refuse to be held acvountable for the luves they bring into ghis world. It all starts with us womb bearers, us women 😮 We need to be more responsible over our wombs. We have the power, but we give it to random males and cry wolf 🐺

[@bennjeri1886]

​@@tamuz9633i totally agrees with you

[@garatobra2504]

@@tamuz9633 But they are fit enough to serve in the effort to fight the Nazis then after the war they become unfit according to your mistaken idea.

[@christineprice8108]

I am from Liverpool and knew NOTHING of this ! Shame on us

[@lyndenmanning]

Strange, guilt you have been looking for

[@christineprice8108]

@@lyndenmanning ?????

[@maolo76]

Goes to show the white people use minority people and deposed them when done.

[@kyogofurahashi]

I read somewhere that the Chinese community in Liverpool was the oldest one in the UK! , not sure how factual it is, can anyone econfirm?)

[@hadandawiya7776]

​@@lyndenmanningre phrase.?

[@KryCaNe]

The ripple effects are irreversible. People forget how bad racism was, the overtness.

[@LucyKelly-of6cu]

I don't think it was about hatred or cruelty. I think it was about family and loyalty. Those who kept their children were safe, and raised them well. This woman turned out alright.

[@KryCaNe]

@@LucyKelly-of6cu the entire thing is about hatred and cruelty!

[@litkfung4469]

l was born in HK & served in HM forces from 1983 until 1997 than left behind in Hong Kong by UK after China took over because of l have had british BNO passport only 。luckly China do nothing bad to my comrades with british army background。。Shame on UK

[@thetreekeeper143]

You should flee to the UK. The communist government of china treat everyone badly with no freedom and democracy. That's why rich Chinese are corrupt and the poor have nothing to eat.

[@huhuhuhu2470]

You were lucky that it was 1997, not 1967, otherwise it would’ve been a different story in HK for you. Speaking of China, if you are a student now have a UK degree, some jobs will not be open to you to apply.The message is that they consider you are no longer “them” anymore after staying overseas for a degree, you potentially are a candidate of spy

[@DLL-y4p]

BS

[@Usedtobeabandalore]

My grandad was mixed race asian. Never met his dad, grew up thinking his mam was his sister.

[@ngfamily1397]

Thanks for sharing. Your talk was gentle but powerful and sad. This revelation might have come 70 or so years later, but if it happened, it will be told and re-told until justice is done.

[@gretavains8707]

WHAT A STUNNING WOMAN 😊LOVE FROM AUSTRALIA 🇦🇺 ❤️

[@jasbirkauruppal3673]

Vvv beautiful woman indeed

[@user-yb6tk1ru6x]

Chinese migrants working on the railroads were also treated really poorly in the US. They are amongst the few groups of people that the US government actively created laws to prevent them from being naturalised.

[@waftbut]

The former Empire had abandoned lot and lot of its subjects when they are no longer needed and no longer useful.

[@slum0523]

First they exploited then abandoned.

[@SELondonUSA]

​@@slum0523Typical unabashed colonial exploitation of coolies and d@rkies. What a lovely, serene woman.

[@scarletcrusade77]

Well actually they were in many cases forced to give up most of it's empire due to USA & UN pressure to decolonize and the calls from locals for it so they gave them their independence. Hardly fair to call them abandoning.

[@comealongcomealong4480]

@waftbut The world changed, alliances between countries evolved. The trade that had built empires from the 1500s was also changing. As the world's shipping magnates - with their external registrations of companies and vessels - became the Empires of the twentieth century.

[@butterkhookies3092]

They abandoned their Commonwealth soldiers and Gurkhas as well, and their own British Veterans too.

[@shirleychang7909]

She is beautiful and brave.

[@didileong4116]

you are doing great work to honor your father. congratulations.

[@abmong]

It's a pattern, the British have a history of using and abandoning people from the colonies turn commonwealth and beyond.

[@QueenAmethyst55]

What a beautiful woman ❤

[@CapoKabar]

Utterly disgraceful. And now, they let worse people in and they get to stay

[@jimbojimbo6873]

Stop crying

[@CapoKabar]

@ says the illegal

[@jimbojimbo6873]

@@CapoKabar now you’re just being stupid

[@PinoyAbnoy]

are those worse people also a victim of british/western imperialism

[@CapoKabar]

@@PinoyAbnoy nope

[@kevyhot]

This is rather sad!!! I am so sorry for whomever had to go through this matter.

[@odettehokemeir4425]

So sad!

[@mashudali8482]

Wow - thank you for sharing this.

[@marybedward9381]

Appalling after service to uk during the war.

[@eegh]

Many Chinese navy officials and soldiers were trained in the UK during 1940s, and some became important and famous. One of them is 仉家彪 who took part in the handover process of H.M.S.Aurola. He later became a diplomat official and wrote a memoir about his life.

[@judithbateson6353]

There is more to this - all those men who were deported never got in touch with their British families? It would appear they 'disappeared.'

[@SL-lz9jr]

Who's to say they didn't try? But I imagine there was probably a language barrier. I can't imagine all 20,000 men spoke English. And, yes, people who don't speak the same language can and do still fall in love and start families. Also, bear in mind we don't know what happened to these men after they were reported to China. Post WWII China experienced great change. There was the change of government. Communism. Cultural Revolution. Extreme poverty. China closed itself from the rest of the world. It was illegal to leave China without permission. I imagine foreign mail would have been intercepted. Who knows.

[@judithbateson6353]

@@SL-lz9jr Please do more research!

[@einsam_aber_frei]

China has gone through a civil war immediately after the Second World War. They may not be able to get in touch with their wives and children in the UK. Those who fought for Kuomintang might have migrated to Taiwan. Those who fought for the communists would probably remain in the mainland China and later suffered the great famine and cultural revolution. Those who are from Hong Kong will live under British rule for their remaining life until 1997.

[@amossutandi]

They're probably thrown overboard somewhere in the Atlantic.

[@judithbateson6353]

@@amossutandi The ships also disappeared. \one might think they had blown them up!

[@richard3lee]

So sad

[@Enterthedragon-ye6om]

Many Chinese people from China also came to France and helped the French fought against axis in WW2. At least the French people still honor the commemoration of those Chinese people

[@bobevans9996]

harris or trumpf - no one can affect china n world don't care indian harris german trumpf irish biden kenyan obama italian peloci ... all ok - just don't dare bring us nukes n starvation - china is nuke power china is supply power - we hire u to kiss xi - do u r job or u'll be jailed n u r money nationalized god made one adam one eve god made incest evil god abraham religions christian jew muslim r the only colonist criminals on earth ever - immigrate back home to origin - n hand over whole pacific n half atlantic like british hongkong n portuguese macau n american taiwan mideastern indonesia malaysia n spanish philipine n the americas newzealand australia also - u stole from the natives u stole from china because they came from china - world will reset religion - superstition is really bad jesus is just a jew who died horrible on the cross do u want to be like jesus buddha is just an indian who left palace for a tree do u want to be like buddha

[@adrianw.8700]

Absolutely deplorable! The government treated them like disposable rubbish!

[@bobevans9996]

many chinese tea n silk farmers were captured to work abroad never to see family n home again

[@marybedward9381]

The British at their worst 😡

[@comealongcomealong4480]

@marybedward9381 I agree. It was a bad and unnecessary decision. But the UK government's attitudes in 1945 could be found in every major participant in the War. The US, Russia, France - all had discriminatory policies against various ethnic or national groups.

[@emippe226]

​@@comealongcomealong4480 True. The days when if you weren't white you weren't human. I think the prejudice was severe.

[@Rob-ik3fd]

Agreed, what kind of women practice hypogamy. Must have been prostitutes?

[@erictayverystrongimaginati1662]

Lady ...be brave 👍✌️🙏

[@jauipop]

I've been wanting to watch this documentary for so long, but I can't find it ANYWHERE.

[@comealongcomealong4480]

@jauipop A documentary is mentioned in this thread. In a Reply from @liverpix. They write about author Maria Lin Wong uncovering the file about this secret, forced deportation. Their comment says 'BBC Northwest made a documentary in 2002'. → Of course, it may have been removed if there was government sensitivity about potential Compensation Claims from family members.

[@Gunnar-Peterson]

I'd also like ot watch this

[@tonycannyfarm8434]

Still here thou

[@zebj16]

I have only recently found out about this from a comment in another video. The Guardian raised this on 25 May 2021 (I will try to post a link in another comment but YT seems to delete them). There is also a record in Hansard so it seems like a question was asked in parliament 21 July 2021.

[@Jennifer-qy2jt]

@Zeb J, Thanks. I love clips of such subject-matters. I wonder how people discover such sources.

[@zebj16]

@@Jennifer-qy2jt Strangely it was a comment I received, where I had pointed out how the Polish air men were a major help in the "Battle of Britain", yet Poland was abandoned by Britain (to Stalin) and to "not offend Stalin" there was no Polish in the post war honours and celebration marches. It was pointed out that this was nothing compared to the treatment of Chinese merchant seamen who had been supporting the British war effort with supplies. Of course Britain carried out further crimes against the Mau Mau in Kenya. For obvious reasons, I cannot discuss Ireland as I have dual citizenship.

[@liverpix]

I think it was around 2001 when the forced deportations were discovered when Maria Lin Wong, an author discovered the files at Kew. Apparently there were simlar deportations after WWI. There was a BBC North West documentary made about it in 2002.

[@chojamaru304]

Shame on the British government, using these men and discarding them at their convenience.

[@florantemore360]

That's ingratitude on the part of the country who benefited their heroic service. Not different from what the Czech fighter pilots who helped turned the ride of the air war against the Luftwaffe.

[@thomasng1007]

And not forgetting the Polish , who fought on the side of the RAF against the Nazis in the Battle of Britain. 💯💯💯❤️❤️❤️🎉🎉🎉👍👍👍

[@stephenhill8790]

because they had jobs that the men coming home from war would be given easy fix tipical of the british goverment at that time i expect it did not just happen to chinese but to many other commonwelth people

[@SlimJim3082]

They did not leave cos they wanted to... They left cos they had to

[@danielyu6399]

OMG first time hear about this story

[@bfcapitalyou]

When my father passed we found out he was married in Liverpool adter the the war. I have been looking for my step brother and sister left behind in Liverpool.

[@bobevans9996]

harris or trumpf - no one can affect china n world don't care indian harris german trumpf irish biden kenyan obama italian peloci ... all ok - just don't dare bring us nukes n starvation - china is nuke power china is supply power - we hire u to kiss xi - do u r job or u'll be jailed n u r money nationalized god made one adam one eve god made incest evil god abraham religions christian jew muslim r the only colonist criminals on earth ever - immigrate back home to origin - n hand over whole pacific n half atlantic like british hongkong n portuguese macau n american taiwan mideastern indonesia malaysia n spanish philipine n the americas newzealand australia also - u stole from the natives u stole from china because they came from china - world will reset religion - superstition is really bad jesus is just a jew who died horrible on the cross do u want to be like jesus buddha is just an indian who left palace for a tree do u want to be like buddha

[@garyyuen903]

Sad history and the two face. 過橋抽板

[@kateyanjames9040]

令人尊敬的女士在谈论残酷的历史😢

[@cnzaqdfrut9661]

World history 101: Commoners don’t matter, whether it’s 20 thousand or 20 million.

[@garatobra2504]

The UK government should at least make a statement that those men were forcefully deported and not voluntarily abandoned their children so that those children's can have a closure before they go to their graves.

[@jeromefitzroy]

The original Evil Empire

[@personalchannel5323]

France is laughing hard.

[@francesbernard2445]

During the Great Depression there was far less government funds available to pay clerks who processed the final steps for people living in the U.K. and in Canada too and there was a lot less money people had to pay for services at immigration law offices too when they were obtaining their citizenship in the new nation for them to live in they were not born in. Instead of mercy towards people in that predicament during the 1930's and then during the 1940's too instead martial law madness took over the thinking of government policy makers many who were terrified that newcomers were not going to fight the Nazis too. For people who had been born in Germany instead of in places like China, Italy and Japan the same thing happened to them too except that some of the wives married to men born in Germany then refused to co-operate with authorities who were insisting their man be just deported back to the nation of their birth and so for example Canada took away their born in Canada citizenship from them. Perhaps when faced with that possiblity those Chinese men instead agreed to sign up with the military belonging to the nation which they had moved to -- To fight against the Nazis. Many of whom died on the battlefieds. The only reason my grandmother was one step ahead of that sort of thing is because she had college degree credentials to be an interpreter who knew how to speak the 2 languages of German and English so very well while discussing any topic of conversation except of course in the sciences which female children back then were not being allowed to study classes in during grade school at the time for fear that science lab or shop classes would harm their feritility. So my grandmother already knew what was going on before my grandfather told her about it. Some Canadian Chinese people who survived the second world war came back home to tell us a lot about their experiences there too. The Cree nations in Canada during the years from 1886 - 1916 were often accepting of people from Chinese heritage who needed safer place to live than in the mining camps and in the building of the railroad camps.

[@simunooi5306]

Are you Cree? I find it fascinating that there may be people of Chinese descent among the Cree.

[@Dreamer10888]

That’s horrendous, they took Hong Kong, why would they do that to them

[@elinong1063]

History keep on repeating.

[@jimbojimbo6873]

Chinese and Liverpool are not things i expected to overlap

[@trisha7162]

Liverpool was an important port of call

[@waulaueh]

Right now it’s Liverpool FC binding them together. YNWA!

[@davidreid8075]

My Uncle Tony took me to see some gravestones of Chinese men in Liverpool.

[@陈鑫-b5r]

了解一下在美国，澳大利亚，新西兰的华人矿工

[@user-su5xw1pj8t]

Perfidious Albion. Again and again.

[@AngelGirl2482]

I can totally relate, to what she said. I am a Eurasian and feel like, I don't belong in the European or Asian race.

[@d.c.3534]

That’s very common. I’ve known many mixed race individuals and they can’t identify with either…always feeling out of place except when meeting and befriending other mixed race individuals with similar heritage. Understandable because mixed race really is its own separate race. In the US some Eurasian have appropriated the Hawaiian word hapa to try and form an identity instead of referring to themselves as biracial.

[@steveg2479]

@AngelGirl, easy for me to say, but why worry too much about things you cannot change? We are all half mother half father. Pick what you like best about either half, and deny the rest. You really can have the best of both worlds.

[@waulaueh]

I have a few mixed race friends and I’m happy for them that they decided to be “of both races” rather than “neither of the races”. Every race is beautiful~

[@bobevans9996]

don't worry - u can't mix - obama's all africans n harry's all europeans again already

[@linus631]

❤❤❤❤❤❤😢

[@damianrhea8875]

Were The Beatles half-Chinese? They were from Liverpool. Although Paul McCarney looks Korean… 😮

[@Samelameblamegame]

I'm Eurasian and I don't think Paul McCartney looks Asian or Korean

[@cpx9707]

John married a Japanese woman. But did they produce any child?

[@JohnBurman-l2l]

Bring it into the open but let's not do a guilt trip, just hope that compassion grows.... it's still a cruel fractured world, because people don't clean out their personal hatred and malice.

Anyone know where to watch this u.k?

[@seans5586]

There were already Indians and Jamaicans in Britain during the war years. They could have reapplied to come back to Britain post 1947. I guess all these events happen too quickly and they may not even have time to prepare for the sudden deportations.

[@stellacheng6023]

Eurasians in Hong Kong ...absndoned by their British fathers...even one of the prominent citizens endured this.

[@myPCselfhelp101]

Same happened to the African men that was there.

[@yhmmmm9766]

Tbh the old-style British imperial mindset would have torn the families apart if the men had stayed.

[@beachbum4691]

Notes & Dates > World War II in Europe came to an end on May 8, 1945, elections in the UK followed almost immediately and Attlee became Prime Minister 9-10 weeks later on 26 July 1945 until defeated on 26 October 1951..(after the war, in common with other nations a lot of terrible things were done including repatriating Central and Eastern European UK-based wartime "Fighters": including Polish Fighters to Stalins' Russia where they were executed, (that was the deal made with Russia, I don't know of any deal made with China but the whole of Europe was a mess: as it had been after World War I)..... wiki >...Reference British prime minister "Attlee" > Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee KG OM CH PC FRS (3 January 1883 - 8 October 1967) was a British politician. Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951, (he was the first Labour prime minister with a majority in government, and was very important in the setting up of the welfare state. He was made a member of the House of Lords after he retired, and became the first Earl Attlee. Thank you for posting this video is significant. The period immediately after World War II was a terrible time for all sorts of people for all sorts of reasons).. John, Historian, Perth. Western Australia

[@KingerHammer]

she has typical tradition English elegant，far more different from young British or Chinese

[@ssff2544]

❤❤❤

[@mparthur144]

Budget cuts by the Labour Government, I suspect. Typical. What did Churchill say about this policy? Did he condemn it?

[@finback2005]

and what has changed since then. Not much.

[@coreysze5378]

At that time, the empire taking advantage from the third world

[@comealongcomealong4480]

@coreysze5378 That's an EXCEEDINGLY narrow prism to view the employment of these 20,000 Chinese seamen. They would have received payment for their work. But yes - it would have been the work of onboard laundry, cleaning, cooks and kitchenhands. → EVERYTHING is an essential Resource in wartime. For all sides. The more you learn about governments annexing mines, railroads and trains, privately owned factories, farms obviously, palaces and mansions, and HUMAN resources. The UK Merchant Navy was ESSENTIAL for supplying fuel, army vehicles and weapons, equipment, uniforms, and all the provisions of war to their own troops and their Allies on various fronts. → You can watch documentaries about all the civilian nationalities who served in the Merchant Navy. The run across the North Sea from Norway to Murmansk in Russia is a helluva history. With very high loss of vessels and life from German U-Boats. /The great injustice came from the UK government AFTER the war. The widows and families of killed merchant seamen received no pensions. No honours or medals were awarded. Only the Russians, after the war, awarded the British Merchant Navy seamen a medal. This attitude says alot about the status of the British Army, Navy and Airforce at that time. That was the legacy of many centuries of history - not just Empire.

[@pipfox7834]

Still going on, and just as bad by Dubai rich and powerful ones

[@lordy1952]

Shame on UK

[@jacintochua6885]

Depirtations should have been pre advised. Immediate unannounced method was cried . Typicall.

[@zactianne6331]

So what else is new? The authorities are still doing the same thing, And we're in 2024. Like someone in Comments said, they'll face karma...

[@bobevans9996]

trace the today's rich families to when europe found asia - take their blood money away n give it to countries they wrong

[@aznpop2]

Yeah, let's fix the racism guilt but it's fine to continue to prejudice against the Chinese. (sarcasm of course)

[@marybedward9381]

Afghans deserted by British government too 😢

[@jeff6161]

Sounds like what the Americans would do today

[@bobevans9996]

usa is continuation of uk - mother uk son usa worst colonist criminals on earth ever - colonies n bases circle earth n war non stop

[@bobevans9996]

harris or trumpf - no one can affect china n world don't care indian harris german trumpf irish biden kenyan obama italian peloci ... all ok - just don't dare bring us nukes n starvation - china is nuke power china is supply power - we hire u to kiss xi - do u r job or u'll be jailed n u r money nationalized god made one adam one eve god made incest evil god abraham religions christian jew muslim r the only colonist criminals on earth ever - immigrate back home to origin - n hand over whole pacific n half atlantic like british hongkong n portuguese macau n american taiwan mideastern indonesia malaysia n spanish philipine n the americas newzealand australia also - u stole from the natives u stole from china because they came from china - world will reset religion - superstition is really bad jesus is just a jew who died horrible on the cross do u want to be like jesus buddha is just an indian who left palace for a tree do u want to be like buddha

[@peterretep1010]

Nothing surprising from a colonizer.

[@buzzlightyear3715]

Liverpool where they politely called you Mr. John Chinaman.

[@christineprice8108]

?????????

[@ivanreyes6824]

Called users.

[@seans5586]

How come the indians and jamacans could stay?

[@GizelleQuant]

…the Jamaicans and Indians that eventually settled in 47-48 didn’t make their way to be merchant seamen during the war. They were not “allowed to stay”. They were part of the waves of immigration from the windrush and Indian partition, respectively.

[@9grand]

Shame to the U.K

[@jonathanmun4180]

This has always been the theme with asian men in the west. Insecurity rules their minds.

[@patmoh4204]

The lady is very good looking to be half & half - Chinese+English

[@torbjrnmelbye6823]

A racist comment. Why bother spreading your filth?

[@tianming4964]

Saying someone is good looking "for their race" or that because they're mixed-race they're "good looking." Cringe.

[@sjelucten7150]

Mixed people are mostly good-looking.

[@marymolloy4133]

Ridiculous comment

[@jihaeoh2752]

That's backhanded compliment

[@Marrea-q1m]

Wait til muslim guys fatherkids with British women

[@plumeria66]

Oh god, who cares. Get on with life.

[@AmelieZh]

The hell is the matter w you ?

[@bobevans9996]

not u r life so u can get on

[@bobevans9996]

god made one adam one eve god made incest evil god

[@maximillianphoenix9374]

Your not a Eurasian your a sangley to be a Eurasian you need to have a European father 🤔

[@tantuce]

nope.

[@user-tz9jh6pv2j]

True, and to be a woman, your father needs to be a woman.

[@bobevans9996]

@tantuce chieusian

[@bobevans9996]

@tantuce chinglish