Ho Weng Toh (Chinese: 何永道; 1920 – 6 January 2024), also known as Winkie, was a 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.
Early life
Ho 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
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.
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
Ho had been living in Singapore since 1953 till his death in 2024. Ho met Portuguese Augusta Rodrigues during his stint in Shanghai and they got married on 5 May 1949.[6]
Their son was born in Guangzhou and daughter in Hong Kong. They later all got Singaporean citizenship.[6] His wife died in 1977 of lung cancer.[8]
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.[9] In 2023, a short film called Flying Tigers based on his life was released and he was portrayed by Richie Koh.[7]
Ho died on 6 January 2024 at the age of 103.[1]
References
- ^ 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 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 (31 October 2022). "Experiences of pilot who fought in WWII can still inspire: CMG editor-in-chief". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Ho, Olivia (19 August 2019). "From war memoirs to poetry: The seniors turning to book publishing in their 80s and 90s". The Straits Times. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- ^ 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.