Forgotten for decades, there are calls for the stories of Chinese Anzacs to receive wider recognition as part of the broader Australian wartime narrative.

Key points: Soldiers enlisted during the world wars were required to be 'substantially of European origin'

Soldiers enlisted during the world wars were required to be 'substantially of European origin' The race requirements for would-be soldiers became more lax as the need for them grew

The race requirements for would-be soldiers became more lax as the need for them grew At least 19 Chinese-Australians received bravery awards during World War I

In the past few years, the descendants of Chinese-Australian soldiers have made a concerted effort to keep alive and spread stories of their heroism, educating the wider Australian community about their contribution.

There were at least 213 Chinese-Australians who enlisted in World War I, and potentially many more in World War II — however nobody knows exactly how many there were, due to Australia's race-based enlistment policies at the time.

"There were race requirements for entering the armed services during the World Wars," historian Meleah Hampton from the Australian War Memorial told the ABC.

"They needed to be 'substantially of European origin' … And if you met that requirement, or you could fudge that requirement, you were in."

The enforcement of these rules came down to how "European" a would-be soldier appeared in the eyes of the man taking down his enlistment — but Dr Hampton said their assessments became more lax as the need for soldiers grew.

Thomas William "Bill" Ah Chow tried to enlist early on in WWI but was rejected. ( Wikimedia Commons: Jim McKinty )

"When they started getting very desperate for men, they started seeing whiter and whiter people I guess," she said.

"Certainly in the First World War, there's evidence of men with very overtly Chinese surnames like Wong … who are accepted for service, because they have European ancestry as well."

Wellington Lee, 93, a fourth-generation Chinese-Australian veteran of World War II and a former deputy lord mayor of Melbourne, said servicemen like him had a measure of anonymity in the military, but that this was a mixed blessing.

"One of the good things, but also a bad thing, was we were never recognised — that was good in that we were just Australian citizens in the military," he said.

"The bad thing was they tended to ignore us … particularly those really notable Chinese military [men]."

'Who is Billy Sing?': Despite medals, soldiers remain forgotten

William (Billy) Sing was renowned for his abilities as a sniper, shooting a confirmed 150 Turkish soldiers. ( Supplied: AWM/P08403.001 )

Mr Lee cited the example of Billy Sing, a World War I sniper who served at Gallipoli and later in France.

Sing was a noted marksman, who was reported to have shot more than 200 enemy soldiers at Gallipoli and received a Distinguished Conduct Medal for his service, among other honours.

At least 19 Chinese-Australians received bravery awards during World War I.

The Chinese Museum in Melbourne says Sing had numerous nicknames, including 'the Assassin', 'the Murderer' and 'crack shot of the Anzacs'.

"[Sing] should have got the Victoria Cross — even two Victoria Crosses — and yet he got a lowly British Empire medal," Mr Lee said.

"He died a pauper ... Today, if you ask the average Australian, 'Who is Billy Sing?', they wouldn't know."

Mr Lee said he believed this lack of acknowledgement for Chinese-Australian soldiers came down to "pure racism and discrimination", an issue he personally experienced in his military career.

"I know that when I went to join the Navy, they wouldn't accept me," he said.

"Later, after the war — because I came to know many of the admirals, because of my involvement in the community — I found out that in the naval statutes, recruits [were] only acceptable of European descent."

Mr Lee said this was shocking to him when he found out, and while he went on to serve in the Air Force, he said it was still difficult to enlist outside the Navy.

"Even the Army and the Air Force, at the initial stage of the war, didn't want anyone apart from pure, white Anglo-Saxons."

'Back to the White Australia Policy' after service complete

Chinese-Australian diggers experienced less discrimination while serving than they did in their civilian lives, according to Mark Wang, the deputy chairman of the Museum of Chinese History in Melbourne.

"They were all working together as mates, fighting the enemy, so there was no discrimination at all when they were soldiers," he told the ABC.

Billy Sing enlisted on October 26, 1914 and returned to Australia on July 21, 1918. ( Supplied: AWM/PO3633.006 )

"But as civilians, when they came back to Australia, they went back to the White Australia Policy, and the discrimination in the homeland was much greater."

While times have changed now, it has proven difficult to get recognition for the service of Chinese-Australian Anzacs, but an exhibition organised by the museum is looking to change that.

Mr Wang said its Chinese Anzacs exhibition has been held at numerous RSL branches across regional Victoria, and it will soon travel to Perth.

Many descendants of Chinese-Australian World War II veterans are expected to march in Anzac parades across the country today.

However, Mr Wang said the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance declined to host the exhibition, on account of their schedules already being full.

"We're quite disappointed that an organisation like that would not receive our exhibition at that high level," Mr Wang said.

The medals awarded to Billy Sing on display at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra ( Wikimedia Commons: Abraham, B.S. )

While there is a permanent monument in Sydney's Chinatown commemorating Australians of Chinese heritage who served, he said their sacrifice should be acknowledged on a national level.

"Where there are war memorials, there should be some recognition, permanent recognition in those places," he said.

"Not small communities creating it themselves — it should be recognised as part of the national story."

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