Caleb Shang
Private Caleb James Shang. Credit: Cairns Historical Society
Caleb James Shang was born in Brisbane in 1884, the eldest of 13 children of Lee Wah Shang – who had been born in Canton, China – and his wife, Jane.
Caleb left school when he was 12 years of age and was working as a clerk before the First World War. In January 1916, his younger brother Sidney enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in Townsville, and Caleb signed up several months later in Brisbane. Thirty-one-year-old Caleb embarked for England on the troopship Seang Choon in September.
Private Sidney Shang. Credit: Cairns Historical Society
Caleb served with the 47th Battalion at Messines Ridge in Belgium, conducting patrols through enemy territory, and acting as a runner, delivering messages under heavy fire. He carried water and ammunition to the front line, and taught himself to use lamp signals to send information to battalion headquarters. Caleb was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for fearlessness, resource and initiative. Australia’s Official War Correspondent Charles Bean wrote that Shang was tireless in his duties, and that each time he returned to headquarters he had some kind of useful information.
In 1918, he distinguished himself at Dernancourt, near the Somme. Caleb volunteering for duty at an observation post in an advanced position, and remaining there until it was destroyed. He again acted as a runner, making numerous trips carrying ammunition under heavy enemy fire. On one occasion he used a Lewis gun to successfully cover his company's withdrawal. As a result of his bravery, he was awarded the Military Medal and a bar to his DCM.
In May 1918, the 47th Battalion was disbanded and Caleb Shang was transferred to the 45th Battalion. In August he was wounded by shell-fire in his right leg and was evacuated to the 3rd Auxiliary Hospital in Kent, England. In March 1919, he returned to Cairns and was greeted on arrival by the Returned Services League and townspeople. He was hailed as a hero, and the local newspaper named him “the greatest of Cairns soldiers”. His brother Sidney arrived home in September 1919.
After the war, Caleb worked as a herbalist in Victoria. On 28 April 1923 he married Anna Louise Kassene. Caleb and Anna later moved back to Cairns. They had two daughters, named Delta and Nancy, and one son named Hilton. Throughout the 1930s, Caleb spent long periods in hospital due to poor health and was granted a full war pension in 1934. He served in the Volunteer Defence Corps during the Second World War. His daughter Delta recalls that her father was a modest man, and the only Anzac Day parade that he ever attended was in 1943. There was an increase in racial discrimination during the Second World War, and Delta believed her father may have decided to march in response to this.
Caleb died following illness on 6 April 1953, and among those who attended his funeral were members of the Returned Services League of Cairns.
Cairns Anzac Day parade, 1943. Credit: Cairns Historical Society