Rebecca Chan Chung

Rebecca Chan Chung was born in the David Gregg Hospital for Women & Children (also known as Yiji Hospital 柔濟醫院 located on Duo Bao Road 多寶路 in Guangzhou, China, during the Warlord Era. She was the second child of her parents. Her mother, Lee Sun Chau 周理信 (1890–1979), was one of the earliest Chinese female doctors of Western Medicine in China and was a resident physician in the David Gregg Hospital for Women and Children at the time of the birth of Rebecca Chan Chung. Her father, Po-Yin Chan (陳步賢) (1883–1965),^[3][4] was a revolutionary under Dr. Sun Yat-sen in the Chinese Revolution of 1911 and was a Senator of Guangzhou in the 1920s.^[5]

Rebecca Chan Chung graduated from St. Paul's Girls’ School (primary school, currently St. Paul's Co-educational College) in Hong Kong in 1933. In 1938, she graduated from Diocesan Girls' School (secondary school) in Hong Kong, when Miss H.D. Sawyer was the Headmistress.^[6]

Rebecca Chan received her Nursing training administered by the Government of Hong Kong in Queen Mary Hospital (Hong Kong), Hong Kong, in 1938–1941. During World War II, in the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941, she graduated in an emergency fashion, with her Certificate of Training issued by the Medical Department of the Government of Hong Kong on December 10. The certificate was signed by Principal Matron Alice Mary Davies^[7] and Director of Medical Services Sir Percy Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke.

During World War II in 1942–1943, Chan was a nurse with the Flying Tigers and then the United States Army, both at or near Kunming Airport (currently Kunming Wujiaba International Airport), Kunming, China.^[8] She worked for doctor Fred Manget, who was under Claire Lee Chennault. In 1943–1944, as a flight stewardess (Nurse) with the China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC),"The Descriptive Finding Guide for the China National Aviation Corporation Collection SDASM.SC.10025". www.oac.cdlib.org.^{[9][10][11][12][13]} she flew over The Hump^[14] across the Himalayas between Calcutta, India, and Chongqing, China, approximately fifty times. These flights were dangerous because the propeller airplanes available at that time were unsuitable for flying at the needed heights. In 1942, Japan had cut off the Burma Road,^{[15][16][17][18]} so the Hump route became the only access to China. In 1943–1948, she was a flight stewardess, nurse and then head nurse with the China National Aviation Corporation based in Dum Dum Airport (currently Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport), Kolkata (or Calcutta), India, and after 1946 in Shanghai Longhua Airport, Shanghai, China.^[19] Her autobiography, Piloted to Serve, provides details of her experience.^[20][21][22]

In 1963, while serving as a Sister Tutor (nursing instructor) with the Government of Hong Kong, Chung studied in the College of Nursing in Melbourne, Australia, where she received a Sister Tutor Diploma. In Hong Kong, she headed the large nursing school of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals as its Sister Tutor-in-Charge from 1964 to 1975. In 1974, she became a Fellow of the College of Nursing, Australia.

Chung was appointed a member of the Hong Kong Nursing Board by Hong Kong Governor Sir Robert Black. She was made a member of the Hong Kong Midwifery Board by Hong Kong Governor Sir David Trench. In addition, she was elected and served as the President of the Hong Kong Association of Nurses and Midwives.^[23]