COL. LEM WEI-SHENG,
aka
LING YUEI-SHING,
LING WEI-CHING
and
LIN WEI-CHEN
(CNAC 1937 - 193?)
In 1937, Col. Lem replaced Dai Enki, as Managing Director or MD. For some additional details see Wings for an Embattled China by W. Langhorne Bond, page 132. From Patti Gully. Thanks Patti. December 29, 2007 Tom, I notice there is little information regarding CNAC managing director and vice-president, Colonel Lem Wei-sheng. (Confusingly, he’s also referred to as Ling Yuei-shing, Ling Wei-ching and Lin Wei-chen.) When the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Railways were fighting for control of China’s skies in 1929, Colonel, then Captain, Lem was asked what the thought of the MOC vs. MOR (CNAC) kafuffle. Lem rather leaned toward the CNAC model, and he replied that, “it was necessary above all things that no special company should be granted a monopoly, and that China’s sovereign rights should be respected. He said that Americans should uphold China’s aviation rights and would personally welcome the contract if the United States Government promised unconditionally to assist China in the development of her aviation services.” (North-China Herald, “The Aviation Contract: Chinese Flyer’s Views,” 11 May 1929). On 17 August 1936, Colonel Lem was Commander-in-Chief of the Kwangsi Air Force and director of the Nanning Aviation School when he and several close subordinates made the decision to defect to the Central Government under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. Some of his Kwangsi colleagues and others of the Canton Air Force had already gone over to Chiang in previous weeks. Presumably, the Generalissimo later rewarded this defection, which was designed to bolster the national air force on the eve of war, by putting Lem in charge of the CNAC. Here are two articles that provide some CNAC statistics and a thumbnail bio of Col. Lem when he assumed the directorship of the CNAC in 1937: China Weekly Review, 29 May 1936 or would like to be added to the CNAC e-mail distribution list, please let the CNAC Web Editor, Tom Moore, know. Thanks! |