Singapore

[happy daze john in oz]

Today Wednesday February 15th we celebrate the 75th aniversary of the fall of Singapore.

Lest we forget.

[j.sabourn]

Not really something to celebrate John, but know what you mean. Singapore should never have fallen so easily. Was bad generalship by the British Army who were expecting an attack from the sea, instead they got a two pronged attack one from the sea and one down the Malaysian Penninsula, where there was no heavy armaments or very little. On top of that it was by a lesser number of Japanese troops than expected. Think the Japs must have been surprised how easy it was. However a lot of men died in action and captivity. It also left some of the approaches to Australia wide open. All gratitude must also be given to the US navy and armed forces to help protect the country. Very little was done by Britain and Churchill was quite prepared to forfeit it if necessary. He saw it as his duty to protect the British Isles. Depending on what history book you want to believe, Singapore was one of the great defeats for Britain in the last war among several others, there are always winners and losers, todays date is one of the great losses which shouldn't have happened. Now when Singapore was retaken that was a different story, to see the vast amount of British and allied lives lost during the occupation of Singapore one would have to visit the British and Colonial cemetery near the Jurong end of the Island, if there is a body in every grave there then it must have been a huge job organizing, and would have been seemingly impossible without the co-operation of the Japanese General in charge, so sometimes things again are not what they seem, the japs having the reputation of doing terrible acts which they no doubt did. I visited that cemetery as somewhere there is my uncle who fell on this date, but was unable to find the grave in the time. I know it is there as the records are kept in Canberra of every tombstone, more so than records kept in the UK who could not furnish the same information, maybe by now they have got copies from Canberra. Cheers JS

[cappy]

###my fathers brother was in the northumberland fusiliers ........he was one of the last back from dunkirk .....he told me in singapore an officer came to where they were camped in a field shortly after arriving .......he told them to stack there weapons and sit tight .......they had not seen a jap or nip as they called them.....after a day or so some nips appeard then went...the oficers told them to wait .....a day or so later the nips came back and they were marched away ...they argued with the officers but were told to follow orders ......as a prisoner of war he ended in a awful state of health for the rest of his life ....his mate called midge was left with berri berri and when my uncle came back to the camp that day he had gone and never seen again cappy

- - - Updated - - -

Today Wednesday February 15th we celebrate the 75th aniversary of the fall of Singapore.

Lest we forget.

###the fall of singapore was a case of bad generalship ...cappy

[j.sabourn]

Cappy about 1948 there was an exhibition of painting or drawings by an ex POW from Changi, In Newcastle in I think Fenwicks. He used charcoal and blood for his exhibition. One was of an inmate who was wheeling his balls in a wheel barrow it shocked me at the time. He was suffering from Beri-beri. JS

[cappy]

Cappy about 1948 there was an exhibition of painting or drawings by an ex POW from Changi, In Newcastle in I think Fenwicks. He used charcoal and blood for his exhibition. One was of an inmate who was wheeling his balls in a wheel barrow it shocked me at the time. He was suffering from Beri-beri. JS

......this was sad john my uncles mate from whitley bay was also a buddy they both had motor bikes before the war .....hewas like a skeleton coming home .......his motorbike was in my grans house and stoodgleaming and polished till he came home .....he had a family signet ring at home and on his death it was given to me it is approx 180 years old and will be handed down when the time comes.....it is a true treasure......regards cappy

[Richard Quartermaine]

On leaving Singapore in the late 80's I was given a beautiful illustrated tome of some 400 pages entitled SINGAPORE AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY 1941-1984. It is the pride of my collection. It is published by the Information Division, Ministry of Culture, City Hall, St Andrew Road, Singapore, 0617, Republic of Singapore. (the postcode could be updated)
ISBN 9971-75-029-5 (softcover)
ISBN 9971-75-030-5 (hardcover)
First published December, 1984, third impression April, 1985.

It begins with 'War Comes To Singapore'

Absolute hell.

Richard

[Richard Quartermaine]

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS ON THIS DAY 16 FEBRUARY, 1942 survivors of the sinking of the SS Vyner Brooke, including 22 members of the Australian Army Nursing Service, are massacred on Banka Island, now in Indonesia. The only Australian nurse who survives is Sister Vivian Bullwinkel.
Richard

The following is the write-up that I have previously included on my website Queensland Insurance Company Oldies :
The Royal Yacht of The White Rajah of Sarawak
A Horrifying Trajedy During the Evacuation of Singapore in 1942
This particularly horrible event was the sinking of one of the last ships evacuating from Singapore. She was the British registered Vyner Brooke and therefore would have flown the Red Duster. She was known as the Sarawak 'Royal Yacht'. Here is one more occasion where the Red Duster went down with its ship. The Royal Yacht Vyner Brooke was named after the Third Rajah of Sarawak - Sir Charles Vyner Brooke. Before the outbreak of war with the Japanese, 'Vyner Brooke' sailed between Singapore and Kuching and was requisitioned the Royal Navy as an armed trader when Japan entered the war. Our QI representatives in Sarawak were the Bian Chiang Bank that was part of the Vyner Brooke dynasty and under control of the Singapore based South East Asian office. Aged Harry Tay, Manager of the Bian Chiang Bank, had many photographs and memorabillia of the Brookes and spoke fondly of the Rani, wife of Rajah Vyner Brooke. This LINK tells the awful truth of the slaughter and cruel incarceration of brave women. Here https://www.awm.gov.au/military-event/E302/

[Doc Vernon]

A bit off track here (sorry) but in some other Post about Singapore!
Just to say that I too think that it is one great City,as said in other post ,so clean and tidy,the Hotels are great too. Good place to go for a Break!
Cheers

[j.sabourn]

Tried a few minutes ago Richard of putting the same story up fortuanetley the computer went off line and disappeared into the twilight zone. It wasn't until the late 90"s that Australian Service nurses got their own rememberance stone in Canberra either. The story I have there were 22 Australian Nurses and one elderly civilian. They were ordered to march into the sea line abreast to waist depth and were then machined gunned. This was after witnessing the murder of British troops being bayoneted. She feigned death and was washed up elsewhere and got into company with a British wounded soldier who she tended for 12 days before surrendering to other Japanese troops then spent the next 3 years in a POW camp. Will now have a look at your video and see if two stories are similar. Cheers JS

[Richard Quartermaine]

Yes JS, it usually takes time for the most memorable tragic events to be recognised. I was a regular visitor over the years to Kuching and dear old Harry Tay and I would yarn for hours on the past. As much as the courting of the offenders' race is papering over their atrocious acts, I find it difficult not to recoil in their presence.
Richard