RAF Kallang was the only operational airstrip left; the surviving squadrons and aircraft had withdrawn by January to reinforce the Dutch East Indies. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. Their greatest challenge was transiting the Sunda Strait, now controlled by the Japanese, but somehow hugging the coast they remained undetected. RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1974. Then it gets more murky because the initial escape from Singapore is made in two boats by the members of an anti-aircraft battery. , Language [43], Percival gave Major-General Gordon Bennett's two brigades from the 8th Australian Division responsibility for the western side of Singapore, including the prime invasion points in the northwest of the island. [90][89], To the north, the 27th Australian Brigade had not been engaged during the Japanese assaults on the first day. Three days after the British surrender, the Japanese began the Sook Ching purge, killing thousands of civilians. The Commonwealth having thought the terrain made them impractical, had no tanks and only a few armoured vehicles, which put them at a severe disadvantage. There were 49 infantry battalions21 Indian, 13 British, six Australian, four Indian States Forces assigned to airfield defence, three Straits Settlements Volunteer Force, and two Malayan. With necessary repairs he found that the 1934 built fishing vessel Kofoku Maru (Happiness), with a copper sheathed teak hull and German diesel engine, was a very sound craft and he recruited eight Chinese to crew her. It is believed 32 survivors, some wounded, came ashore which included the captain; his wife Alice had been killed during the attacks. [155] At Gemas, Bakri and Jemaluang, "they achieved the few outstanding tactical successes" of the campaign in Malaya and although the Australians made up 13 per cent of the British Empire's ground forces, they suffered 73 per cent of its battle deaths. This old steamer, built in 1906, was now lying abandoned in Tandjong Priok, her native crew having deserted. Preview Book Copyright 2023. The Highlanders, now down to 250 men, reformed with the addition of 210 Royal Marine survivors from the Prince of Walesand Repulse. Bennett, Lt General Henry, Gordon,Why Singapore Fell, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1944. According to Woodburn-Kirby the majority of deserters were from administrative units or were men who had only recently arrived in Malaya and were inadequately trained. Eventually it becomes clear that Skidmore must have reconstructed it all from interviews with and diaries of those involved, but it makes for an awkward beginning. One evening, months later, when he was sitting in his bathroom enveloped in a towel, he stopped drying himself and gloomily surveyed the floor: 'I cannot get over Singapore', he said sadly. Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web. This podcast series examines Australias Naval history, featuring a variety of naval history experts from the Naval Studies Group and elsewhere. [169] Numerous British and Australian soldiers taken prisoner remained in Singapore's Changi Prison and many died in captivity. They fell upon X Battalion, which had camped in its assembly area while waiting to launch its counter-attack, and two-thirds of the battalion was killed or wounded. Pool, Richard, Course for Disaster From Scapa Flow to the River Kwai, Leo Cooper, London, 1987. Anniversary Cruise: Sydney under Japanese Attack, Sydney Harbour in War and Peace: Bradleys Head Tour, Garden Island Northern Hill and Garden Tour, Night of the midget subs Sydney under attack, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 1, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 2, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 3. Yamashita and his officers stationed themselves at Istana Bukit Serene and the Johor state secretariat buildingthe Sultan Ibrahim Buildingto plan for the invasion of Singapore. He joined the AIF in WWII; post-war he became General Manager of the ABC and was knighted. He survived this ordeal and when the opportunity came he and a number of his shipmates escaped in the river steamer Kung Wo. [m] Thompson wrote that the 22nd Australian Brigade was "so heavily outnumbered that defeat was inevitable" and Costello states that Percival's insistence on concentrating the 22nd Australian Brigade at the water's edge had been a serious mistake. Of the defensive forces only one British regiment and the Indians were prepared for operational service against a superior battle hardened force. The surrender of Singapore was the largest single wartime tragedy that shook the morale of Australians. Another well-known escape was of 65 Australian nurses aboard HMS Vyner Brooke which sailed on 12 February. At the same time, bowing to Japanese political pressure and possibly compounding foreseen weakness, Britain withdrew from its Chinese based garrisons at Shanghai and Tientsin and repositioned these regiments in Singapore, leaving the last east Asian outpost at Hong Kong alone and vulnerable. (Brooke 1989). Despite their numerical inferiority, they advanced down the Malayan Peninsula, overwhelming the defences. Moreman, Dr. John & Reid, Dr. Richard, A Bitter Fate: Australians in Malaya & Singapore, Dec 1941 Feb 1942, Department of Veterans Affairs, Canberra, 2002. [152] According to another source, Taylor cracked under the pressure. The Ban Ho Guanalso made Padang and was later bound for Fremantle. Naval Historical Society of Australia Inc. by Ian Skidmore. He had been arrested on 10 December and court-martialled in January. During the 70-day campaign in Malaya and Singapore, total Commonwealth casualties amounted to 8,708 killed or wounded and 130,000 captured (38,496 United Kingdom, 18,490 Australian of whom 1,789 were killed and 1,306 wounded, 67,340 Indian and 14,382 local volunteer troops), against 9,824 Japanese casualties. The Japanese were at the limit of their supply line and their artillery units were also running out of ammunition. Immediately following surrender of the garrison by Lieutenant General Arthur Percival on the evening of Sunday 15 February 1942, Major General Bennett handed over his command to Brigadier Cecil Callaghan and executed an escape plan (Bennett 1944). They get split up en route, but make it to Sumatra, where there are loads of other escapes and refugees. The men were detailed to help the undermanned crew and the women assisted in the galley and saloon. Escape From Singapore, 1942 by Skidmore, Ian. [146][147][148] Bennett blamed Percival and the Indian troops for the defeat but Callaghan reluctantly stated that Australian units had been affected, towards the end of the battle, by many desertions. I refer back to the original statement of "Left Singapore for Java in February 1942; escaped from Java by ship for Australia, but two ships were sunk and his ship turned and headed for India, arriving in Karachi March 1942". [82] The Hurricanes shot down six Japanese aircraft and damaged 14 others for the loss of a Hurricane. In seeking help LEUT Bull and two others eventually made Java where they became POWs. Produced by the Naval Studies Group in conjunction with the Submarine Institute of Australia, the Australian Naval Institute, Naval Historical Society and the RAN Seapower Centre. Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app. Only two vessels were thought to have made their intended destinations. These explained the inadequacy of British forces to withstand a Japanese attack in the Far East and the Royal Navys inability to send a fleet in defence. This tally possibly accounts for the largest number of Australian troops missing after release from Singapore. The escape was not well thought of by other senior Army officers, and in parliamentary circles it was politely termed unwise. [145], Bennett's party eventually made its way back to Australia while between 15,000 and 20,000 Australian soldiers were reportedly captured. Born into a lively Iraqi-Jewish family who rose from humble beginnings to create a thriving business, Rosie's days are filled with the love of her amusing and exasperating relatives and servants. Her captain is unknown and she sailed with 4 crew and 25 passengers. On paper the escape plan seemed straightforward, a 20-mile passage over the Singapore Strait at night, and then laying up under cover of one of the numerous Netherlands East Indies islands, before island hopping to cover the next 60 miles and crossing the Banka Strait to the large island of Sumatra. Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. Kung Woalthough hit with considerable damage there was only one casualty, a Chinese stoker killed by shrapnel. [56] This was encouraged by the deliberate movement of Japanese troops in this sector to deceive the British. The "1942" appears to have been added to the title to avoid confusion with a book by the same name written by S.C. George in 1946. Since then further interesting information has come to light. Singapore was no more, it would now be renamed Syonan-To or Light of the South. [107] Wavell told Percival that the garrison was to fight on to the end and that there should not be a general surrender in Singapore. He was 31. Survivors from this closely knit unit stayed together and some managed to escape whilst others were taken into custody. War finally came with Japanese forces attacking the northern beaches of Malaya on 8 December 1941 because of the dateline, one hour ahead of Pearl Harbor.Within days their attacks had extended to the Philippines and Hong Kong and through a pincer movement, down both sides of the Malay Peninsula. [170][171], An Indian revolutionary, Rash Behari Bose, formed the pro-independence Indian National Army (INA) with the help of the Japanese, who were highly successful in recruiting Indian prisoners of war. Nearly all were captured by the Japanese and 21 nurses were summarily executed with a further eight dying in captivity (Shaw 2010). As it starts, it's not really obvious whether it's a novel or narrative, since it's all told third person. This was the greatest known defeat of British forces in the distant Far East. [120] Earlier that day, Percival had issued orders to destroy all secret and technical equipment, ciphers, codes, secret documents and heavy guns. She sustained casualties, was soon on fire and had to be abandoned before she sank. The 1942 battle ended with 140,000 troops and citizens in Singapore captured, wounded or killed Around 80,000 British, Indian and Australian troops based in Singapore became Prisoners of War. Categories: She was known locally as The Ice-Box, therefore in taking passengers she was of limited value, only able to use the upper deck. Singapore 1942: End of Empire: With Lisa Huynh, Andrew McFarlane, Shuang Hu, Tony Nixon. A further 1500 women and children left early in the New Year and a final large contingent of 4000 departed in four passenger liners in late January 1942. [111] The counter-attack was repulsed by the Imperial Guards and the 27th Australian Brigade was split in half on either side of the Bukit Timah Road with elements spread as far as the Pierce Reservoir.[112]. By late February 1942 thousands of men, women and children were crowded here where they were prioritised for transshipment by the occasional merchantman and warships that called. For the rest of December there were false alerts and several infrequent and sporadic hit-and-run attacks on outlying military installations such as the Naval Base but no raids on Singapore City. He was convicted and hanged in the Philippines on 23 February 1946.[176]. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. The "Southern Area", including the main urban areas in the south-east, was commanded by Major-General Frank Simmons. The Japanese then proceeded overland across the ThaiMalayan border to attack Malaya. [89] Bennett decided to form a secondary defensive line, known as the "Kranji-Jurong Switch Line" facing west between the two rivers, with its centre around Bulim, east of Tengah Airfieldwhich subsequently came under Japanese controland just north of Jurong. [121] An Air Liaison Officer with the British Indian Army, Heenan had been recruited by Japanese military intelligence and had used a radio to assist them in attacking Commonwealth airfields in northern Malaya. Escape from Singapore, 1942: the story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters. 0 Ratings 1 Want to read; 0 Currently reading; 0 Have read; Borrow Listen. No amount of toing and froing with the engines would shake her free and with a falling tide they were stuck fast. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Her captain is unknown and she sailed with 4 crew and 25 passengers. [45] This included the naval base at Sembawang. To their right, the 18th Division, the 11th Indian Division and the 2nd Malaya Brigade held the perimeter from the edge of the Farrar Road east to Kallang, while to their left, the 44th Indian Brigade and the 1st Malaya Brigade held the perimeter from Buona Vista to Pasir Panjang. This podcast series examines Australias Naval history, featuring a variety of naval history experts from the Naval Studies Group and elsewhere. The British destroyed the causeway, forcing the Japanese into an improvised crossing of the Johore Strait. Please try again. With only two boats it would take several trips to get all personnel to some wooded islands about 5 miles distant. Thousands of others were transported by sea to other parts of Asia, including Japan, to be used as forced labour on projects such as the SiamBurma Death Railway and Sandakan airfield in North Borneo. Churchill called it the worst disaster in British military history. [46] Also under Bennett's command was the 44th Indian Infantry Brigade. On reaching Padang on Wednesday 18 February they joined similar parties that had been arriving over the past few days. [17][18] Prior to the Battle of Singapore the most resistance was met at the Battle of Muar which involved the 8th Australian Division and the 45th Indian Brigade. Escape from Singapore, 1942;: The story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters Ian Skidmore 4.00 3 ratings0 reviews Want to read Buy on Amazon Rate this book 198 pages, Unknown Binding First published January 1, 1974 Book details & editions Loading interface. Malaya Tribune: Colombo Man as Deputy Master Attendant, 24 November 1936. HMAS Sydney II and the HSK Kormoran Shipwreck Sites, Admiralty House, Garden and Fortifications, Royal Australian Naval Transmitting Station ACT, 81st. Commanders and senior officers should die with their troops. Free shipping for many products! [45] In the heart of the "Western Area" was RAF Tengah, Singapore's largest airfield at the time. Retrieve credentials. Kembong stopped and luckily remained undiscovered. Anniversary Cruise: Sydney under Japanese Attack, Sydney Harbour in War and Peace: Bradleys Head Tour, Garden Island Northern Hill and Garden Tour, Night of the midget subs Sydney under attack, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 1, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 2, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 3. [14][15] This was virtually simultaneous with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which precipitated the United States' entry into the war. Over the course of an hour, intense fighting took place on the right flank of the 2/19th Battalion, until its positions were overrun, the Japanese then advanced inland concealed by the darkness and the vegetation. [87], Believing that further landings would occur in the northeast, Percival did not reinforce the 22nd Brigade until the morning of 9 February, sending two half-strength battalions from the 12th Indian Infantry Brigade. [69] The Australians numbered just 3,000 men and lacked any significant reserve. After some boring to-ing and fro-ing, a small band of some twenty or so British officers are selected to escape to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) on a dubious native craft. The Japanese had imprisoned some 75,000 commonwealth soldiers in war camps on the swampy island of Singapore in the spring of 1942. . As the wreck of Kung Wowas still afloat bombers returned and sank her. [157], The Japanese occupation of Singapore started after the British surrender. He could only say "The bloody bastards will never think of looking for me in the open, and I want to see a bloody plane brought down". [154], A classified wartime report by Wavell released in 1992 blamed the Australians for the loss of Singapore. The main weight of the Japanese force, about 13,000 men, from 16 assault battalions, with five in reserve, attacked the 22nd Australian Brigade. Here they met a Chinese who for payment agreed to take them to Sumatra. Japanese troops were closing in on the British island of Singapore and it was only a matter of hours, if not days, before the embattled island would be forced to surrender. The Dalforce irregulars, also known as Dalleys Desperadoes, were mainly local businessmen with some limited military service. [153][136] Yamashita, the Japanese commander, laid the blame on the British "underestimating Japanese military capabilities" and Percival's hesitancy in reinforcing the Australians on the western side of the island. The men were forced into a series of small, badly ventilated rooms where they were held overnight without water. A month later they were washed ashore having returned to within a hundred miles of their departure point. Fairmile Motor Launches (MLs) were versatile small craft produced in their hundreds and served in most theatres during WWII. The island was re-occupied in Operation Tiderace by British, Indian and Australian forces following the surrender of Japan in September. On passage she met the armed merchant cruiser HMS Kedahwhich had sailed two days previously laden with evacuees. Those remaining of the ships companies from Prince of Walesand Repulse after successive drafts had been sent to other ships, among them two officers, LEUT G. Brooks and LCDR A.H. Terry, with about 200 men. Adding to the panic, they were being bombed. ESCAPE FROM SINGAPORE -- 1942 by Ian Skidmore RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1974 A yarn of adventure in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. After four days at sea they were sighted by the Singapore Harbour Services Launch Tern which took the General and his two aides inshore. Prior to the battle, Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita had advanced with about 30,000 men down the Malayan Peninsula in the Malayan campaign. A yarn of adventure in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. There's nothing particularly thrilling or gripping in the whole book, and it's time poorly spent. influencers in the know since 1933. From the composite Plymouth Argylls, 52 Highlanders and 22 Marines finally reached Colombo. on Amazon.com. Blackburn, Kevin & Chew Ju Eru, Daniel, Dalforce at the Fall of Singapore in 1942: An Overseas Chinese Heroic Legend, Journal of Chinese Overseas 1, 2 (Nov 2005), NUS Press, Singapore. It looks like WhatsApp is not installed on your phone. [67], Shortly before 20:30 on 8 February, the first wave of Japanese troops from the 5th Division and 18th Division began crossing the Johor Strait. The 18th Division has a chance to make its name in history. Copy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. These recordings can be accessed through Apple iTunes or for Android users, Stitcher. Blackburn and Hack give a total of 226 for British artillery pieces captured during the siege of Singapore itself, including fortress guns (172 without them), Two brigades from the 8th Australian Division had been dispatched to Singapore and then Malaya in February 1941, while its third brigade had been dispersed to garrison. ESCAPE FROM SINGAPORE - 1942 [Skidmore, I.] Many of them suffered severe hardships and brutality similar to that experienced by other prisoners held by Japan during the war. [k][l] The Kappe Report, compiled by Colonels J. H. Thyer and C. H. Kappe, concedes that at most only two-thirds of the Australian troops manned the final perimeter. 2 Michael Pethers mother (Kathleen) and her baby daughter were evacuated from Singapore on Christmas Eve 1941 and his grandmother escaped on 12 February 1942, all reaching the safety of home in New Zealand. But help was at hand. LEUT Wilkinson came through the ordeal of captivity as a POW. As it starts, it's not really obvious whether it's a novel or narrative, since it's all told third person. Another unfortunate consequence leading to confusion was that naval personnel responsible for coding and decoding signals were approved to leave the island aboard HMS Jupiterin the early hours of 12 February. Scorpionmade her escape on 9 February and suffered air attacks but was able to continue until encountering the Japanese cruiser Yuraand two destroyers when she was sunk. Colonels and brigadiers, civilians and civilservants,battle-hardenedwarriorsandarmy deserters intent on escape at any price, left in launches, junks, rowing boats, naval craft, in fact anything that floated. Roberts, Janet I., The Yachties Australian Volunteers in the Royal Navy 1940-45, Master of Arts Thesis University of Melbourne, October 2007. Post war she returned to Hong Kong. American-British-Dutch-Australian Command, Japanese order of battle during the Malayan campaign, "War for the Empire: Malaya and Singapore, Dec 1941 to Feb 1942", "Viewpoint: Cover-ups and the Singapore Traitor Affair", "Soldier's account of Japanese World War Two massacre to be auctioned", "Lieutenant General Henry Gordon Bennett, CB, CMG, DSO", "Your say in our defence Our defence must be total Chok Tong", "Public Warning System sirens to broadcast message on Sunday | The Straits Times", Bicycle Blitzkrieg The Japanese Conquest of Malaya and Singapore 19411942, The diary of one British POW, Frederick George Pye of the Royal Engineers, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fall_of_Singapore&oldid=1130998740, Since 1967, a memorial service is held at the. Lynette Silver (Silver 1990) is more precise: Rather than face the prospect of spending the rest of the war in prison, many chose to take the perilous journey across the sea to Sumatra, the only escape route now open. [8][9] The basic plan for taking Singapore was worked out in July 1940. The "1942" appears to have been added to the title to avoid confusion with a book by the same name written by S.C. George in 1946. Since 1998, Singapore has observed Total Defence Day on 15 February each year, marking the anniversary of the surrender of Singapore. [44] The rest of the force was of mixed quality, condition, training, equipment and morale. A British lieutenantacting as an envoy with a white flagapproached Japanese forces but was killed with a bayonet. Another vessel to escape from Singapore was SS Ban Ho Guanof about 1,700 tons with a crew of 10 and over 200 passengers including two officers and 100 other ranks from the AIF. The June 2019 edition of this magazine contained an article The Naval Evacuation of Singapore - February 1942which lists MV Kembongamongst forty-five vessels that escaped. [120] That day, military police executed Captain Patrick Heenan for espionage. Print This Page. Early on 8 December 1941, Singapore was bombed for the first time by long-range Japanese aircraft, such as the Mitsubishi G3M2 "Nell" and the Mitsubishi G4M1 "Betty", based in Japanese-occupied Indochina. This was intended to take place at 4 pm but delayed until just after 5 pm when the General Officer Commanding Malaya, Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, made the largest surrender in British military history, consigning the forces under his command to cease hostilities in an unconditional surrender to Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashitu, commanding the Japanese 25th Army. [28] According to John Coates, the report "lacked substance", for though there had undoubtedly been a lack of discipline in the final stages of the campaignparticularly among the poorly trained British, Indian and Australian reinforcements that were hurriedly dispatched as the crisis worsenedthe 8th Australian Division had fought well and had gained the respect of the Japanese. Best match; Highest price; Lowest price; First editions; Signed copies; All copies; Escape from Singapore, 1942;: The story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters by Ian Skidmore Seller Ergodebooks Published 1974 Condition Good ISBN 9780684136387 Copyright 2023. On Monday 8 December the Japanese crossed the border and carried out bombing attacks which completely destroyed the defending aircraft. Doctors and nurses were also killed. Those ashore on Pompong, with some supplies, were estimated at about 200 women and children, 30 to 40 civilian men and 400 from the three services, which included many with severe injuries. I think many of us felt at the time that it was yet another example of the lack of firm leadership. I was very frightened all the time that the British would discover our numerical weakness and lack of supplies and force me into disastrous street fighting. With the prevailing primitive instincts of escape and survival there were few heroes, with the exceptions of LEUT Thomas Wilkinson VC of HMS Li Wofor fearlessly engaging the enemy, and the courageous Captain Bill Reynolds4with his ironically named Kofoku Maru. Life on the Line Podcasts Please try your request again later. During the Japanese Occupation (1942-45), it was used by the Japanese Imperial Army to hold Australian and British prisoners-of-war (POWs). What the British refer to as the Far East and Australians South East Asia was mostly dominated by the colonial powers of Britain, France and the Netherlands, with the ex-Spanish Philippines controlled by the United States. Of those forces that had seen action during the previous fighting, the majority were under-strength and under-equipped. It therefore took some while to get everyone onboard and after the final trip the motor boat sank. Yamashita's prediction was correct; despite being observed by Australian artillery, permission to engage the palace was denied by Gordon Bennett. Robinson, Stephen, False Flags Disguised German Raiders of World War II, Exisle Publishing, Wollombi, NSW, 2016. [158] Churchill called the fall of Singapore to the Japanese "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history". The remaining nineteen men including the Executive Officer of ML 310, SBLT Malcolm Henderson RANVR, the Admiral and the Air Marshal died of disease when on the island. [66] The bombardment of the Australians was not seen as a prelude to attackMalaya Command believed that it would last several days and would later switch its focus to the north-east, despite its ferocity exceeding anything the Allies had experienced thus far in the campaign; no order was passed to the Commonwealth artillery units to bombard possible Japanese assembly areas. The documents were delivered to the German Embassy which provided copies to Japanese authorities. [76][h] From 27 to 30 January, another 48 Hurricanes arrived on the aircraft carrier HMSIndomitable. The remaining force was a mix of front-line and second-line troops. When you buy books using these links the Internet Archive may earn a small commission. On 16 February a small Dutch steamer Tandjong Pinangarrived and embarked the women and children and those who were critically injured, but it was sunk about 12 hours later with only 15 persons reaching land. The book starts by recounting the events leading up to the Japanese conquest of British Singapore. Hitler reportedly forbade Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop from issuing a congratulatory communique. [72], The air campaign for Singapore began during the invasion of Malaya. They get buzzed by a Zero that inexplicably doesn't fire, they get fired upon by a Zero who inexplicably doesn't finish them off, they meet a drunken Dutchman, they eat poorly (but not _that_ poorly), tempers fray, etc. From The Daily Telegraph 14 November. No hero's welcome greets them in Ceylon -- just some red tape.
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