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This is a letter (Unedited) from my Uncle Ron to my Grandparents Arthur & Daisy Collins, his parents written a few days after the RAF entered Singapore in 1945. I am the "Babe" mentioned in the last line.
David Wood

161398 Flying Officer Ron Collins
110 (Hyderabad) Squadron
R.A.F.
SELETAR AERODROME.
SINGAPORE.
Friday 26th Oct 1945

Dear Mum and Dad,
Once again I have borrowed the Adj’s typewriter to rattle off a long overdue letter to you. Very sorry that it has been so long since I last wrote, but I don't seem to have much time to spare these days, only just manage-to keep Di up to date with the news each day. In fact I owe many people letters, "must really do something about it.

Well, since I last wrote you, as you can see I have left Burma behind, and am now in a more or less civilised part of the world. We came down here two days before the Japs officially surrendered, and as you can imagine the people were absolutely delighted to see British uniforms again, after three and a half years of occupation. We came in low over Singapore, and later, driving through the main streets to our billets in town, we must have looked an untidy bunch of ruffians, unshaven, dirty, armed to the teeth, but very happy. Crowds lined the streets and cheered the first R.A.F. to arrive. Japs were everywhere, and it was good to see large columns of them marching under guard to the prison camps just vacated by our own POW's and civilian internees. They certainly looked a very tough and insolent bunch then, but nowadays they seem to have realised the full meaning of their defeat, and are very orderly and polite, always bow and salute officers.

Singapore itself was never bombed to a great extent so it has retained some of its former impressiveness. It is mainly populated by very loyal Chinese who did wonders for the P.O.W.'s during the occupation often at the risk of their own lives. During our first few days here we drove around to the prison camps and talked to many men who had been imprisoned for the three and a half years. They told of many cases of a atrocities, including a forced march of 1500 miles through the Malayan jungles up to Siam, to build a railway through treacherous mountains into Burma. That same railway we used to patrol looking for trouble, often finding it. Of the thousands of slave labourers who did that march, only a very small percentage are still alive. Their only dress was a loin cloth, marching on bleeding bare feet, subject to mosquito bites, dysentery and fed on a few handfuls of rice each day its no wonder so many died.

Also paid a visit to a civilian interment camp and talked to men and women internees. Looked to me like a second Belsen, everyone was so gaunt. Made friends with many people who are now in England or on their way. Gave Di's address to one or two and they promised to write her with all the gen on things out here that I couldn’t tell at the time. Probably she'll be glad of more news about her stray husband.

The weather down here is perfect and quite temperate considering we are only 70 miles from the Equator. I’ crossed the Line' about two weeks ago, when I went down to Batavia, Java. You've probably heard of the trouble down there with the Dutch and Indonesians, well a Dutch official came up to the aerodrome and wanted to fly down there on urgent business and he was backed up by a letter from Lord Louis Mountbatten requesting that he should be taken immediately. Couldn't do anything in the face of that so I piled him aboard my Mossie and flew him down. Turned out that he was the Governor of Java or something but sitting on the floor of the aeroplane he looked anything but that. Batavia is a beautiful city, and absolutely overrun with thousands of beautiful Dutch girls who had been imprisoned by the Japs for three and a half years, so an Englishman's life was not worth living there especially R.A.F. I remembered I was a married man, and was put in the Hotel des Indes, one of the finest hotels, if not the finest hotel in the world, and spent a very enjoyable night there as a guest of the Dutch authorities.

Well, folks, things have quietened down now, and everything
is becoming shipshape once again. Singapore has settled down after the turnover, but everything is terribly expensive, the Chinese have brought forth things they have had buried for many years and of course they are in great demand as curios. I have plenty of silk, only hope the customs are lenient when I come back.

Guess I am running out of news for the time being, so will love you and leave you. I haven't any idea when I shall be back, only wish I could tell Diana some concrete date, but at the moment everything is in the air, as you no doubt know. Di is working now which I think is a good thing, will give her something to do till I return.

Well, really must go now. Hope you are both-keeping fit, myself, I've never felt better,

How's Susie and the babe getting along?
Cheerio
Love.

Ron xxx

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