大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by CSV Lending Time Volunteer Pauline Bollen and Rob Illingworth of Kent County Council Shepway Library District on behalf of Mr Owen Proctor and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

THE WORLD IS SMALL

At about four bells in the forenoon on 20th January 1942, H.M.Naval Base, Singapore received a red Alert and the sirens wailed. I left the Medical Office overlooking the Dockyard, hurries along the bungalow balcony and scrambled down the grassy slope to the road leading to the Dockyard. I passed the Sikh sentry and made my way to Room 9 Navy Office, which was my Passive Defence Post 鈥� totally unprotected in any way. There I joined Surgeon Lieutenant D.A.Miln RNVR who had already arrived.

He was a young newly qualified doctor who had arrived on station some months previously. He and I had been going to spend three months in the Nicobar Islands studying tropical diseases etc. The only other Europeans in the area would be two RAF personnel manning a signal station. Unfortunately this was cancelled and D.A.M. was sent to Penang from whence he returned to us before the Japanese captured Penang. His mother, following his father鈥檚 death in the 1914-1918 War ran small farm in Cornwall and was able to finance her son鈥檚 studies for medicine. Dr.Miln was a kind and dedicated doctor. He asked LSBA Drewett to give him some tuition in laboratory work, as his studies in the UK had been hurried. Whenever HMS Kedah came in on a Wednesday they both worked in the Asiatic Hospital Laboratory.

Whilst we manned Room9 D.A.M. told me he was going to the minesweeper HMS Kung Wo to vaccinate the ships company as soon as the all clear sounded. I offered to give him a hand but he refused reminding me that I had brought 鈥淧rince of Wales鈥� and 鈥淩epulse鈥� casualty lists with me and on which I was working. Eventually there being no aerial activity the all clear sounded and I again offered to assist him. Hr ordered me back to the Medical Office. At that moment he made me a present of my life. As I reached the Dockyard Gate the sirens sounded again and I returned to Room 9 鈥� very appropriately numbered: I still have the key. Dr.Miln did not return so he had evidently reached the Kung Wo, which was about four hundred yards from me and was tied up alongside the Dockyard Accommodation building. Within minutes bombs fell and one pierced the deck of the Kung Wo and killed all those below. Dr.Miln鈥檚 body was placed in the Asiatic Hospital morgue.

Burial was arranged the following day and in the morning a Tamil tambi of the hospital鈥檚 staff asked to be allowed to pay his last respects to the doctor. He was given a facemask and went in. He came out in tears: 鈥淒r.Miln very good man 鈥� every patient white鈥�. D.A. had treated all patients with the same care and this was noticed by our tambi.

When I retired from Thames Water in 1978 I acted as a part-time guide for our Ashford Common Works and subsequently Coppermills Works. One afternoon in 1982/3/4 I conducted a party of nursed around the works. The lady in charge of the party was a retired Nursing Sister. After the tour we adjourned to the clubroom for tea and the following conversation between the retired Sister and myself ensued:
鈥淵ou were in the Navy鈥�
鈥淗ow do you know?鈥�
鈥淵ou told a nurse that she had dropped her handkerchief on the deck. Furthermore when you were describing the effects of corrosive gases on respiratory organs, you gave me the impression that you have a medical background.
鈥淵es I served in the Medical Branch, R.N鈥�.
鈥淚 had a dear friend 鈥� a Medical Officer in the Navy. He was killed in the Far East and I often wonder what happened to him鈥�.
鈥淲hat hospital?鈥�
鈥淭he London鈥�.
鈥凄.础.惭颈濒苍?鈥�.
鈥瀁别蝉鈥�.
I was able to tell her that D.A. had died instantaneously without fear or pain.
I do not know her name and have not seen her since.

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