大象传媒

From Singapore 銉籛ith Thanks

By
Lieutenant Commander R. G. Curry VRD

Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita had driven our armies out of Malaya, and on 31st January 1942, all who survived were now on Singapore- well over one million people crammed on an island about the size of the Isle of Wight, separated from the mainland by the waters of the Jahore Strait.

At the moment I was attached to the RAF at Seletar Airfield in Singapore as a Liaison officer, and we were under continuous bombing raids by the Japanese. Our Hurrican Fighters which had recently arrived from the UK and which I had helped to assemble, had flown away to Java, and the RAF were preparing to evacuate the base. Being a naval man, they were not sure what to do with me, the 鍙ones being out of action, however they left, and I found myself alone. I located some bottles of Scotch, had a few drinks, destroyed the remainder and considered my next move.

I could hardly go down with my ship because I didn绋� have one, I could not desert my post so, taking comfort from the telegraph poles from which the RAF had made up to look like large guns to frighten the Japs, and the warmth of the Scotch, I retired to patrol the approaches to Singapore in the destroyer HMS Tenedos, where most of the fishing boats in the area were Japanese. They must have written some jolly letters home to Tokyo about the telegraph pole and wooden dummy aircraft.

Next morning I was awakened by explosions, and peeping out of a window, I could glimpse Japanese soldiers across the Jahore Strait firing mortar shells at our airfield. I could see no future in this for me, so packing a suitcase, I let myself out of the back door and set off to walk to Singapore city followed by mortar shells. I saw a Malayan who was bent on looting, stagger and fall, his head and been blown off. I increased speed, trying to keep a tree between the mortars and me.

Dodging bombs and shells, I eventually approached the city 銉籬undreds of unburied dead almost blocked the streets, and the smell of putrefying flesh mingling with the bombed sewerage, was appalling. A huge black pall of smoke from the blazing oil tanks on Pulau Bukum and the Naval Base, hung over the city, and the rain drops were turning black as they reached the ground. Fires blazed everywhere, wrecked cars littered the streets with the dead, Jap planes bombed at will, and armed soldiers were wandering about bewildered; what unbelievable chaos. I spoke to an army sergeant who was manning a large anti-aircraft gun on the pavement, and he told me they had only arrived from the UK a few days ago 銉籬e asked me for a fag, I gave him the packet.

I eventually found naval HQ in a sandbagged shack, reported what had happened, and was immediately drafted to a minesweeper - HMS Jarak 銉籰ying off Keppel Harbour, as Chief Engineer. I literally fought my way to the docks, brushing aside armed dazed soldiers trying to force their way on to anything that would float. I suppose being one of the few in naval uniform, they assumed that I would be most likely to know about ships leaving Singapore, and as they all had sub-machine guns, I allowed myself to be escorted to the dock gates. Armed police and army officers controlled the gates, and on showing my papers through the bars, I was allowed in 銉籥lone. Eventually I was taken out too HMS Jarak in a sampan and reported to the Captain, an RNVR Lieutenant 銉籭t was Thursday 12th Feb 1942.

From the ship鐥� bridge I was horrified to see scores of children, and women, standing right up to the very edge of Clifford Pier, waiting desperately for rescue. Our guns on Pulau Blakang Mati were shelling the enemy lines, the shells passing over us. Jap planes were slowly circling over the city, throwing red anti-personnel grenades on to the soldiers and civilians which exploded before they reached the ground. The Captain told me that our job was to proceed to the minefield at dusk, show a red light and guide escaping ships and craft through the minefields, and return to base at dawn.

The Japanese were at a radius of 3-4 miles away, and the people were being killed at a rate of 2000 per day, not counting wounded. He was telling me that he had to attend a conference at Fort Canning on Friday 13th Feb, when he heard the drone of planes, there were 27 Jap Bombers approaching the docks from the east. Before going below to take cover I looked at those children, dressed mostly in white with ribbons in their hair, waving to us 銉籲o shelter at all - Dear God. Down below I found an air raid shelter built entirely of large tins of corned beef, and as I dived in, it was explained that the bomb splinters could slice through the sides of a ship, but could not penetrate the corned beef. Good old Admiralty ham. As the bombs exploded all around us I thought of those children standing on Clifford Pier unprotected. As soon as the crash of bombs finished, I rushed up top and thank God, the children were still standing there, waving to us. A large Chinese junk was burning and people, also on fire, were jumping into the sea.

At dusk we steamed away to the minefields to show our red light 銉籺he children and women stopped waving as they watched us leave. I have had the picture of those children in my minds eye for 34 years, even though I was slightly comforted by a shipmate who assured me that the Japanese even in their brutal unpredictable way, were fond of children. Throughout the night we guided escape craft through the minefields to what we all thought was safety. None of us appeared to know that a Japanese Naval Squadron consisting of two 8銉籊un Cruisers, an Aircraft Carrier, and three destroyers, under the command of Admiral Ozawa, was already cruising between the escaping ships and the south, and they sank nearly all escape ships with tremendous loss of life. At dawn we returned to our moorings at Keppel Harbour to witness the slaughter, the fires, the children, the bombings, and take refuge in our corned beef shelter. It was Friday 13th February 1942.

The Captain returned on board following the conference at Fort Canning, and informed us that in this oriental Dunkirk only military nurses, technical arm officers and troops, including a Rear Admiral and an Air Vice-Marshall, would be taken off Singapore, as they would be required for future operations in Java or Burma, and our own allocation was RAOC Personnel. There were about 50 small ships and seagoing craft left in Singapore receding astern. Of the 50 ships, which left that night, about 45 were sunk by bombs, or Admiral Ozawa鐥� warships, with great loss of life, and those survivors who reached small islets were subsequently tortured, bayoneted, or shot by the Japanese. The Admiral and Air Vice-Marshall were stranded on a small islet and died of starvation.

HMS Jarak steamed at full speed 銉�7 knots for the rest of the night, and at dawn we anchored as close as possible to a small island. The troops waded ashore and cutting down branches and palm fronds, covered the ship to avoid detection from the air. All day long we could see Jap. planes patrolling the skies, but they did not see us, and at dusk we cast off our camouflage and steamed south at full speed. At a pre-dawn conference we decided to steam on during the day, and all went until we were spotted by a Jap. plane, and at 3 pm we found ourselves facing Admiral Ozawa鐥� 8銉籫un cruiser squadron supported by destroyers and a carrier. A cruiser challenged us on a large signal lamp 銉籰ong short long 銉粀hat ever that may mean in Nip signalling, and our skipper replied by firing two coloured rockets into the air which baffled everyone including the Japanese. Playing for time, our Captain was sending out a signal in a simple code for our 閲榓ttle Fleet銉籥nd submarines to come at once to our position and sink the Jap. warships. Although we knew there was no hope of this happening, the Japanese could take no chances, and presumably abandoning the problem of two coloured rockets, concentrated on our signal, and flashed 灞昲o are you?銉籛ith traditional audacity our Captain flashed back 閲榬itish minesweeper so what銉� and hoisted the White Ensign. Rugged stuff 銉籆aptain Hornblower would have approved. The Japs thought this one over, then signalled who they were, and hoisted their battle ensign 銉籥ll very correct and proper, and just as we were considering what to say next, 4 orange flashes appeared on a cruiser, and 4-8銉籹hells exploded in the sea, all around us. All this time our Captain was steering towards the distant islet of Saya on a zig zag course, and by brilliant seamanship avoided many salvos. However, shells were hitting us now, and a plane appeared and bombed us. Our 6 pounder opened up, and the soldiers fired our two Lewis machine guns, but many were wounded including our Captain, and thinking he was going to pass out, he gave the order to Abandon Ship, and we lowered the two lifeboats carrying our wounded. The Japs must have decoded our signal, as they sent in a destroyer with guns blazing, but they failed to sink the little Jarak, and the whole squadron cleared off, leaving us alone.

As we rowed away towards the small island, we could see in the dusk, our ship listing badly and smoke belching from her. In my boat an army warrant officer had a large bomb splinter through his thigh, which was protruding through the other side of his leg, and with blood pouring from him, he asked me for water 銉籌 got him a drink from the lifeboat stores and tried to stem the flow of blood. In the darkness we lit pieces of paper to attract the other boat, and soon saw an answering signal. Between us we reached the islet about midnight, carrying our wounded up the rocky face to comparative safety. Our two boats were in danger of being broken up on the rocks in the rough sea, so we sat in them throughout the night rowing away from the rocks, although the boats were lashed to a rock. At a dawn we found a sandy beach quite near and managed to get our wounded on the sands, and beach the lifeboats. We found cocoanut trees and our five Malayan ratings soon climbed them, providing us with food and drink to augment our lifeboat stores of 12 tins of sardines, one tin of biscuits, and a few pints of water. Our gallant Captain whose back and buttocks were riddled with small pieces of shrapnel, was in great pain, so we all took turns sucking out the metal, and cleaned him up.

A Japanese plane appeared and we all took cover in the jungle carrying our wounded with us, and at the top of this small uninhabited islet, we could see Jarak in the distance, still afloat but listing badly. We descended to the beach and volunteers manned a lifeboat and rowed out to her to obtain food and provisions before she went to the bottom. Jarak鐥� engines would still turn over in spite of the heavy shelling and bombing, and she was made to limp back to our island. We decided to make for Palambang, in Sumatra, at crack of dawn next morning 銉�16th February 1942.

At dawn we had breakfast 銉籵ne tin of sardines between 4 hungry men. An RAOC radio expert rowed out to Jarak, put on the radio and rowed back to tell us that Singapore had capitulated on 15th Feb. and Palambang 銉籺he place we were making for 銉籬ad been captured by Jap. troops. While we were talking, a Jap. plane appeared with machine guns blazing away, and we rushed into the jungle carrying our wounded. The plane machine gunned the Jarak, the beach, and the jungle. We had a meeting and decided we could not stay there because the Japs. knew where we were, and sooner or later they would land troops and execute us in their own sadistic way. We could not make Palalmbang or Batavia, as Jap. planes and ships were all over the place, so we decided to make for the Indragiri River on the east cast of Sumatra, and attempt to cross to the west side.

At dusk we boarded Jarak and slowly got under way, but it soon became clear that the triple expansion engine was finished, the shelling and bombing had knocked her out of alignment, lubrication oil and steam pipes were holed, steam was blowing out all over the place, and everything was red hot. I reported to the Captain that the engine might last another two hours before grinding to a standstill, and we decided to make for the island of Singkep, which is about the size of Singapore, land provisions and scuttle the ship 銉粀e arrived off Singkep at midnight. From midnight until 4 am we landed stores, and the last request from our Captain was to collect the bottle of gin from his cabin. We made such a good job of the scuttling that we just made the lifeboat with the gin. As we rowed away to the beach, the gallant little Jarak slowly but surely sank to the bottom 銉籺he Japanese failed to sink, we had to do it for them.

At dawn we cleared the beach and moved everything into the Jungle, just in time too, because a Jap plane was overhead at 7 am and we did not want them to know we were there. We found water two miles away but a plane was overhead every half hour and I can still hear the orders:- 閯璱rcraft銉汇兓鍏竌ke Cover銉汇兓閴則and Still銉籺tc. Most of us were sleeping although it was raining, and an army Captain undressed carefully, and donned his green striped silk pyjamas to sleep in the jungle. I woke up as something was itching under my left knee, and putting my hand down to scratch, I felt something wriggle, then a sharp pain 銉籭t was a snake about 18銉籰ong, black with white spots on it. I yelped, and an army lieutenant immediately kicked the snake away, slashed my leg with a knife, buried his teeth around the bite, drew out the poisoned blood, calling for a tourniquet 銉籥ll in a few seconds. The Malayan ratings told us in horror that the snake was a black mamba, deadly poisonous, and I would know in 10 minutes whether I was going to live, or die in agony, and indicated that if the gallant officer had a cracked lip, he would die before me. The Malayans then vanished, having no desire to witness the agony I was about to endure. I wasn绋� all that keen on it either, although I was given a cigarette and a sardine to help me along. The soldiers applied a tourniquet to my thigh to drain the leg of blood, and the lieutenant wanted me to agree to have my leg cut off with a blunt clasp knife to save my life. As my chances of survival were pretty slim even on two legs, I declined his kind offer 銉粀e both survived. Grand types to be with-these soldiers.

In the afternoon some natives arrived at our beach in sampans, and told us the Japanese had landed the night before at their village a few miles around the coast, and armed with tommy guns had taken all the food in the village, raped the women, and they said they were searching for escaped prisoners. They also told us there were many white survivors at a village called Dabo at the other side of the island of Singkep so thinking that there might be safety in numbers, and knowing the natives would betray us to the Japs. for a packet of fags, we 鍔猳n銉籥 couple of sampans with their native owners, and set sail around the coast to Dabo at dusk on Thursday 19th February 1942. During the evening we were flood lit by a searchlight from a Jap warship, and crouched all night in the bottom of a sampan, which was leaking badly, and when it rolled we were almost submerged. During the morning we were making headway at the rate of 100 yards per hour, so most of us landed and walked the remaining 7 miles to Dabo,arriving at 4 pm. We met survivors from the river gunboats HMS Dragonfly and Grasshopper and other ships, who gave us rice, and found room for us on a concrete floor with a roof over our heads. The following morning our two sampans arrived and we transferred our wounded to a small Dutch hospital, then listened to survival stories. These people regarded themselves as prisoners of war as there was no hope of escaping, and that the Japs were 鏉渙pping up銉籥fter their victory at Singapore. There were ghastly stories of the Jap brutality of 鏉渙pping up銉汇兓very few survived. So the survivers of HMS Jarak decided to escape 銉籥fter all we had won two sampans and we had two revolvers.

Our Captain although wounded in many places , made uo his mind to come with us, although he warned us that the Japs torture ad behead all prisoners who attempt to escape. We were told that there was a Jap. reconnaissance plane base which we must pass, it might take us 6-7 days to reach Sumatra in a leaking sampan, and we had no food or water, we may be bombed or machine gunned, recaptured, drowned, eaten by sharks etc., then we had to get across Sumatra, some 300 miles along the equator, most of it virgin jungle, and inhabited by tigers, apes, snakes, crocodiles etc. The Japs. may already be in Padang, we know they have captured Palambang and Medan. If we stay where we are we will be very unfortunate indeed if we reach an organised POW Camp, because the Japs. know we are here, and it may be our turn next to be 鏉渙pped up銉�

We discussed our escape plans with the two Indonesians 銉籄bdul and his son 銉籺he rightful owners of the sampans, and it was arranged that if we gave Abdul all our money, he would take us across Berhala Strait to Sumatra. We made a point of checking the bullets in our revolvers under the watchful eye of Abdul and his son, because we knew they would betray us to the Japanese, and we wanted them to know that heroics were now out, we were desperate men, and would shoot them first. We spent the day staining our bodies dark brown, acquiring an odd assortment of old tatty dirty clothes to wear, and collected a huge pile of palm fronds, mangrove tree leaves etc., to hide us from Jap. planes. We heard that the Japanese had landed a few miles away, forced our nurses to walk into the sea and machine gunned them, tied our people up with barbed wire, and used them for bayonet practice, and had shot others. This spurred us on in our determination to escape, and we hid our sampans and ourselves in the jungle until dark 銉籵ne of our escapees was a boy Spencer, it was his 18th birthday.

To Be Continued

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