大象传媒

When morning came, it did so commencing with the same dull red sky brightening from the east and contrasting vividly with the black smoke billowing from the Pulau Samboe installation.

Until Mossie reminded us, we had forgotten all about the arrangement concerning the office staff ashore. Unless one of them was that swimmer referred to earlier, we were not likely to learn of any staff pick-up by skulking around the hulk.

Discussing the situation over breakfast tea and whatever we had, Mossie said that he had been prepared to go to Keppel wharf and wait, and if possible, telephone from there hoping that the telephone lines were still functional. But after what we had witnessed the night before the last and not knowing anything about the situation ashore, the Japanese could be sitting on the wharf. After all, it was only three or four miles from Pasir Panjang and the landings we had seen two nights ago.

But there was one certainty-Bukom. A trip across would resolve the situation. The telephone may be working or there could be a message. Mossie said he would take the 'Kulit'-the 'Makota' to stay at the hulk. Noel said he would rather go to Bukom than sit and listen to Blakang Mati's guns, although at that moment all the noise was due to the guns at the harbour entrance near the brickwork鈥檚. I decided to go too though I preferred to stay behind with the others, but I had left my skin-out bag and a few other items, and I was also anxious to try and raise the hospital and the staff at the Marconi office. At Bukom, after returning from telephoning and not getting a reply. Noel and I spent some time transferring food from the now non-starting- 'Gewang' on to the 'Kulit鈥� and leaving the starting of the 'Kepah' in the hands of the 'Pinna's鈥� chief engineer and Shorty - now Les Clayton's crew on the MV 鈥淩ibot鈥�

While Noel had a bath under a tap, I retrieved my 'luggage' which included three bottles of whisky acquired from the now abandoned and deserted club, nicely portable in an also acquired, small duffel-bag. I had just returned, when so did Mossie. He had also tried to telephone the hospital for me. Although he had heard the dialling tone, there had not been any answering reply. Whether he had managed to contact the Oil Company or whether it was a result of a message left for him, I didn鈥檛 ask, for I was far to concerned about his news.

He said 'The balloon's not going up, its gone up....鈥� and 鈥渋t seems that it is wharf 50 now, or else..' and a few other remarks appropriate to the occasion which included the absence of any known problem at Keppel. He had brought along a couple of small axes and gave one to me saying, 鈥渉ang on to that' and to Noel, 'start her up engine-man, and top gear as soon as you like'. After Mossie had conveyed the information to Les about the current situation and the course that we were going to take after picking up our passengers, we set off. I was sorry to leave Shorty, and also the chief engineer with whom I had had so little contact since leaving Changi. Shorty's usual grin didn鈥檛 indicate whether he was concerned at being left behind, or not.

The trip back to the hulk was only two miles or so but we seemed to be taking so long to get there. There was intermittent arial activity - all of the Japanese kind. We hadn't seen a single RAF machine since leaving Palembang. We were not to know then, that the RAF had been forced to abandon the Kallang and Tengah airfields because of the constant air attacks and the advancing Japanese, and transfer to Sumatra. A pitiful few aircraft and pilots had been left behind to operate from Kallang (the airfield behind Taffjong. Rhu where we had located the 'Kepah' before towing her back to Bukom).

Despite the valiant efforts of those few, the hard-pressed defending troops and those involved in sea borne operations were effectively without air cover. Neither did we know at the time, that the gaggle of aircraft - Vilderbeasts, Brewster Buffaloes and probably two or three Hurricanes that we had seen leaving Kallang and flying south on February 9th or l0th, was the evacuation of the RAF from the island.

Although the defenders of the island had out-numbered the enemy by something like a ratio of 9-l, an army operating without adequate air cover or ground mobile armament, against an enemy that had both, greatly increased the odds for defeat. There has been much controversy concerning the pro's and con's, particularly concerning defensive and campaign errors, and what has been blamed, as the British Government's appalling lack of preparation against an invasion of the island. This has been dealt with elsewhere and is not part of my story.

Nearing the hulk we were startled to see lines of white splashes commencing just ahead of the 'Kulit' and stitching their way ahead on to and over the hulk. It was only after did we find ourselves ducking at the roar of diving aircraft from behind us which then disappeared over Blakang Mati and then numerous explosions. The chaps on the 'Makota' saw nothing of this, tucked away as they were, but as was said later, they shared our fright as bullets, cannon shells, or whatever they were, twanged across the decks of the hulk

Each time something like that happened, whether it was bombs or bullets, it brought the same exclamation from one of us- 'it cannot last', meaning of course, our luck.

Leaving the hulk- the 'Makota鈥� tagging behind, we duly arrived at Keppel. It was a very noisy time waiting at wharf 50 at the extreme end of the dock area, with no sign of our passenger鈥檚 only smoke and activity in the distance. We were all feeling the suspense of the situation for we had no information as to what was happening, how far the Japanese had advanced, or if our would-be passengers would ever arrive. Mossie and I found a telephone in one of the godowns offices but although it seemed as though it was working, with a ringing tone, there were no spoken replies. Walking up to the dock gate that opened out on to Keppel road and where I had driven down when ferrying my passengers in the Austin, the state of disorder did nothing to dispel my worry about our uncertain situation, for the harbour road was in a far worse state than when I had driven down it. Vehicles were mixed up with debris as far as the eye could see, overlooked by drunken telephone or power lines, bending every which way in drifting smoke, and now, albeit temporary an uncanny quietness. It was so contrary to what we had expected. No hordes of people fighting for access which was Mossie's reason for handing me the axe. Not that I was likely to have hit anyone with it, but as Mossie said, 'it might be useful as a deterrent against undesirable boarders and with one of his grins 鈥減rovided that they are not armed to the teeth'.

It was quite a topsy-turvy situation. We had arrived at the wharf at about noon expecting to find a band of hot anxious passengers who had been waiting and wondering if we were ever going to turn up. Instead, we had found an empty wharf. Two hours later, it was still an empty wharf with us being the hot and anxious ones, wondering where they could be and if ever they would turn up. In addition, we had the recurring worry about those landings at Pasa Panjang. As we saw it, the Japanese could, although late, be heading our way or coming through those dock gates at any moment. We would have had one less worry if we had known that such an event was 48 hours into the future.

What we did not know then, was that the Japanese advance had been delayed by the valiant action of the Malay Brigade outside Pasa Panjang, but by Friday l3th they had been defeated and the Japanese poured through, although they were 'not to actually to enter the city until later. Noel Barber, in his book, 'Sinister Twilight', published in 1987, describes how, after they sped through from Pasa Panjang, one of the first things encountered was the Alexandra hospital. Here they perpetrated vile atrocities, killing patients in their beds, and staff.

Fortunately, the infiltration stopped there, and there was no repetition at the General Hospital nearer to the city centre in Ootram Road where we had left the Captain, the Mate Watts and Arthur Greene. In fact, I learned later that the General did not see a single Japanese until the second day after the surrender on February l4th.

It was on the previous day, a fateful Friday l3th; hundreds of desperate people had fled to the docks and city waterfronts. The ones that were fortunate in getting away in one of the 40 or so small craft were lucky. But that was where their luck ended. When they set off, they were not to know that a small Japanese Naval fleet under the command of Admiral Ozawa was waiting for just such an evacuation via Rhio and the Banka Strait - the reverse course to that of the 'Pinna' on her last voyage.

The sad irony of their fate is also revealed in Noel Barber's book. Before the small boats sailed, the Dutch in Sumatra had learned of the presence of this fleet and frantically tapped out messages to Singapore. The messages were received, but alas, the man who could have decoded them had gone, and the code books with him.

鈥�...Ozawa launched his first attack at dawn with cruisers, destroyers and aircraft and blew the defenceless vessels out of the water. Out of 44 small craft that left Singapore under Admiral Spooner鈥檚 official evacuation on the fateful black Friday, 40 were sunk. Scores of other vessels including a small flotilla that had left the previous day (Feb.l2th) suffered a similar fate..'

From my diary I read, 'we were fairly busy with one thing or another most of the time, if only to combat the suspense of waiting and our ignorance of the overall situation. It was stiflingly hot and our tin hats seemed to weigh a ton, but it was not wise to remove them with so much rubbish falling鈥�

At first, when things hotted up, we all descended into 'Kulit's鈥� little engine room. There, although a trap in itself, we thought, rightly or wrongly, it was the best thing to do since below the water line there would little blast in the event of a near miss. Plus the fact that the wharf itself on one side of us would also provide us with some protection. Not that a near miss would be very pleasant or safe for that matter, but at the best, it was safer than on deck, in the wheelhouse, or on the wharf. In the event of a direct hit, well it wouldn鈥檛 matter where we were. After a time, it became noisier and noisier until we couldn鈥檛 hear aircraft coming anyway and numerous times we were taken by surprise as sweeps of aircraft roared down to attack nearby targets, when the overshooting sticks of bombs fell uncomfortably near. It also seemed that much heavier guns were firing over us and not just the irritating staccato of ack-ack at attacking aircraft.

Sometime after 2.l5, John Wood and I found another telephone in one of the dock buildings. I was surprised to find it actually working in view of the tangle of wires and poles along Keppel road. John's call to the Marine office drew a blank, either because the particular lines were down, or they were not there -we didn't know either way and it didn't help a bit, but my call was more successful. The answer I received was that Mr. Greene was not in the hospital. I tried to ask about the Captain and Watts, but the noise of aircraft and explosions prevented me, and when the noise abated the other end had rung off. I tried again, but this time there was no reply, and I wondered at the time if perhaps all three had been picked up. There was no dialling tone and consequently no reply from the Marconi office after several attempts.

On the way back, we had to drop hurriedly behind a toppled crane as more aircraft swept over, which more or less added weight to our interrupted conversation as to what was the point in hanging about any longer, and if we lost the 'Kulit' then what would we do. Then in the distance we could see a thin line of people carrying bags. The time was 2.30. Five minutes later, several small parties carrying an unbelievable amount of luggage arrived. It was ridiculous to think, that there we were, risking our safety just to stand on deck sliding luggage down into the empty fuel tank space. I think we had reached saturation point to the effect that, what did it all matter anyway

The reason why our passengers had been so delayed was not only the problem of sheltering from numerous air-raids, and the congestion on roads, but also, the organised confusion of groups of people waiting in the wrong place for the promised transport that would bring them to the docks. Then finally, when those problems had been solved, there was the inability of their transport to get along the Keppel road. This meant that they had to walk the remainder of the way to the wharf.

At that time, I just could not understand why they had bothered to lumber themselves with so much luggage. But on reflection now, I wonder if most of them thought that they were joining a neat little passenger ship with all mod cons? If so, then it must have been quite a shock when they saw the 'Kulit鈥� and a bigger one when they climbed aboard. Two in the party wanted to go back down Keppel Road and retrieve some luggage that they had been unable to carry. They changed their minds when Mossie said that we had waited long enough. They need not have been concerned for they would have lost it later anyway.

The first twelve or so passengers to arrive were helped down the jetty wall and into the 鈥淢akota' and they went off with Sandy to the hulk, and out of the way of some of the danger. During the next fifteen minutes, after what would have been the arrival of the last few stragglers, I could see that Mossie was ignoring us. He knew what our hard looks in his direction meant. In words, they would have been 'For God's sake Mossie, enough is enough, very soon we will have been here three hours'.

But it was thanks to him, when ten minutes later, the last if they were the last six arrivals climbed aboard for we did not have room for more

At exactly 3 p.m., Mossie said 'quick, axe those springs (steel rope-like cables holding 'Kulit' to the wharf). It was as though he had said earlier, 'I'll wait ten more minutes and then that's it' I could see what he meant, for the springs were as tight as bow strings and would have been difficult to get the bight over and off the bollard. It surprised me how easily that little axe sliced through the steel-wire cables, and how quickly the 'Kulit' moved away from the wharf and nearly left Sniffy and me standing on it.

John Wood swung the 'Kulit' round into the current and then round again with it as though he had been handling 'Kulit's' helm all his life. Having sat around for three hours, it seemed ridiculous that we should now be in such a hurry. We arrived at the hulk and joined Sandy, with nothing more catastrophic happening than a passenger losing his spectacles over the side. It was nice to be at the receiving end of 'Blessed is he who expects everything but gets nothing'...

Tied up as we were beneath the steep sloping side of the hulk, it was a tempting thought to linger there. Mossie had suggested earlier that we should move from the hulk just after 6pm which would be a safe time since it would be too dark for any aerial activity - taking a chance on the curfew. But now he was getting more worried by the minute, and more so our passengers. He had insisted, against much opposition that they all went down into the storage tanks and out of sight as we moved off from the wharf. That is what he and George were enforcing as we left. He didn't want the 'Kulit' to look like a military evacuation and thereby attract undesirable aerial attention.

Now, safely tucked away behind the hulk as we were, they were all out on deck including the ones from the launch. They looked a very hot crowd, well the ones who had been in the tank, for it must have been very uncomfortable down there. Our full compliment was 34, including the six ladies. When to move became a worrying decision, and looking at Mossie, it seemed that he was shouldering the responsibility for the safety of us all....he looked very strained. It was so exasperatingly noisy making it difficult to think let alone converse. The desire to move away was as tempting was the urge to stay hiding there. When it was possible to talk, the pro's and con's were tossed around as to when we should set off.

Mossie agreed that he had previously suggested 6pm, but he was now having second thoughts about it. Since we had no information on the situation, we could be trapped if we delayed moving from the hulk should the Japanese Navy come round the corner, or shot at if we moved at night. The watchers manning the defences could be very trigger happy about craft moving on water in the dark, as we had witnessed two nights ago. But if we ignored that contingency and departed when it was dark we might not be able to negotiate our way past the many shoals and small islands safely if we were to avoid the minefield area. There certainly would not be any navigational aids to help us.

It had already been decided which route we would take. It was our decision, and nothing to do with our passengers who were not aware of any additional problems beyond the ones they were just leaving behind. Most certainly that route would not be south via Rhio. Mossie had been happy to accept the ex-'Pinna's' crew's feelings about that one which he had passed on to Les Clayton on the 'Ribot' before leaving Bukom. We would sail Northwest up the Malacca Strait. The fact that we would be sailing near, and parallel to, the enemy held coast of Malaya was dismissed, the Japanese would be too busy elsewhere. That just left the hazard of aircraft which was a matter of swapping one hazard for another.

It was just 3.45pm when the decision was made to move. The 'Pinna鈥檚' high-diving Sandy would stay with the 'Makota' and its passengers, George Robinson assisting him, and they would tag along behind the 'Kulit'. Mossie suggested that Sandy should keep at least half-a-mile away so as not to attract undue attention and also keep to port or starboard of 'Kulit's' wake. The reason for this seemed a feasible precaution at the time so that an attacking aircraft would not have two targets .in line. A final 'order of the day', was that everyone should be out of sight and off the deck until sunset.

We set off at 4pm into rolling banks of nasty evil smelling black smoke the result of the demolition of the several oil installations, and Singapore. The 'Ribot' was standing by ready to pick up and evacuate the demolition party from Bukom 鈥� Without stopping we sailed across the half mile of water that separated us and headed north west in the direction of the Malacca Strait. I wrote later '....looking back towards the city there were drifting clouds of dense smoke from many sources and angry noises echoing across the water. I saw a stick of bombs drop in a line about l00 yards short of the hulk, then beyond it, and then further still to land near the brick works and the harbour entrance: a replica of what we had experienced when in that area. But viewed from a distance, it looked very dangerous. I looked across at John through the doorway of the tiny wheelhouse and we exchanged glances, would our luck last?....

During the period after first setting off, John and I had taken up our positions on either side of the wheelhouse as lookouts again, Mossie, of course, at the helm, Noel and Sniffy down in the engine compartment. Out on deck there was not a soul to be seen. Occasional aircraft passed over us from different directions and we pessimistically expected a downward swoop from any one of them. Mossie was worried because, due to the protruding end of the wheelhouse deck head, his angle of vision, ahead and skywards was restricted. This meant that he would not be able to see a diving aircraft in order to make the necessary evasive turn at the right moment. John said 'Ok, but what about one diving from aft or abeam?' Mossie slapped his forehead in self-criticism and said 鈥淩ight, you two watch out and shout out NOW if you see one of the sods lining up on us and I鈥檒l turn. John, tell Sniffy to keep an eye on those hatches, I don't want a single eye-ball visible topside鈥�

Well, I suppose Mossie鈥檚 tactic idea was feasible since a small craft like the 鈥淜ulit鈥� could change course more easily than a diving aircraft but I would like to have had a dummy run with friendly aircraft first to prove it. Looking aft the 'Makota鈥� was bobbing along behind us about a mile away and I wondered if Sandy was having the same logical thoughts.

From my diary '. ...The next hour and a half of daylight that followed seemed endless as I kept looking at the wheelhouse clock the sky abeam and astern then the retreating coastline of Singapore and Malaya and I wondered what each few minutes would bring.

About a mile away a small Naval vessel was bombed. I watched transfixed, willing the bombs to miss as they left the aircraft and descended. Then the aircraft flew past our stern between us and the 鈥淢akota鈥� towards the coast, leaving the vessel burning. Beyond it there was the burned out half sunken wreck of the 鈥淓mpress of Asia' that had been bombed previously (chapter l8). A second small Naval vessel passed us en route to help the other one that had launched a lifeboat. The figures on the deck were waving and pointing and indicating that we should turn back, then making descending arm movements and pointing ahead - meaning dive bombers. We assumed that they were warning us of the dive-bombers operating from the now occupied airfield ahead in Malaya. We indicated NO with crossed horizontal arm movements and carried on. Some of the figures on deck were giving victory-V signs. John and I returned them without any enthusiasm.

It was with mixed feelings that we looked back a mile later to see our advisers being attacked themselves with gunfire by an aircraft that had passed right over us to do so. It was a fighter aircraft flying so low that we could see the pilot's head - and he didn't even look down at us

Grave though the situation was, it was made to feel more so because all the time we were anticipating something might not happen, but I for one was so very tired that my mind was prepared to anticipate anything including a tropical snowstorm. It felt as though there were hundreds of binoculared Japanese eyes all watching us from the Malayan coast which was so much in view, and that every aircraft that might be taking off was doing so especially for our non-benefit. Looking astern through still drifting smoke haze I could just see the little bobbing dot of the 鈥淢akota' and I wondered how those on board had felt, being so near to that aggro.....鈥� Mossie had carried on in his usual quiet way, and whenever I caught his eye, he always produced a smile, but now a worried one. I felt for him for I am sure that he was still accepting responsibility for our safety by his accurate navigation, and also for his ability to cope with the unknown. Whether he was aware of the position of the minefield area with any accuracy, and just keeping his fingers crossed, or if he were taking the decided upon diversion, I don鈥檛 think I wanted to know.

When I idly dropped that iron bar where I did on the 'Pinna' that later got the three of us out of the radio room, I gave a passing thought to Providence. When we missed that increased activity at Keppel harbour by the skin of our teeth and then were ignored by those passing aircraft a short time ago, I had a similar thought, but when just before dusk set in (when it was expected that aircraft activity would cease) a typical tropical rain squall set in, obscuring us from land sea and air, I was convinced of Providence, and that someone somewhere was batting on our side. I stood out in the lashing cold rain - it was great. I would like to have cheered. With everyone on deck looking very wet but certainly happier than they had been in the different hiding places, particularly those out of the tanks, I joined them and had my first meal since the night before.....Was it only last night that we were tied up beneath the hulk? It felt like last week!

After consuming about a pint of tea, all I wanted to do was to sleep, but that wasn't to be. We had lost the 'Makota' as the squall had started and the sky darkened, and we were now rolling about alarmingly with the engine stopped and all hands peering out into the darkness. At last she turned up only to be lost again. By this time it was so dark it was impossible to see such a small craft even a dozen yards away. It was very eerie in the darkness and too risky to flash a light, although perhaps it wouldn鈥檛 have mattered if we had switched on our navigational lights and waited for Sandy to turn up. Mossie was worried in case the little 'Makota' had been swamped by the same swell that had rolled the 'Kulit' about so much. As the sky cleared a little, giving a little more light on the water, he took the boat round in wide sweeping circles, but to no avail. He decided to resume our original course and press on, for as he said he could not jeopardise the safety of all those on board any more for the few on the 'Makota' who might be perfectly alright anyway. The important thing now was to clear the Malayan coast and to be as far away from it as possible by first light.

As we increased speed back on course the two little lifeboats that were strung out on either side of the bridge structure were swinging out and in with great crashing sounds which didn't help to reduce the generally tense atmosphere on board. They had been left unlashed in case they should be needed in a hurry. With the help of one of the passengers, I tried to get a lashing round the boat on my side while John on the port side did likewise. With only the flat piece of deck to stand on, where the lifeboat normally rested and no handrail or coaming to hang on to, all there was to stop either of us from plopping into the sea as the 鈥淜ulit' rolled was the lifeboat itself. When it swung in there was not enough time to get a lashing round it before it swung out again and out of reach over the sea, leaving us hanging on to the davit until it came back again. The problem was solved by my helper bravely leaping into the boat on its inward swing.

Sometime later I asked Mossie the question that had been on the tip of my tongue for quite a long time, and that was, why had he bothered about having the 'Makota鈥� come with us in the first place? There was no point in her tagging along behind us when there was room to spare on the 'Kulit', to which he replied, with his usual grin, 'I thought it would lower the odds. We only have room for four in each of our lifeboats'.

While all the look-outs, posted around the decks stared ahead and abeam for any dark shape silhouetted against the dark skyline, Mossie maintained a North Westerly course, keeping the diminishing red glow in the sky directly astern. His theory was that while it might appear too late if a vessel that could be a Japanese one were sighted, possibly with our low profile, we could be invisible to watchers on deck. Depending on the sighting, he would either stop-engine, or change course. That voiced theory of Mossie's was in response to a complaining passenger, who did so loudly, saying, 'What the hell is the use of keeping look-outs we can't run'. As I watched Mossie's face reflecting the dim light from the binnacle, I envied his apparent inner calm feelings which contrasted so much with my own which I felt could be seen glowing visibly a mile away....

'...My last vision of Singapore as it had faded away behind us, had been that of a huge blanket of smoke hanging in a darkening sky, flat at the bottom and billowing at the top. Beneath it, the darker line of land was spotted with stabs of bright red. I wondered under what circumstances I would see the island again if ever...'

I learned later that the surrender terms were handed to General Percival on February l4th, and their acceptance was inevitable. It didn't require any superior military wisdom to acknowledge that Singapore had been lost for days, and was, in Winston Churchill鈥檚 words, 'The worst disaster and the largest capitulation in British history'.

History confirms now, that we had the men, and they far out-numbered the Japanese. While our troops were burying surplus ammunition, the Japanese were desperately running short of theirs. But we did not have sufficient air power or mobile ground armament, while the Japanese had plenty of both.

As it was, we lost Singapore, 'Europe's gateway to the East' , the impregnable fortress, with all its big guns, probably the largest in the world at that time and never used in anger for the purpose for which they were originally installed. However as was pointed out by Noel Barber in his book 'Sinister Twilight' ...we lost more than an island, we lost face in the East. The Japanese, with an inferior force in numbers to our own, but employing superior tactics and armament were instrumental in destroying for ever, the white man's domination which was a contributory factor which lead to independence throughout Asia.

Although we did return eventually as liberators, things were never to be the same again. The magic, mystique, or whatever it may be called that had cloaked the Tuan Basar for so long disappeared like the smoke that was now rising from the city.

Today the opulent port of Singapore can be more accurately and reciprocally called instead the 鈥淕ateway to the West鈥�

-- Next: Another Door Part 5: The Road to Palembang

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