大象传媒

My father resigned his job as estimator/surveyor with a firm of south london builders in the late 1930s took up a post with the 'Air Ministry' as 'assistant quantity surveyor' and in October 1938 at the age of 35 found himself with his wife of 2 years on board 'P and O Canton' en route for a posting in Singapore.

I have in my possession both his and my mother's passes which authorised them to enter military establishments. She was a clerk based at 'AHQFE' (wherever that was) and his pass is valid for HM Naval Base 'Woodlands' and 'All RAF Stations in Malaya'. My father's pass was issued November 28 1941 by the Adjutant at RAF Sembawang and later endorsed RAAF Sembawang. There is a further endorsement in which his rank is changed from 'Assistant Surveyor' to 'Flight Lieutenant'presumably at the outbreak of hostilities with the Japanese.

My father told me the story that everyone had been told that it would take the Japanese months to get through the jungle and there was no cause for concern, however, my mother was sent back to England with other wives when my father went into uniform which is the reason why I have some small stock of memorabilia. Incidentally, he witnessed the sailing from Singapore harbour of the Battleship HMS Prince of Wales and Battlecruiser HMS Repulse without adequate air cover which led to their disasterous sinking by aircraft from the Japanese Air Force.

It is common knowledge that it took weeks rather than months for the Japanese army to get through the jungle and my father heard the news as he was surveying a fighter base runway close to the harbour. He commandeered an abandoned truck and clad in his RAF peaked hat (I have it to this day) khaki drill shirt and shorts (don't have these!) and carrying his surveyors' level and box (mustn't let equipment fall into enemy hands .... still have these items)drove to the harbour where he was fortunate to allowed to board the 'SS Empress Star.

He had in his pocket a small diary which I now have in which he recorded his epic and I now quote from this:

Wednesday 11 February 1942
Embarked Empress Star 3pm. Left docks 6pm.. into roads with small lewis gun fire.. machine guns firing (writing here rather indistinct)

Thursday 12 Feb
3 ships in convoy with 2 small cruisers... ES and escorts heavily bombed

Fri 13 Feb
Arrived off Batavia

Sat Feb 21
Reported as usual 11am..told to report 2.30.. then told to embark ORCADES at once... sailed midnight.

Friday Feb 27
Arrived Colombo

Wed March 4
Boarded VAN SWOLL?

Sat March 7
Arrived Bombay 10am

Wed March 11
Transfer to STRATHMORE... sailing at 6pm

Friday March 13
Still in harbour.. taken onboard BRITTANIC...sailing Tuesday

Tuesday March 17
Women and children passengers at Ballard Pier 11.30pm

Wednesday March 18
Sailed from Bombay 1.20pm

Mon March 23
Ordered to attend OC for AA training

Tues March 24
Attended AA post

Mon March 30
Anchored off Capetown

Sat April 4
Pulled off quay 7am; to sea 4pm

Mon April 6
36 Naval ratings now on board for AA

Thurs April 23
St Georges Day!
Dropped anchor in UK at 7pm

Eventually, father was posted to RAF York where he carried out his QS (quantity surveying) duties (as Sqdn Leader)on the east coast bomber bases eg Linton, Topliffe and Church Fenton. One brief story:
He always spoke in what is known as '大象传媒 English' ie no accent!
One of his first trips out on his return he was in his brand new uniform and he go lost in the wilds of N. Yorkshire. All road signs had been taken down to confuse Hitler so he called at a rural police station to ask the way. His uniform was brand new and his accent was totally alien to a Yorkshire country bobby and he was asking for directions to an operational RAF base in time of war. He was arrested as a spy. His papers were confiscated as being excellent forgeries (well they were genuine). His CO (Group Captain) had to come out from York to identify him. The Police argument apparently was ' if he was who he said he was why didn't he know where he was!'

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