大象传媒

My part in Tojo鈥檚 Downfall (Part 2)
Singapore and other Adventures

I had been 鈥淧osted鈥� to the Headquarters and was on the overnight
train to Singapore. There was no Air-conditioning in those days,
so all the Carriage windows were open to catch the breeze, I found I was in a 鈥淪it-up鈥� sleeper. As the night came on the carriage lights showed as a candle lit glow due to the batteries being near their end of life and when the train stopped at the various stations illumination was non-existant.
It seemed that most of the population of Malaya needed to go elsewhere and there was a mad scramble at each stop when every access point was used including the open windows to get into the carriages, waking me at every stop, a few english expletives caused them to try another place. It became light and I noted that we were going through miles of fire-blackened tree stumps, the remains of the Rubber Plantations that had been destroyed during the retreat over 3 years before. We crossed the Causeway linking Malaya and Singapore Island and I was surprised that the bridge at the Malayan end was so short. It seemed that the blowing-up of this during the retreat wouldn鈥檛 have hindered the Japanese much.
We skirted the docks which showed signs of Air-raid damage as did the station at the terminus.
I was taken to the Headquarters by lorry and introduced to the other members of the Signals Section, about 5 of us. The next day we began the rewire of the civilian houses that we had been allocated to our unit, most had short lengths of electrical cable removed. It took some time to locate the correct cable, but even though we worked by rigging an extension lead from the fuse box, and replacing damaged sections it was hot, dirty and gloomy work. We added extra wiring as required for outside lights or Power points.
In a short time we had the houses habitable and found our next job waiting for us. Our Commanding Officer had been requested by the St. Andrews Cathedral Dean to provide a Sound-reinforcement system in the Church. We managed to scrounge some cable and loudspeakers and with the microphones we had we only needed a working Amplifier. Our CO was an ex Post Office boffin so he easily designed one to suit. Cabling was a problem but long ladders were provided and we set to work. Considering it was a cobbled-together system it worked very well.
The Singapore Broadcasting Corporation were without an Outside Broadcasting arrangement, so we used a Wireless lorry and fitted 2 mobile disc recorders/players, with a form of vibration dampening in case of having to record on the move. We only had to try this once when we went to the Airport to record the arrival of Pandit Nehru from India. He was here on a P/R visit and to open a Recreation Hut for the Indian expatriates living in Singapore. The Commentator attempted to describe the scene as we joined the cavalcade of escorting cars into the City.
The Supreme Commander was Lord Louis Mountbatten who took Pandit Nehru, first to meet the Governor and then officially open the Recreation Hut.
We took this opportunity to head for the Hut and set up the microphones. By the time Mountbatten and Nehru had arrived there was a crowd of several thousands outside and the cars bringing the Official Guests had trouble getting through. Our Sergeant waiting inside the hut with the Commentator helped Lord Louis Mountbatten to get into the Hut when Lord Louis said to him, 鈥淕ive me a hand with this table鈥�, they placed it across the door to limit the number of people gaining access as by this time the hut was full to overflowing. The speeches were kept to a minimum and the future (and last) Viscount of India and the future Prime Minister of India left hurriedly.
The Recording Van was in great demand for outside broadcast arrangements, from recording School Children鈥檚 Concerts to the sentencing of the Japanese War Criminals in the Supreme Court,
Many of the Japanese Officers were sentenced to death for atrocities against both military and civilian victims.
It wasn鈥檛 all work as we had acquired a 1928, 8 seater Buick Open-tourer car for the use of other ranks. This was used for various outing on the island, we found many beaches to swim off but even though the War was over we found reminders of the past. At one beach near Seletar we discovered the remains of a Bren-Gun Emplacement the gun still in position but rusted beyond repair. When on a boat trip in Johore Straits we came across a Shell and Bullet pocked house probably owned by a Planter.
The older members of our team were due for demobilisation and after some memorable parties embarked for Blighty. The civil authorities wanted the houses and cars back and all military had to relinquish them. We had to leave the Island, our Commanding Officer found some large houses in Malacca which we renovated.
They were overlooking the Malaccan Straits with a beach at the end of the garden, but it was too far from Singapore, so we moved again to a spot just outside of Johore Bahru. The Officers were in housing but other ranks were provided with 4 man marquee tents overlooking the Straits, so bathing was a short walk away to a Shark-proof enclosure and changing facilities. Demob. was coming along nicely until Stalin began to be Awkward when things slowed down, but it could have been worse, we could have been in India which was in the throes of partition and getting nasty.
The unit had begun to wind down and with the departure of the Indian troops leaving a few Gurkhas to soldier on, the tents were dismantled and I was posted to Radio SEAC Transmitting Station in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) spending a few months before my Demob. Number came up and I embarked on the Dunera for England and Civvy Street. My part in Tojo鈥檚 Downfall (Part 2)
Singapore and other Adventures END

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