Preview. Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. Preview Book ESCAPE FROM SINGAPORE -- 1942 by Ian Skidmore RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1974 A yarn of adventure in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. The Locust class river gunboats were relatively new steam turbine ships of 585 tons capable of 17 knots. Another vessel to escape from Singapore was SS Ban Ho Guanof about 1,700 tons with a crew of 10 and over 200 passengers including two officers and 100 other ranks from the AIF. Another well-known escape was of 65 Australian nurses aboard HMS Vyner Brooke which sailed on 12 February. [11], Japanese oil reserves were rapidly depleting due to its military operations in China and by industrial consumption. He admitted that towards the end it was all but impossible to return men to their units. ML 310was waiting in the stream for Rear Admiral Spooner and Air Vice Marshal Conway Pulford to embark. [124] For the most part, there was limited fighting around the perimeter, except around Pasir Panjang Ridge, 1mi (1.6km) from Singapore Harbour, where the 1st Malaya Brigadewhich consisted of a Malayan infantry battalion, two British infantry battalions and a force of Royal Engineersfought a stubborn defensive action during the Battle of Pasir Panjang. HMAS Sydney II and the HSK Kormoran Shipwreck Sites, Admiralty House, Garden and Fortifications, Royal Australian Naval Transmitting Station ACT, 81st. Weintraub, Robert, No Better Friend: One Man, One Dog & Their Extraordinary Story of Courage & Survival in WWII, Little Brown & Company, Boston, 2016. The Japanese advance through the Malay Peninsula was unprecedented, and despite resistance by numerically superior defenders, appeared unstoppable. Major Geoffrey Rowly-Conwy of the Royal Artillery refuses to obey an order to surrender to the Japanese as they close in on Singapore. Prior to the main assault, the Australians were subjected to an intense artillery bombardment. [177] The concept of Total Defence as a national defence strategy was first introduced in 1984, which serves as a significant reminder that only Singaporeans with a stake in the country can effectively defend Singapore from future threats. In early December 1941 Malayan Police rounded up about 1200 Japanese and impounded their fleet of fishing vessels. [53][54][g] Percival incorrectly guessed that the Japanese would land forces on the north-east side of Singapore, ignoring advice that the north-west was a more likely direction of attack (where the Straits of Johor were the narrowest and a series of river mouths provided cover for the launching of water craft). The Japanese then proceeded overland across the ThaiMalayan border to attack Malaya. Just short of Sumatra she was bombed and sunk when about 150 survivors made Banka Island. Copyright 2023. Produced by the Naval Studies Group in conjunction with the Submarine Institute of Australia, the Australian Naval Institute, Naval Historical Society and the RAN Seapower Centre. On the morning of 12 February naval personnel were told they would be embarking in half-a-dozen small ships later that evening. station45.cebu On 13 February ML311was attacked and destroyed by enemy surface ships and two days later ML432 was captured when beached off Banka Island. [60] In comparison, following the withdrawal, Percival had about 85,000 men at his disposal, although 15,000 were administrative personnel, while large numbers were semi-trained British, Indian and Australian reinforcements that had only recently arrived. by Ian Skidmore. The faithful old Kembong and her attendant naval launches were left to the Dutch authorities. A trio of old Yangtze river steamers Kung Wo, Kualaand Tien Kuangwere crewed as naval auxiliaries: RNR officers Brooks and Terry, plus 100 men, embarked in the largest of these, Kung Wo.Others aboard Kung Wo were a five strong media contingent which included an attractive budding Chinese film actress, Doris Lim. Her passengers included the skippers wife, a civilian nurse Alice Wilkinson, and 12 Dockyard personnel, plus 50 from the RAF and Army. Danae offloaded them at Tjilatjap, a small port now crowded with ships, on the south coast of Java. Discounts, promotions, and special offers on best-selling magazines. There was then a further dangerous voyage through waters controlled by Japanese warships and submarines to the safety of Colombo for British, and Fremantle for the Australian, personnel. The Japanese authorities were suspicious of the Chinese because of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and murdered thousands of citizen "undesirables" (mostly ethnic Chinese) in the Sook Ching massacre. Buy Escape from Singapore, 1942; the story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters. The Japanese held Singapore until the end of the war. Yamashita and his officers stationed themselves at Istana Bukit Serene and the Johor state secretariat buildingthe Sultan Ibrahim Buildingto plan for the invasion of Singapore. [172] An unknown number were taken to Japanese-occupied areas in the South Pacific as forced labour. In the early hours of 1 March, while crossing the Indian Ocean, she was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-159. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. In these circumstances the defenders must greatly outnumber Japanese forces who have crossed the straits, and in a well-contested battle they should destroy them. "Bennett singled out Indian troops but did not confine his remarks to them. Meanwhile two small naval launches arrived full of miscellaneous Army and Navy personnel. on Amazon.com. Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2001. The ship was powered by temperamental German diesel engines, their operation needing specialist engineering knowledge. The number of Japanese killed and wounded is disputed. Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web. It was attacked by light naval craft and by aircraft. Try again. [102] In the early hours of 11 February, the Japanese, who had concentrated significant forces around the Tengah airfield and on the Jurong Road, began further offensive operations: the 5th Division aimed its advance towards Bukit Panjang, while the 18th Division struck out towards Bukit Timah. About 6,000 survived until they could be liberated by Australian and US forces in 19431945, as the war in the Pacific turned in favour of the Allies. He was convicted and hanged in the Philippines on 23 February 1946.[176]. Fighting courageously, they were amongst the last to pass from the mainland over the Causeway and retreat into garrison Singapore. Naval Historical Review, WWII operations, History - WW2 Japanese operations, Singapore, Ship losses, Australian Naval History Podcasts With the Russians fighting as they are and the Americans so stubborn at Luzon, the whole reputation of our country and our race is involved. [120] That day, military police executed Captain Patrick Heenan for espionage. influencers in the know since 1933. On 10 December both capital ships were lying on the sea bed off the east coast of Malaya with 840 dead and 2000 survivors seeking help from the beleaguered garrison. Scorpionmade her escape on 9 February and suffered air attacks but was able to continue until encountering the Japanese cruiser Yuraand two destroyers when she was sunk. Each Japanese division had 150 barges and collapsible boats, sufficient for lifts of 4,000. The flight from the island became a lottery with the odds stacked heavily against the escapees. When the junk did not arrive the ADC swam to a sampan and guided her inshore, allowing the party to cross to Johore. [22] The Imperial Japanese Army Air Force was more numerous and better trained than the second-hand assortment of untrained pilots and inferior Commonwealth equipment remaining in Malaya, Borneo and Singapore. This podcast series examines Australias Naval history, featuring a variety of naval history experts from the Naval Studies Group and elsewhere. This was intended to take place at 4 pm but delayed until just after 5 pm when the General Officer Commanding Malaya, Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, made the largest surrender in British military history, consigning the forces under his command to cease hostilities in an unconditional surrender to Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashitu, commanding the Japanese 25th Army. In the interwar years, Britain had established a naval base in Singapore after the Anglo-Japanese alliance had lapsed in 1923. Buy Escape from Singapore, 1942;: The story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters by Skidmore, Ian (ISBN: 9780684136387) from Amazon's Book Store. This helps enormously in piecing together the still very unclear picture of what happened to women and children of all ethnicities, who tried to get away when Singapore fell on Sunday 15th February 1942. No. Of the defensive forces only one British regiment and the Indians were prepared for operational service against a superior battle hardened force. [66] The bombardment of the Australians was not seen as a prelude to attackMalaya Command believed that it would last several days and would later switch its focus to the north-east, despite its ferocity exceeding anything the Allies had experienced thus far in the campaign; no order was passed to the Commonwealth artillery units to bombard possible Japanese assembly areas. This edition doesn't have a description yet. 2 Michael Pethers mother (Kathleen) and her baby daughter were evacuated from Singapore on Christmas Eve 1941 and his grandmother escaped on 12 February 1942, all reaching the safety of home in New Zealand. A smaller version was the Harbour Defence Motor Launch (HDML). About 9,000 airmen - 7,588 American and 1,351 British and Canadian - were imprisoned there when it was liberated on the night of 30 April 1945 by Soviet troops. The Highlanders, who had trained in jungle warfare, fought well against the Japanese, until they too were overwhelmed. SSPerak, a 1,200-ton passenger/cargo steamer of the Straits Steamship Company, had sailed from Singapore a few days before the surrender with personnel from No 36 Squadron RAF embarked. Please try again. Because of the dangers no women were to be taken onboard. Escape from Singapore, 1942: the story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters. During this time a number of witnesses claim that Australian deserters were involved in widespread looting, while others were alleged to have pushed women off the gangways to get aboard the departing ships evacuating the civilians. [122][123], The Australians occupied a perimeter of their own to the north-west around Tanglin Barracks, in which they maintained an all round defence as a precaution. Against all odds, and crammed like sardines, they were underway. How came 100,000 men (half of them of our own race) to hold up their hands to inferior numbers of Japanese? [46] Also under Bennett's command was the 44th Indian Infantry Brigade. Since then further interesting information has come to light. It is also the site of the infamous Selarang Barracks Square Incident during the war, in which some 15,000 Allied soldiers were interned at Selarang Barracks under very . As part of the Singapore strategy, the base formed a key part of British interwar defence planning for the region. The Commonwealth having thought the terrain made them impractical, had no tanks and only a few armoured vehicles, which put them at a severe disadvantage. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. [178] Yearly observances on that day include: On Singapore, the Japanese captured 300 field guns, 180 mortars, 100 anti-aircraft guns, 54 fortress guns, and 108 1-pounder guns, as well as 200 armoured vehicles (Universal Carriers and armoured cars) and 1,800 lorries. The capture of Singapore resulted in the largest British surrender in its history. Maxwell knew that the 22nd Brigade was under increasing pressure but was unable to contact Taylor and was wary of encirclement. Padang was an important town serving the southwest coast of Sumatra, and the adjacent port was known as Emmahaven. Pether, Michael, Extensive research papers & web sites,Auckland, 2018. Arrival at the RAF Base was timely as with enemy advances it was due to be evacuated with personnel and aircraft transferred to Java. [14][15] This was virtually simultaneous with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which precipitated the United States' entry into the war. All Rights Reserved. No hero's welcome greets them in Ceylon -- just some red tape. The final naval evacuation from Singapore in February 1942 was a tragedy of epic proportions, resulting in death and misery with few redeeming features except the eventual safety of the few survivors. Japanese fighters were superior to the Commonwealth fighters, which helped the Japanese to gain air supremacy. Singapore, 1942, is an exotic tropical city and the home of six-year-old Rosie Sharbanee. [154], A classified wartime report by Wavell released in 1992 blamed the Australians for the loss of Singapore. [95] The result was that the Allies lost control of the beaches adjoining the west side of the causeway, the high ground overlooking the causeway and the left flank of the 11th Indian Division was exposed. Many of those aboard the ships perished. [130] After Japanese troops entered the hospital, they killed up to 50 soldiers, including some undergoing surgery. RAF Kallang was the only operational airstrip left; the surviving squadrons and aircraft had withdrawn by January to reinforce the Dutch East Indies. It is a familiar war story: jungle, disease, thirst. [131] The remainder were bayoneted the following morning. With that in mind, thoughts of evacuation were therefore unnecessary. While they were overflown by enemy aircraft, who possibly had other things on their minds celebrating their great victory, the small craft was unmolested. The resistance put up by the company from the 2/19th pushed the follow-on waves of Japanese craft to land around the mouth of Murai River, which resulted in them creating a gap between the 2/19th and 2/18th battalions. He proposed two options: an immediate counter-attack to regain the reservoirs and the military food depots around Bukit Timah, or surrender. Wah Suiembarked a further 300 wounded, plus nurses, and sailed on 10 February. Free shipping for many products! [138], In analysing the campaign, Clifford Kinvig, a senior lecturer at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, blamed the commander of the 27th Infantry Brigade, Brigadier Duncan Maxwell, for his defeatist attitude and not properly defending the sector between the Causeway and the Kranji River. There's nothing particularly thrilling or gripping in the whole book, and it's time poorly spent. [98] Throughout 10 February further fighting took place around along the Jurong Line, as orders were formulated to establish a secondary defensive line to the west of the Reformatory Road, with troops not then employed in the Jurong Line; misinterpretation of these orders resulted in Taylor, the commander of the 22nd Brigade, prematurely withdrawing his troops to the east, where they were joined by a 200-strong ad hoc battalion of Australian reinforcements, known as X Battalion. The AIF was given a disproportionately small allocation of 100 places to all ranks. Lord Langford, who has died aged 105, was one of Wales's most colourful characters; during the Second World War he was involved in a daring escape from Singapore after the Japanese took control of the island, an adventure described by Ian Skidmore in Escape From the Rising Sun in 1973. After sailing for one day she was torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-4with no known survivors. This was mostly mangrove swamp and jungle, broken by rivers and creeks. A US submarine S-39was sent to look for the survivors but they could not be found. When the first bombs fell on Singapore the evacuation began in earnest with torrents of people desperately seeking passage in the next available ship. Carew, Tim, The Fall of Hong Kong, Anthony Blond, London, 1960. Adding to the panic, they were being bombed. Three days after the British surrender, the Japanese began the Sook Ching purge, killing thousands of civilians. Dragonflyand Grasshoppersailed in company on 13 February with about 325 troops, bound for Sumatra. He could only say "The bloody bastards will never think of looking for me in the open, and I want to see a bloody plane brought down". By the end of January 1942, British Empire forces were driven back onto the island of Singapore itself, cut off from further outside help. [62] The Australians requested the shelling of these positions to disrupt the Japanese preparations but the patrol reports were later ignored by Malaya Command as being insignificant, based upon the belief that the real assault would come in the north-eastern sector, not the north-west. [16], The 25th Army was resisted in northern Malaya by III Corps of the British Indian Army. Date 8-15 February 1942 Location Singapore, Straits Settlements Yamashita also accepted full responsibility for the lives of the civilians in the city. [155] At Gemas, Bakri and Jemaluang, "they achieved the few outstanding tactical successes" of the campaign in Malaya and although the Australians made up 13 per cent of the British Empire's ground forces, they suffered 73 per cent of its battle deaths. Having demonstrated their abilities as matelots many of the ex-Kembong crew were offered berths and were part of about 50 men and a dozen women and children taken aboard. [121] An Air Liaison Officer with the British Indian Army, Heenan had been recruited by Japanese military intelligence and had used a radio to assist them in attacking Commonwealth airfields in northern Malaya. Here there was a small Dutch Customs Station who advised them to proceed about 12 hours up river to Pekanbaru where there was an RAF Base. After some boring to-ing and fro-ing, a small band of some twenty or so British officers are selected to escape to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) on a dubious native craft. [61], In the days leading up to the Japanese attack, patrols from the Australian 22nd Brigade were sent across the Straits of Johor at night to gather intelligence. Reynolds made a successful voyage in her from Singapore to Sumatra, taking 76 evacuees. He was attempting to escape with several others of the Platoon who had been trapped behind Japanese lines. He invited me to accompany him in his pram-dinghy, a flat-bottomed boat about 12 feet long, bermuda-rigged with bamboo mast and boom, and designed for racing in the sheltered waters of . It is expected that every unit will be brought into close contact with the enemy and fight it out. Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. [105][106] The fighting strength of the 22nd Brigadewhich had borne the brunt of the Japanese attackshad been reduced to a few hundred men and the Japanese had captured the Bukit Timah area, including the main food and fuel depots of the garrison. Churchill called it the worst disaster in British military history. Navy List December 1941, Admiralty, London. [116], On 13 February, Japanese engineers repaired the road over the causeway and more tanks were pushed across. A further 5000 troops in Convoy US111B arrived at Keppel Harbour on 15 August 1941. [170][171], An Indian revolutionary, Rash Behari Bose, formed the pro-independence Indian National Army (INA) with the help of the Japanese, who were highly successful in recruiting Indian prisoners of war. Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. [92] During the initial assault, the Japanese suffered severe casualties from Australian mortars and machine-guns and from burning oil which had been sluiced into the water following the demolition of several oil tanks by the Australians. Commandeering a small launch and a junk, he and some fellow British soldiers head for Dutch Sumatra, where -- in return for a commission to operate a Dutch craft -- they rescue survivors of Japanese bombings. The surrender of Singapore was the largest single wartime tragedy that shook the morale of Australians. While the harbor was alive with troops trying to find anything that would float in which to make their escape all seaworthy craft had long gone. Along the way, the severe class-conciousness of the British Army in WWII becomes quite clear, and not a whole lot happens. The Japanese were superior in close air support, armour, co-ordination, tactics and experience. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. From Padang they set out for Ceylon in a frail proa: During the 36-day voyage, they are gunned by the Japanese, buffeted by turbulent seas, and they lose half their water supply. [68] The assault was received by the 2/18th Battalion and the 2/20th Battalion. A British lieutenantacting as an envoy with a white flagapproached Japanese forces but was killed with a bayonet. War finally came with Japanese forces attacking the northern beaches of Malaya on 8 December 1941 because of the dateline, one hour ahead of Pearl Harbor.Within days their attacks had extended to the Philippines and Hong Kong and through a pincer movement, down both sides of the Malay Peninsula. During the battle for Singapore the battalion was engaged in heavy fighting for 20 hours before being overrun by the enemy. Eventually it becomes clear that Skidmore must have reconstructed it all from interviews with and diaries of those involved, but it makes for an awkward beginning. For his leadership in the fighting withdrawal, Anderson was awarded the Victoria Cross. Brooke writes of his experiences in Singapores Dunkirk(Brooke 1989), but tragically this episode did not emulate the success of the English Channel crossing. The survivors were forced to leave behind about 110 Australian and 40 Indian wounded, who were later beaten, tortured and murdered by Japanese troops during the Parit Sulong Massacre. Kung Woalthough hit with considerable damage there was only one casualty, a Chinese stoker killed by shrapnel. [49] From aerial reconnaissance, scouts, infiltrators and observation from high ground across the straits (such as at Istana Bukit Serene and the Sultan of Johor's palace), Japanese commander General Tomoyuki Yamashita and his staff gained excellent knowledge of the Commonwealth positions. A Royal Navy assessment of these vessels was scathing, finding them in poor repair and mostly unseaworthy, and many were later burned. [69] The Australians numbered just 3,000 men and lacked any significant reserve. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. They were supported by seven obsolete aircraft, one elderly destroyer, two gunboats and eight motor torpedo boats (MTBs). Early on 8 December 1941, Singapore was bombed for the first time by long-range Japanese aircraft, such as the Mitsubishi G3M2 "Nell" and the Mitsubishi G4M1 "Betty", based in Japanese-occupied Indochina. Silver, Lynette R., KRAIT The Fishing Boat that went to War, Cultured Lotus, Singapore, 2001. [38] Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, commander of the garrison, had 85,000 soldiersthe equivalent, on paper at least, of just over four divisions. In December 1940, the Germans handed over copies of the papers to the Japanese. However, Robinson was aware of the derelict Kembong. [104], Later on 11 February, with Japanese supplies running low, Yamashita attempted to bluff Percival, calling on him to "give up this meaningless and desperate resistance". With an estimated capacity for 3000 personnel, 1800 spaces were allocated to Army, a few hundred to RN and RAF, and the rest to civil government. According to Woodburn-Kirby the majority of deserters were from administrative units or were men who had only recently arrived in Malaya and were inadequately trained. [160], The loss of Singapore, along with other defeats in Southeast Asia in 1942, reduced British prestige in the region. About 80,000 British, Indian, Australian and local troops became prisoners of war, joining the 50,000 taken in Malaya and many died of neglect, abuse or forced labour. The escape from Singapore Creator Gough, Richard, 1956-Subject Great Britain. The General, accompanied by his ADC, Lieutenant Gordon Walker, and staff officer Major Charles Moses3plus some Malaysian officers arranged to hire a junk. Roberts, Janet I., The Yachties Australian Volunteers in the Royal Navy 1940-45, Master of Arts Thesis University of Melbourne, October 2007. Escape From Singapore, 1942 by Skidmore, Ian. A company from Dalforce fought alongside the 22nd Australian Brigade. Percival had expected a crossing in the north and failed to reinforce the defenders in time. The Japanese advance continued and the Allies began to run out of supplies. [151][137] Elphick also claims that Australians made up the majority of stragglers. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for PARAGON (VHS, 1985) *ESCAPE FROM DEATH ROW* VCR FILM RE SEALED RENTAL MOVIE at the best online prices at eBay! Dutch officials were appalled at their unruly behavior and could not wait to be rid of their unwelcome guests. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Escape from Singapore, 1942;: The story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters at Amazon.com. Here they met a Chinese who for payment agreed to take them to Sumatra. These Dalforce officers were keen to attempt an escape to Sumatra where they might reform. Post war she returned to Hong Kong. Only after cross-checking the message with the Automedon papers did the Japanese accept it to be genuine. [95] As parties of Japanese troops began to infiltrate the brigade's positions from the west, exploiting the gap formed by the Kranji River, the 2/26th Battalion was forced to withdraw to a position east of the Bukit Timah Road; this move precipitated a sympathetic move by the 2/30th away from the causeway. After ML310was attacked by enemy ships she grounded on Tjebia Island about 30 miles north of Banka Strait. MV Kembong1 was a 1936 vintage Straits Settlements Government Fisheries Research vessel anchored off Singapore in February 1942, out of commission, with her crew dispersed. They were armed with a single 3 pounder gun and twin machine guns, plus depth charges. [82] The Hurricanes shot down six Japanese aircraft and damaged 14 others for the loss of a Hurricane. Arrival was on Sunday 22 February; while this was only a week after leaving Singapore, it felt like a lifetime. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. [132][133] Several survivors were identified after the war, some of whom had survived by pretending to be dead. The loss of a Hurricane PST, some of whom had survived by pretending to be evacuated with personnel aircraft! Becomes quite clear, and many were later burned, Ian Britain had established a naval base in after! That Australians made up the majority of stragglers Boat that went to war, some services may be.. 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