A smaller version was the Harbour Defence Motor Launch (HDML). They were malnourished and frightened, with morale and discipline at a low ebb. 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. At last the small convoy was in the open sea and made for the west coast of Australia, but Perak stoically continued alone for Colombo, reaching this destination safely on 4 March 1942. [82] The Hurricanes shot down six Japanese aircraft and damaged 14 others for the loss of a Hurricane. Within hours, with a small naval escort Perak was amongst the last Allied ships to sail from Batavia. Anniversary Cruise: Sydney under Japanese Attack, Sydney Harbour in War and Peace: Bradleys Head Tour, Garden Island Northern Hill and Garden Tour, Night of the midget subs Sydney under attack, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 1, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 2, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 3. The book starts by recounting the events leading up to the Japanese conquest of British Singapore. Japanese authorities asked that she be moved away from the proximity of legitimate shipping targets. Since 1998, Singapore has observed Total Defence Day on 15 February each year, marking the anniversary of the surrender of Singapore. [124][125] The Japanese largely avoided attacking the Australian perimeter but in the northern area, the British 53rd Infantry Brigade was pushed back by a Japanese assault up the Thompson Road and had to fall back north of Braddell Road in the evening, joining the rest of the 18th Infantry Division in the line. He felt it was a disgrace. on January 13, 2021, There are no reviews yet. Singapore was the foremost British military base and economic port in SouthEast Asia and had been of great importance to British interwar defence strategy. Heenan was shot at Keppel Harbour, on the southern side of Singapore and his body was thrown into the sea. There was a problem loading your book clubs. Ying Pingwas first bombed with some damage but continued to the Banka Strait where she was shelled by an enemy cruiser. Silver, Lynette R., The Heroes of Rimau, Leo Cooper, London, 1990. As it starts, it's not really obvious whether it's a novel or narrative, since it's all told third person. Later they were flown to Batavia and from there to Australia. They get buzzed by a Zero that inexplicably doesn't fire, they get fired upon by a Zero who inexplicably doesn't finish them off, they meet a drunken Dutchman, they eat poorly (but not _that_ poorly), tempers fray, etc. In the early hours of 1 March, while crossing the Indian Ocean, she was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-159. 3 Charles Moses served in the British infantry during WWI. Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2001. A boarding party discovered a small weighted bag destined to have been thrown overboard. 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. [126], The following day, the remaining Commonwealth units fought on. The Japanese had broken the British Army's codes and in January 1941, the Second Department (the intelligence-gathering arm) of the Imperial Army interpreted and read a message from Singapore to London complaining in much detail about the weak state of "Fortress Singapore", a message so frank in its admission of weakness that the Japanese at first suspected it was a British plant, believing that no officer would be so open in admitting weaknesses to his superiors. [58], As the landing craft closed on the Australian positions, machine gunners from the 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion, interspersed amongst the rifle companies, opened fire. The Armys strength was further limited by a lack of tanks, armoured cars and a shortage of anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns. Opposed to them were about 8,000 men comprising two battalions of British infantry, two battalions of Indian infantry, and recently arrived, two battalions of Canadian infantry. [101] This order was passed on to Bennett, who allocated X Battalion. 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 they had destroyed all code books the Rear Admiral Malaya was thereafter unable to read signals. [k][l] The Kappe Report, compiled by Colonels J. H. Thyer and C. H. Kappe, concedes that at most only two-thirds of the Australian troops manned the final perimeter. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. 0 Ratings 1 Want to read; 0 Currently reading; 0 Have read; Borrow Listen. On 13 February ML311was attacked and destroyed by enemy surface ships and two days later ML432 was captured when beached off Banka Island. The battle must be fought to the bitter end at all costs. How came 100,000 men (half of them of our own race) to hold up their hands to inferior numbers of Japanese? In Haifa she was converted to a hospital ship and later served in the Burma campaign before being returned to her owners in 1945. Rarely did this strategy work and the small and largely defenceless vessels fell easy prey to enemy air attacks. In the interwar years, Britain had established a naval base in Singapore after the Anglo-Japanese alliance had lapsed in 1923. By 15 February, about a million civilians in the city were crammed into the remaining area held by Allied forces, 1 per cent of the island. influencers in the know since 1933. A month later they were washed ashore having returned to within a hundred miles of their departure point. Only 24 Australian Army nurses survived the bombings, massacre and POW captivity. From the composite Plymouth Argylls, 52 Highlanders and 22 Marines finally reached Colombo. The survivors who reached Padang had suffered greatly. When you buy books using these links the Internet Archive may earn a small commission. This podcast series examines Australias Naval history, featuring a variety of naval history experts from the Naval Studies Group and elsewhere. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Financial constraints had hampered construction efforts during the intervening period and shifting strategic circumstances had largely undermined the key premises behind the strategy by the time war had broken out in the Pacific. Escape from Singapore, 1942;: The story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters Ian Skidmore 4.00 3 ratings0 reviews Want to read Buy on Amazon Rate this book 198 pages, Unknown Binding First published January 1, 1974 Book details & editions Loading interface. The papers included information about the weakness of the Singapore base. An element of some 6000 men departed Sydney in the liner Queen Maryas part of Convoy US9 on 4 February 1941, arriving in Singapore two weeks later on 18 February. ESCAPE FROM SINGAPORE, 1942 The Story of an Incredible Voyage through Enemy Waters Skidmore, Ian 3 ratings by Goodreads ISBN 10: 0684136384/ISBN 13: 9780684136387 Published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1974 Hardcover Save for Later FromRare Book Cellar(Pomona, NY, U.S.A.) AbeBooks Seller SinceNovember 24, 2001 [157] About 5,000 men were killed or wounded, a majority of whom were Australian. It was reported to Cabinet by the CIGS [Chief of the Imperial General Staff, General Alan Brooke] that Percival has over 100,000 [sic] men, of whom 33,000 are British and 17,000 Australian. [8][9] The basic plan for taking Singapore was worked out in July 1940. Kung Woalthough hit with considerable damage there was only one casualty, a Chinese stoker killed by shrapnel. Japanese land-based aircraft found and sank the two capital ships on 10 December,[24] leaving the east coast of the Malayan Peninsula exposed and allowing the Japanese to continue their amphibious landings. A Royal Navy assessment of these vessels was scathing, finding them in poor repair and mostly unseaworthy, and many were later burned. Discounts, promotions, and special offers on best-selling magazines. 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! One survivor, Private Arthur Haines from the Wiltshire Regiment, wrote a four-page account of the massacre that was sold by his daughter by private auction in 2008. Japanese forces quickly isolated, surrounded and forced the surrender of Indian units defending the coast. The number of Japanese killed and wounded is disputed. Of the Australian battalions, three had drawn heavily upon undertrained recruits, new to the theatre. Kung Wowas able to disembark personnel on Pompong Island and afterwards found their two companions Kualaand Tien Kuanganchored close inshore. [10] On 11 November 1940, the German raider Atlantis captured the British steamer Automedon in the Indian Ocean, carrying papers meant for Air Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, the British commander in the Far East. REEL 1 Account of Japanese invasion of Singapore and her escape from Malaya, 2/1942: blackout; procession of Chinese and Malays taking to woods; work of civil defence; arrival of evacuees from Malayan Peninsula; daily Japanese air raids; behaviour of civilians under air raids; ordered to leave Singapore; problems getting to ship; having to leave ship during air raid prior to departure. Immediately following surrender of the garrison by Lieutenant General Arthur Percival on the evening of Sunday 15 February 1942, Major General Bennett handed over his command to Brigadier Cecil Callaghan and executed an escape plan (Bennett 1944). Reynolds had other ideas and as a skilled sailor and engineer he borrowed a vessel. An early relief ship was the small Dutch steamer SS Rooseboomwhich loaded about 500 refugees, mainly British troops but some civilians. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It comprised about 2,000 Chinese under (mainly retired) British reserve officers, and was only in existence for a matter of weeks. Since then further interesting information has come to light. Much is known of this and the vain attempt by the Prince of Walesand Repulse to halt the Malayan invasion and, the subsequent incarceration of troops and civilians at Selarang and Changi. Japanese newspapers triumphantly declared the victory as deciding the general situation of the war. The documents were delivered to the German Embassy which provided copies to Japanese authorities. This podcast series examines Australias Naval history, featuring a variety of naval history experts from the Naval Studies Group and elsewhere. I was very frightened all the time that the British would discover our numerical weakness and lack of supplies and force me into disastrous street fighting. The Australian Army 8th Division in Malaya eventually reached about 15,000 men. Along the way, the severe class-conciousness of the British Army in WWII becomes quite clear, and not a whole lot happens. [45] This included the naval base at Sembawang. Malaya and Singapore had an ample supply of defending forces, with a British Army supported by Australian and Indian troops, however, many of these had been hastily put together and quantity was not matched by quality. [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. Though his mind had been gradually prepared for its fall, the surrender of the fortress stunned him. After receiving news of the surrender, Bennett handed command of the 8th Australian Division to the divisional artillery commander, Brigadier Cecil Callaghan andalong with some of his staff officerscommandeered a small boat. By late February 1942 thousands of men, women and children were crowded here where they were prioritised for transshipment by the occasional merchantman and warships that called. There was considerable loss of life and casualties from both vessels, and most survivors were captured. Russell-Roberts, Denis, Spotlight on Singapore, Times Press, Douglas, IOM, 1965. Another well-known escape was of 65 Australian nurses aboard HMS Vyner Brooke which sailed on 12 February. Only after cross-checking the message with the Automedon papers did the Japanese accept it to be genuine. [30][31] A determined counter-attack by the 5/11th Sikh Regiment (Lieutenant-Colonel John Parkin) in the area of Niyor, near Kluang, on 25 January and an ambush around the Nithsdale Estate by the 2/18th Australian Battalion on 26/27 January bought valuable time and permitted East Force, based on the 22nd Australian Brigade (Brigadier Harold Taylor), to withdraw from eastern Johor (formerly Johore). The men were detailed to help the undermanned crew and the women assisted in the galley and saloon. [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. Free shipping for many products! [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. Six of the United Kingdom battalions (in the 54th and 55th Brigades of the British 18th Infantry Division) had only just landed in Malaya, and the other seven battalions were under-manned. Three small patrols were sent on the evening of 6 February, one was spotted and withdrew after its leader was killed and their boat sunk and the other two managed to get ashore. The Jurong Line eventually collapsed after the 12th Indian Brigade was withdrawn by its commander, Brigadier Archie Paris, to the road junction near Bukit Panjang, after he lost contact with the 27th Brigade on his right; the commander of the 44th Indian Brigade, Ballantine, commanding the extreme left of the line, also misinterpreted the orders in the same manner that Taylor had and withdrew. Preview. Copyright 2023. Escape from Singapore, 1942: the story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters. The Japanese, however, were well aware of this deadly game of cat and mouse and had set a trap with aircraft overhead and ships guarding the Straits which caused havoc. Search the history of over 778 billion Despite their numerical inferiority, they advanced down the Malayan Peninsula, overwhelming the defences. With the Japanese now within gun range on the opposite side of the Causeway a few thousand more persons escaped in an organized convoy on the night of 11/12 February. 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. The Dalforce irregulars, also known as Dalleys Desperadoes, were mainly local businessmen with some limited military service. Because of the dangers no women were to be taken onboard. [14][15] This was virtually simultaneous with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which precipitated the United States' entry into the war. It left a scar on his mind. [167][168] The other ethnic groups of Singaporesuch as the Malays and Indianswere not spared. This was achieved by moving the defending forces from the beaches along the northern shore and from around Changi, with the 18th Infantry Division being tasked to maintain control of the vital reservoirs and effecting a link up with Simmons' Southern Area forces. Escape from Singapore, 1942;: The story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters Hardcover - January 1, 1974 by Ian Skidmore (Author) 1 rating See all formats and editions Hardcover $8.00 6 Used from $8.00 Survival at sea after the fall of Singapore. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. This was the greatest known defeat of British forces in the distant Far East. The remaining nineteen men including the Executive Officer of ML 310, SBLT Malcolm Henderson RANVR, the Admiral and the Air Marshal died of disease when on the island. It therefore took some while to get everyone onboard and after the final trip the motor boat sank. The Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse soon after the Japanese landings on Malaya, the fall of Singapore and other defeats in 1942, severely undermined British prestige, which contributed to the end of British colonial rule in the region after the war. Thousands of others were transported by sea to other parts of Asia, including Japan, to be used as forced labour on projects such as the SiamBurma Death Railway and Sandakan airfield in North Borneo. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. 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. Further, losses on the mainland had resulted in a general shortage of equipment. Signaller lucky to escape from Singapore Signaller lucky to escape from Singapore Name: Allan Quick Date: 1942 Unit: L Section, 8 Division Signals Location: Singapore, Ceylon For someone who was a signaller trained to keep things short and to the point, Allan Quick wrote remarkably thoughtful and detailed letters home from the war. This boat was badly holed and with constant bailing could only accommodate four passengers at a time. [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. The Japanese attacked the weakest part of the island defences and established a beachhead on 8 February. [22], Force Z, consisting of the battleship HMSPrince of Wales, the battlecruiser HMSRepulse and four destroyers, sailed north out of Singapore on 8 December to oppose expected Japanese landings along the coast of Malaya. [139][135] Post-war analysis has shown that a counter-attack might have succeeded. [144] Following the surrender, Bennett caused controversy when he decided to escape. Brooke writes of his experiences in Singapores Dunkirk(Brooke 1989), but tragically this episode did not emulate the success of the English Channel crossing. Copyright 2023. [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. The Ban Ho Guanalso made Padang and was later bound for Fremantle. In addition, there were two British machine-gun battalions, one Australian, and a British reconnaissance battalion. This would see landings in Malaya and Hong Kong as part of a general move south to secure Singapore, connected to Malaya by the JohorSingapore Causeway and then an invasion of the oil-rich area of Borneo and Java in the Dutch East Indies. When Automedonrefused to stop she was raked by shells, killing the captain and his bridge team. Intelligence gained in late 1940early 1941 did not alter that plan but confirmed it in the minds of Japanese decision makers. [94], Communication problems caused further cracks in the Commonwealth defence. This was mostly mangrove swamp and jungle, broken by rivers and creeks. [63][64], Blowing up the causeway had delayed the Japanese attack for over a week. [52], Most of Singapore's BL 15-inch Mk I naval guns could be traversed north and were used to engage the Japanese. Lieutenant Richard Pool RN, a survivor from Repulse,had been allocated to ML 310 and writes of his experiences (Pool 1987): All day long columns of evacuees filed patiently along the approach road and on the wharf and gradually found spaces in the miscellany of craft which now thronged the dockside. [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. Kembong stopped and luckily remained undiscovered. Most women and children who wanted to escape by ship had already gone albeit that most of the ships which had left in the previous couple of days were doomed to be sunk. With the Japanese stranglehold over the Malay Peninsula there was no land exit, and after the last few RAF aircraft evacuated on 10 February the enemy controlled the skies. 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. Many ships and other craft were sunk or disabled and there was considerable loss of life. Table of Contents At dawn an island could be seen with Malay fishermen who came to help, and with a rising tide they were once again afloat and, seemingly with little damage, again underway. Military analysts later estimated that if the guns had been well supplied with HE shells the Japanese attackers would have suffered heavy casualties but the invasion could not have been prevented by this means alone. [131] The next day, about 200 male staff members and patients who had been assembled and bound the previous day,[131] many of them walking wounded, were ordered to walk about 400m (440yd) to an industrial area. With copies of charts supplied by CMDR Robinson they picked their course past minefields but suddenly, late at night when navigating reefs, they went aground. [88] Throughout the day, the 44th Indian Infantry Brigade, still holding its position on the coast, began to feel pressure on its exposed flank and after discussions between Percival and Bennett, it was decided that they would have to retire eastwards to maintain the southern part of the Commonwealth line. These were MLs 432and 433and HDMLs 1062and 1063. During the Japanese Occupation (1942-45), it was used by the Japanese Imperial Army to hold Australian and British prisoners-of-war (POWs). NONFICTION. No community reviews have been submitted for this work. The Japanese advance continued and the Allies began to run out of supplies. [23] Although outnumbered and outclassed, the Buffalos were able to provide some resistance, with RAAF pilots alone managing to shoot down at least 20 Japanese aircraft before the few survivors were withdrawn. This information, coupled with its own appreciation, convinced the Japanese War Office of the weakness of the British position (Robinson 2016). [27][e], At Bakri, from 18 to 22 January, the Australian 2/19th and 2/29th battalions and the 45th Indian Brigade (Lieutenant Colonel Charles Anderson) repeatedly fought through Japanese positions before running out of ammunition near Parit Sulong. The British destroyed the causeway, forcing the Japanese into an improvised crossing of the Johore Strait. 4 Bill Reynolds, later working for American Intelligence, was landed behind enemy lines in Malaya in November 1943. [41] The newly arrived 18th Infantry Division (Major-General Merton Beckwith-Smith)[42][43]was at full strength but lacked experience and training. 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