What's with the 21st of October?

The 21st of October is one of those dates on which quite a number of important events took place, spread across different parts of the world and several centuries. Some changed the course of wars, some helped shape the countries we know today, while others had a lasting effect on everyday life. What follows is based on what I have uncovered in my reading. And for us in Penang, this date has a special significance of its own.

The earliest event in this collection goes back to 1097, when the forces of the First Crusade began the Siege of Antioch. The siege, which started on this date, lasted until June the following year. The capture of Antioch became one of the major episodes of the First Crusade, although the crusaders themselves paid a heavy price in hunger and disease during the campaign.

On 21 October 1520, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan reached the entrance to the passage at the southern tip of South America that would later bear his name. The Strait of Magellan eventually provided a sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It was a significant moment in the expedition that would go on to complete the first circumnavigation of the world, although Magellan himself would not survive the voyage. It is worth distinguishing between sighting the entrance to the strait and completing the passage through it, which took longer.

Moving to Japan, 21 October 1600 was the date of the Battle of Sekigahara, one of the decisive battles in Japanese history. Tokugawa Ieyasu’s Eastern Army defeated its opponents, leaving him in a position to consolidate his power. In 1603, he was appointed shogun, establishing the Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. 

The 18th and 19th centuries also saw several important events fall on this date. On 21 October 1794, Captain Francis Light, the founder of the British settlement on Prince of Wales' Island, died of malaria. His death came just eight years after the British established their settlement on the island in 1786. Light's name remains closely connected with the early history of George Town. 

On 21 October 1797, the American warship USS Constitution was launched at Edmund Hartt’s shipyard in Boston. Nicknamed Old Ironsides after its celebrated engagements during the War of 1812, it became one of the best-known ships in American naval history. It is still afloat today and is recognised as the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat. 

Eight years later, on 21 October 1805, the Battle of Trafalgar took place off the coast of Spain. The British fleet under Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets, thwarting Napoleon Bonaparte's hopes of challenging Britain at sea and helping secure British naval dominance for decades. Nelson was mortally wounded during the battle and died later that day aboard HMS Victory. The victory came at a great personal cost to the British, but Trafalgar became one of the most celebrated events in the country's naval history. 

For Penang Free School, 21 October 1816 is particularly important. On that day, the Prince of Wales' Island Free School first opened its doors to boys on the island, initially operating from rented premises in Love Lane. The word “Free” referred to the principle that education should be free from racial and religious prejudice. It did not mean that every pupil necessarily received a free education, as fees were paid by families who could afford them, while assistance was provided to those who could not. The school is widely recognised as the oldest English-medium school in South-east Asia. 

Another event on this date concerned a woman who would change the way nursing was regarded. On 21 October 1854, Florence Nightingale left England with a party of nurses bound for the military hospitals at Scutari, in the Ottoman Empire, during the Crimean War. The conditions there were appalling, and her work in improving nursing care, hygiene and hospital administration would help shape the development of modern nursing. Accounts differ slightly in how they describe the party's departure and route, but the date of 21 October is well established. 

There is also a familiar American story associated with 21 October 1879: Thomas Edison and his team working on the incandescent electric lamp. The date has long been celebrated as a milestone in the development of the light bulb, but the details are not quite as straightforward as popular accounts suggest. Historians who examined the laboratory records have questioned the claim that the decisive experiment took place on that particular day. What is clear is that Edison and his team developed a practical incandescent lamp as part of a wider electric lighting system, and demonstrated that system publicly later in 1879. It would be more accurate to remember this as part of the development of practical electric lighting rather than to claim that the invention was completed on the 21st of October itself. 

The 20th century brought its own share of significant events on this date. On 21 October 1943, Subhas Chandra Bose announced the establishment of the Provisional Government of Free India, also known as Azad Hind, in Singapore. Bose and his supporters hoped to end British rule in India, and the government was closely associated with the Indian National Army. Its declaration was an important episode in the wider struggle for Indian independence during the Second World War.

On 21 October 1944, the German city of Aachen surrendered to American forces after weeks of fighting. It became the first major German city to fall to the Allies during the Second World War. The capture was an important step in the Allied advance into Germany, although the fighting in Europe would continue for several more months. 

On 21 October 1966, Penang Free School was celebrating its sesquicentenary which marked 150 years since it first opened its doors. Yet, almost halfway around the globe, a tragedy was unfolding. A coal-waste tip had collapsed onto the Welsh village of Aberfan, and the black slurry engulfed another educational institution, Pantglas Junior Schoolm and nearby homes, killing 144 people that included 116 children. While Penang was marking a proud milestone in its educational history, the people of Aberfan were plunged into grief by one of Britain's worst mining disasters. 

On 21 October 1967, tens of thousands of people gathered in Washington, D.C., to protest against American involvement in the Vietnam War. After a rally at the Lincoln Memorial, many marched towards the Pentagon, where clashes took place between demonstrators and security forces. Estimates of the total crowd vary, with some accounts putting it close to 100,000. The demonstration became one of the best-known protests of the Vietnam War era and reflected the growing opposition to the conflict within the United States. 

There is also a notable birthday to record. Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist, inventor and businessman whose will established the Nobel Prizes, was born in Stockholm on 21 October 1833. He made his fortune through inventions including dynamite, but his lasting public legacy is the series of prizes that bears his name. The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901, five years after his death. 

It is quite a collection of events for one day in history. And for many of us in Penang, the reason to remember the 21st of October as the day in 1794 when Superintendent Francis Light died and in 1816 that the Prince of Wales' Island Free School first opened its doors. More than two centuries later, that date continues to hold a special place in Penang's history.

The Light-Hutchings connection

Since 1948, the Prefects of Penang Free School have attended an annual commemorative service at the grave of Robert Sparke Hutchings in the old Protestant Cemetery along Northam Road. The tradition was started by Dennis Roper, who was the headmaster of the school at the time, and it continues to this day.

Normally, once the service is over, that's about all the formal activity at the cemetery. There would be the usual photography sessions, with the schoolboys and prefects getting to know some of their Old Frees seniors, before everyone headed back to the school for Speech Day. But this year, things were a little different. There was time to spare because Speech Day had already been held on the first of October. There was no rush.

After the service, I brought the boys and the Old Frees along to see the grave of Francis Light, which was only a stone's throw away from Hutchings' resting place. From their reactions, I could tell that almost everyone had never seen Light's grave before, not even known that he was buried there. Well, there's a first time for everything, I suppose!

Will I show the grave to next year's batch of Prefects as well? That will depend on whether I can drag myself out of my warm bed early enough next October. Let's see how things go.

Anyway, while we were there, I posed a question to the boys and the Old Frees. What is the one surprising fact that connects Francis Light and Robert Sparke Hutchings, even though the two men never met each other? Light died in 1794, while Hutchings arrived in Penang in 1814, a gap of 20 years. What connects them?

OFA annual dinner 2026

I've attended so many OFA annual dinners that I've long stopped counting them. In the early days, the dinners were held at the club premises, first in Leith Street, then Hutton Lane, Mandalay Road and finally Northam Road, until this latest clubhouse was renovated in 1997. Since then, the dinners have been held elsewhere, usually in hotels with big ballrooms, although restaurants have also been used once or twice. For the past several years, St Giles Wembley has become the venue of choice.

Last Tuesday, the 103rd OFA annual dinner was held there, and I attended with five other mates from my batch in Penang Free School. I had hoped more of our old schoolmates would sign up, but that wasn't to be. They all had their own reasons, of course. Still, with those of us from the 1970 Form Five and 1972 Form Six batches getting on in years, I thought this would have been a good opportunity for more of us to get together again for old times' sake. Better response next year, perhaps?

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed myself at this year's dinner, catching up with these mates and bumping into many more old farts along the way. At our age, there's always plenty of pleasantries to share and talk about, even if we sometimes have to remind one another of names and events from years gone by. Never mind. That's part of the fun of meeting up again. Some of my personal pictures follow below.

Dr Amir Shah, Ivan Ooi, Dr PP Shah and Dr Choong Sim Poey

See Swee Sie (present PCA President) and Dr Choong Sim Poey (former PCA President)

Penang Free School Prefects

My batch mates

My chess kakis

Miss Asia Global 2026 brought dozens of beauty contestants from multiple countries to Penang this week, and they chose to introduce themselves at our OFA annual dinner. I had bumped into five or six of them earlier when they squeezed into the hotel lift. As I left on the 10th floor, I gave them a bye-bye and said, "Too bad, we can't follow you up to the 26th floor."

Remembering Hutchings 2026

Every year, I tell myself that this shall be the last time I attend the annual Robert Sparke Hutchings commemorative service at his grave in the old Protestant Cemetery in George Town. But when the 21st of October comes around again, I somehow find myself dragging my body out of bed at five o’clock in the morning, getting ready for the 45-minute journey from home to the cemetery. There is something about this little service that keeps drawing me back.

I first attended the service in 2012 and, over the past 15 years, I have missed it only twice. The service itself is a fairly brief affair, usually lasting just 10 to 15 minutes, but it brings together representatives from Penang Free School, Hutchings Sixth Form College, The Old Frees’ Association and St George’s Church. An Anglican priest from the church leads the service at Hutchings’ grave, where those present gather to remember a man whose influence is still felt in Penang today.

Each of these four institutions has its own connection with Hutchings. Penang Free School is perhaps the most obvious, as he founded the school which opened to boys of all races, religions and creeds on 21 October 1816. Hutchings Sixth Form College, formerly Hutchings Secondary School, inherited his name after Penang Free School moved from its Farquhar Street premises to Green Lane at the end of 1927. The Old Frees’ Association is the alumni association of those who passed through the Free School, while St George’s Church has its own historical connection with Hutchings, who was the colonial chaplain in Penang and was associated with the church in its early days. The church itself was completed in 1818 and consecrated the following year.

There are usually a few other Old Frees who turn up as well, myself included. Although I attend as a member of The Old Frees’ Association, I suppose each of us has our own reason for making the early-morning trip. For me, it has become one of those annual occasions that I keep telling myself I can do without, only to find that I am back there again when the date comes around.

The Old Frees at the commemorative service

Triangular chess match

Only the second year that the OFA-OXA-MBSU triangular games had included chess but we're quite happy to have won it this time. Last year was a disappointment because we had only managed the second spot. This time, we made sure to have our reinforcements ready: a line-up that included Chern Ee, Ronnie and Jonathan. Plus, a steady back-up from Ing Kiat, Thean Keat and Kah Poh ensured we would take full points from the Old Xavierians' Association and the Methodist Boys' School Union. There's more of what I want to say about the triangular games but I'd rather prefer to show these pictures below to commemorate the event.

Cheap wills

I came across a report in Free Malaysia Today yesterday about why we should take the preparation of a will seriously. A poorly prepared will can leave a family fighting in court for years, and that was what happened to the family of a woman named R Letchemy, whose will was signed just five weeks before she died.

Letchemy was 74 when she signed the will on 06 October 2021. She died on 11 November that year, but instead of settling her estate, the document became the centre of a legal dispute that dragged on for four years. Her brother, R Supparamaniam, challenged the will and sought to have the whole document declared invalid.

The High Court in Malacca eventually upheld most of the will's provisions. The judge found that Letchemy had the mental capacity to make a will and understood and approved how she wanted her assets distributed. This included leaving out her brother and his family. It may not have been a decision that everyone agreed with, but a person is generally entitled to decide who should inherit their estate.

However, one clause did not survive the court challenge. It was intended to penalise anyone who challenged the will or helped someone else to do so. The judge found insufficient evidence that Letchemy had understood and approved this particular provision, and it was struck out. 

There was another complication. Letchemy could not read English, the language in which the will was written. Although a solicitor had explained the document to her in Tamil before she signed it, the court found shortcomings in the way her instructions had been recorded and in the evidence showing how the will had been explained. There was no contemporaneous note documenting the explanation or the solicitor's assessment of her understanding.

So it is not enough to produce a document and get the client to sign it, there is a need to establish that the client understands what the will says and that it reflects their intentions. This becomes even more important when the will contains unusual provisions or excludes close family members from an inheritance. 

The law firm involved had charged between RM500 and RM700 for preparing a will. In a postscript to his judgment, Judicial Commissioner K Raja Segaran made the point that the care required in preparing a will should depend on what is at stake, not on how much the fee charged. As he put it, “A modest fee does not lessen the duty.”

The judge also recommended several safeguards, including recording the client's instructions carefully, checking the assets involved, explaining the draft in a language the client understands and keeping a record of the questions asked to establish that the client understands the document. He also warned against simply reusing standard clauses from earlier wills without checking that they reflect the wishes of the person making the will.

So this report reinforces the importance of having a properly prepared will in the first place. Through companies like Rockwills Corporation, the aim is to help ensure that a will is drafted clearly and satisfactorily, and that it is based on the testator's instructions and wishes. The person making the will should understand what is written, have the opportunity to clarify anything that is unclear and be satisfied that the document says what he or she actually wants it to say.

Of course, no one can guarantee that a will will never be challenged. But taking the time to explain the provisions properly and making sure the instructions are clearly documented can help reduce the risk of misunderstandings and disputes later. In Letchemy's case, probate was eventually granted to her niece, N Selvarani, subject to the removal of the disputed clause. 

The lesson here is that making a will is one thing, but making sure it is properly prepared is another. Most of us would prefer not to think too much about what happens to our estate after we are gone, but it is worth spending some time getting our affairs in order while we are still around to explain what we want. Otherwise, our family may be left trying to interpret our intentions, with the possibility of years of disagreement and legal expenses.

If there are questions about making a will, or about how Rockwills Corporation can help, anyone can get in touch with me. I'm happy to help clarify the process and answer any questions. It is better to sort these matters out while we are still around to explain what we want, rather than leave our family to work it out for themselves later.

Malaysia's chess predicament

I don't like to say this, but I believe the Malaysian Chess Federation has got itself into a fine pickle over the FIDE World Amateur Chess Championships scheduled to begin on 04 November 2026.

Some two months ago, I learnt that the World Chess Federation, FIDE, had awarded Malaysia the rights to organise the championships, with the Selangor Chess Association entrusted with staging the event in Klang. As far as I knew, preparations were proceeding normally. Then, a few days ago, news emerged that the Israeli Chess Federation was complaining that it had not received an invitation for its players to participate. And that's where the trouble begins.

FIDE's rules on hosting official international chess events include a principle of free access for representatives of its member federations. Israel is a member of FIDE, just as Malaysia is. So, from the chess world's point of view, Israeli players should be able to take part in a FIDE championship on the same basis as players from other member federations.

But Malaysia has its own government policy on Israeli nationals entering the country, and that is where the two positions seem destined to collide. Given the Malaysian government's longstanding position, I find it difficult to imagine Israeli chess players being granted entry visas simply because they have the right to play in a chess tournament. The Israeli Chess Federation is huffing to participate in a FIDE event, while the Malaysian government has made its position on Israeli athletes very clear. How is the Malaysian Chess Federation supposed to reconcile these two positions?

This is not the first time Malaysia has found itself in this position. In January 2019, the Malaysian government confirmed that Israeli athletes would not be allowed to participate in the World Para Swimming Championships scheduled to be held in Kuching that July. The International Paralympic Committee subsequently withdrew Malaysia's right to host the event because the government could not guarantee that Israeli athletes would be allowed to compete. The championships had to find another host.

That episode should have served as a warning. The government's position has been known for years, and I see no reason to assume that it will suddenly make an exception for chess players. If Malaysia cannot admit Israeli participants, how can it fulfil its obligations as host of a FIDE world championship? This is not simply a question of whether an invitation letter has been sent. An invitation is of little use if the players cannot obtain permission to enter the country.

So now, this is a problem that was not properly considered before Malaysia took on the hosting rights. When bidding for this international championship, the Malaysian Chess Federation and the organisers overlooked the conditions imposed by FIDE and the practical requirements for bringing players from all member federations to Malaysia. The government's position on Israeli participation in sporting events was hardly a secret. Did nobody consider what would happen if Israeli players wanted to take part?

I should add that I don't think the same difficulty necessarily arises with every international chess event held in Malaysia. Asian-level competitions, for instance, do not involve Israel in the same way because of the geographical zones used by FIDE. Israel belongs to a European zone in FIDE's classification, despite being geographically part of Asia. That distinction can make a difference to which federations are expected to participate. An event open to the whole world, however, is another matter altogether.

For now, I don't know how this will end. Perhaps FIDE and the Malaysian Chess Federation are still trying to find a way out of the predicament. But with the championship due to begin on the fourth of November, time is running short. After all the work that must already have gone into preparing the venue, accommodation, tournament arrangements and other logistics, it would be a real pity if Malaysia were to lose the event.

And that brings me back to the question that bothers me most. Who made the decision to accept the hosting rights without first resolving this obvious conflict between FIDE's requirements and Malaysia's policy? Was the issue raised at all when the bid was being considered? Somebody in the Federation ought to explain how this situation was allowed to develop.

I say this as someone who has been involved in Malaysian chess for many years. We should be proud when FIDE entrusts us with an event of this standing. But accepting the honour of hosting a world championship also means accepting the responsibilities that come with it. We cannot simply hope that a problem everyone should have anticipated will somehow disappear when the tournament draws near.