Last December, I had written stories on the fateful days that followed the landing of the Japanese military on the shores of Kota Baru on the east coast of Malaya, concentrating on the early Penang experience of the war. From there and also from their other landings in southern Thailand where they met only token resistance from the Thais, the Japanese smashed their way down the peninsula, over-ran the positions of the British armed forces everywhere and captured Singapore on the eve of Chinese New Year in February 1942.
In December 1961, The Straits Times newspaper in Singapore ran a five-part controversial serial called Eighty Days to Singapore to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1941 Japanese invasion. The serial was based on the report of General Arthur Percival (General Officer Commanding (Malaya)) and the memoirs of Japanese master tactician Colonel Tsuji Masanobu.
From the 17 December 1961 issue of The Straits Times, David Baratham wrote the third part of his serial which I reproduce here:
CALAMITOUS CHRISTMAS
South - and soon on to Johore
3,200 became prisoners: 2 explanations
ON TUESDAY, Dec 16, 1941, banner headlines told readers in Singapore: JAPANESE SUFFER BIG LOSSES IN KEDAH. But a well-phrased leading article emphasised that all was far from well - or well-informed - about the fighting in Malaya. The leader writer quoted the text of cryptic communiques issued to the newspaper over the last 36 hours. They were:Fighting continues in Kedah; our forces in contact with the enemy in Kelantan; fighter aircraft are helping our troops in Kedah and Kuantan; no developments to report.
"Surely," the leader writer complained, "something more than that might have been told to the public."And he reproached the B.B.C. for having broadcast: "The British High Command is confident and the position is well in hand."
He suggested, with understandable irritation, that if this really was the case, there should have been no need for withdrawals.
Appealing for more news, he concluded: "If it is good news, so much the better; and if it is bad, we can take it."
By a grim coincidence, the Cathay cinema was screening the film "Nothing But The Truth," and advertising "Air raid shelters for all our patrons."
KEY TO FAR EASTThe news was bad. The night after Sir Shenton Thomas had made his famous "Singapore must not fail ... it shall not fall" speech, a company of the Argylls and some F.M.S. Volunteer Forces armoured cars were driven back along the Grik road by advancing Japanese infantry and tanks.
The armour plating of the Marmon-Harrison cars was ineffective against the Japanese armour-piercing bullets. Casualties were heavy.
From this point, it becomes abundantly clear that General Percival's prime object was the defence of the Naval Base in Singapore.
But Sir Shenton stressed the security of the entire island, not merely the Naval Base, in the close of his speech to the Singapore Legislative Assembly.
"But let us always remember that we in this little country of Malaya are entrusted with the high privilege of defending Singapore, the key to the Far East."
Hadley Metcalfe, a journalist broadcasting from Singapore Radio told listeners why the fighting in Kedah was confused.
It was, he explained, because water and slush made it impossible in most places to dig trenches, or establish any line of defence.He recalled meeting "cheerful evacuees" and the only complaint he said he got was that 15 cases of whiskey had been left behind in a club.
"I came back an optimist," he confessed, adding: "There is a tough time ahead of us, but the Japanese have not got the knockout punch we have."
On the following Monday, Dec 22, the defences were shifted back to Sungei Siput, across the River Perak.
A large slice of the Iskandar Bridge was blown up, and the pontoon bridge at Blanja was partly wrecked.
The Japanese plan to attack the rear end of the bridges and destroy the demolition wiring with light bombs was not put into effect in time.
FIRST DAY'S RAID
"The British Army," Col Tsuji claimed, "had blown up the bridges and abandoned several thousand Indian soldiers on the north bank.
"When fighting the Japanese army, it is the British army which excels in retreat."
In Singapore the affair of the evacuation of Europeans from Penang was given a somewhat heated airing.
Sir Shen Thomas assured the House that this had been done without his knowledge - or that of Mr SW Jones the Colonial Secretary, and he gave the assurance that any future yielding of districts would "entail a sufficient number of European civilians staying with the people to look after their needs, as far as they could, even though they might fall into enemy hands."
Mr Jones was evidently cross with the untidy people of Penang. He said that up to the time of the evacuation (Dec 16/17) the bodies of those killed in the first day's raid (Dec 10) had not been buried.
He said it was essential that water mains, gas mains, sewerage, electricity cables and transport should be maintained.
The Singapore Oriental and Electric Company politely invited subscribers to refrain "if possible" from making social calls from 10 a.m. to 11.30 a.m.
"Conditions in Singapore are fantastic," a journalist wrote on Dec 23.
MAPS OF SINGAPORE
"Scarcely a man, woman or child seems to realise that war today is only about 300 miles away to the north. Much of official Singapore, cloistered in empty, echoing offices, seems to have no knowledge, no more realisation of what is to come than the humblest coolie.
"Singapore has got to wake up quickly. We have been bombed already and we may be bombed again before the day is over; but we still have our minute papers and our usual channels. This is a disastrous state of affairs. It must stop."
This leader reflected the feelings of the Sydney Sun's special correspondent who, under the headline BLIMPS RULE IN MALAYA had protested that the press were not given reasonable access to the background picture of "the mightiest war drama ever staged east of Suez."
The Chartered Bank announced that their branches in Penang, Alor Star, Sitiawan and Taiping were closed for business for the moment.
A thousand volunteers were needed to help with the Defence Security Registration. No qualifications were required other than "ability to speak bazaar Malay, write English in a clear hand, understand simple instructions and have a desire to serve".
Demolishing extra rolling stock turned out to be a very difficult task. There was no time to build siding to park them, and so 13 loaded trains were routed to Malacca and bombed by the Royal Air Force.
The carriages, however, stood up to the bombing remarkably well and the raid was only partly successful.
One carriage or truck which escaped destruction contained a large consignment of maps of Singapore, urgently needed there, but never delivered.
Several engine drivers and conductors acted with great bravery and promptitude when their trains were attacked from the air.
Whenever and wherever possible, they would stop the train, help passengers out into the cover of the rubber trees or jungle, and render first aid.
The K.P.M. Line were still advertising regular sailings to Java and Sumatra, and "all other ports in the N.E. Indies."
Someone wanted to rent or buy a bungalow/house in the Tanglin/Holland Road district.
Quoting King George's speech made on Empire Day, 1940, Sir Robert Brooke Popham addressed community leaders: "Keep your hearts proud and your resolve unshaken....with God's help we shall not fail."
TALK ON THE RADIO
Retired in Australia after 33 years' service in the M.C.S., Sir Alexander Hall returned by air to help Sir Shenton Thomas.
Dato Onn bin Jaafar was appointed Information Officer for Johore State.
A European advertising agent executive was fined $250 for a black-out offence.
All British Europeans arriving in Singapore from upcountry were ordered to report to the Manpower Bureau, Empress Place.
Upcountry, the Japanese surveyed the Perak River, while as they approached it, said Col Tsuji, "appeared even more formidable, being more than 500 metres wide, fast flowing and of unknown depth."
At Ipoh, the Japanese suffered their first air raid by R.A.F. bombers. Their Christmas Day was spent in crossing the river.
In Singapore, Mr FD Bisseker, an evacuee from Penang, gave a long talk on the Singapore radio. He said that the three Japanese air raids "bombed Penang into impotency - and why? For the sad and true reason that the civilian population evaporated in a most amazing manner."
"Nobody," he continued, "is suggesting Singapore is doomed or anything so demoralisingly untrue, but we have got to save it - it is you who must act."
SCORCHED EARTH POLICY
A survivor from the Prince of Wales described how he had been sent to Penang to operate a ferryboat evacuating women and children to the mainland.
"Night came, and we hauled up our flags and carried on with the work. This continued every day and night.
"While waiting for opportunities to sneak our human cargo across to Butterworth, we were able to have a good view of the bombing and machinegunning of the civilians."
A stop press report from London said that a scorched earth policy had been carried out in Penang before the evacuation.
The Prai power station and the Penang tin smelting works were completely destroyed, the report claimed.
Another London report stated on Dec 23 that the Governor of Hong Kong was continuing to hurl defiance at the Japanese.
On Christmas Day, Hong Kong surrendered.
On the B.B.C. King George said: "Truly it is a stern and difficult time, but as the war widens, so shall our convictions deepen in the greatness of our cause."
On Singapore radio, Sir Shenton Thomas said: "I do know with all my heart that the King will give us encouragement and confidence and hope. And on that let us look forward to a happy and victorious New Year."
A Dutch East Indies paper said: "The crushing effect of the blows inflicted by the Netherlanders on the Japanese does its share in slowing up Japanese advances on Singapore."
The Singapore Theosophical Society made the only announcement of its sort in the press. It wished everyone a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Mr Duff Cooper became chairman of the War Council's Civil Defence Committee.
"Today." said the Free Press leader, "is Christmas Day, the strangest that most people in Malaya have ever experienced.
"There is no excuse for the traditional rejoicing - only the supreme need for hard and unrelenting toil."
The staffs of the water, electricity, gas and engineering departments, including sewage, were prohibited from being absent from work without prior consent.
UNDER ENEMY FIRE
The commanding officer of the Malay Regiment praised his troops' conduct under enemy fire and said the recent recruiting campaign was a great success.
General Gordon Bennet, the Australian commander, in a Christmas Day broadcast to Australia, said; "For months the Australian troops had been perfecting defences against the very tactics the Japanese employed .... even the gunners have a sideline.
"They have heard of the dislike the Japanese are showing to the point of a bayonet up north.
"So they are busy scrounging bayonets for their rifles just in case a few Japanese excursionists should come wandering around the batteries," but in a more realistic tone he added: "We have no illusions about the situation. We know that the fighting is going to be tough. But I could wish for no finer fighters to see it through."
The Chartered Bank announced that the following branches were being operated from Singapore - Penang, Alor Star, Sitiawan, Ipoh.
On Boxing Day, while Retter's band was playing at a dinner dance at the Adelphi Grill Room in Singapore, the troops were on the retreat southwards out of Ipoh.
Among the last to leave were Chinese and Eurasian telephone girls who had been handling military calls during dive bombing attacks.
The 12th Brigade Group continued withdrawing through the night of Dec 27 and took up a position south of Dipang. The 28th Battalion protected its right flank and placed defences in the Tapah Area.
On Dec 29, a Japanese attack was repulsed but the Divisional Commander of 12th Brigade Group ordered a withdrawal to Bidor.
The Japanese followed hard on their heels, their tanks demoralising the tired infantrymen. The bridge at Bidor was destroyed.
The Japanese reinforced their strength at Telok Anson by invaders operating on the lower reaches of the Perak River with boats and cycle patrols.
"Rose Force," initiated about a week earlier by General Percival from picked Australian volunteers, carried out several brilliantly successful raids west of the Perak River, ambushing one motor transport column and destroying lorries and staff cards, before withdrawing to Port Swettenham.
But they had to cease operations when their base ship, H.M.S. Kedah, was dive-bombed and sunk.
END OF AIR ATTACKS
Attacks were also made by the R.A.F. through seldom able to muster more than six machines at a time, making night raids on Sungei Patani aerodrome, where the Japanese were operating over 100 aircraft.
These attacks continued until the C-in-C Far East demanded full priority to be given to convoy protection work; this virtually meant the end of air counter-attacks against the Japanese in Malaya.
"Various alterations in top commanders, including Mr Duff Cooper's return to the United Kingdom," wrote General Percival, "had an unsettling effect and did make for continuity."
But the Far East War Council still functioned coherently enough to promulgate instructions to effect immediate evacuations of civilians from Malaya and Singapore, and to set up a joint service and civilian "Selection Board" with a Supreme Judge as chairman.
On New Year Day at the Kuala Kubu Road junction, the commander of the 11th Indian Division advised the risk of his inability to hold the Japanese any longer.
He was permitted to withdraw at his discretion by General Percival, who was touring Port Swettenham and Port Dickson, and who then returned to Singapore after arranging for "left behind" parties of Chinese to be trained in Singapore.
REMAIN WITH FAMILIES
On your he was faced with the problem of what to do about the F.M.S. Volunteer Force; many members had deserted, preferring to remain with their families instead of leaving them on the southward withdrawals.
Percival solved the dilemma of enforcing service or of releasing those wishing to leave by consenting to the latter.
In Singapore on Saturday, Dec 27, Mr John McDonald told listeners on Singapore radio that it would not be such a long war.
"We have a tough job ahead," he observed, "and perhaps an equally tough week or two which we can weather.
"That we can weather the storm I have not the least doubt whatever, and I believe that once the shock is behind us, we shall win very much faster than we now suspect."
A leading banking house announced its removal to London.
Mr Tan Kah Kee accepted Sir Shenton's invitation to mobilise the Chinese community. A leading article (Dec 27) said that with this and Indian civilian mobilisation, "Europeans, Eurasians, Malays and others will resolve that 'Singapore must not fall; it shall not fall'."
Singapore Girl Guides were busy making bandages, collecting salvage, helping in the blood transfusion section and working at a centre caring for babies lost in air raids.
FLOW OF GOOD NEWS
Women, said a lady's article, had not stopped dressing for dinner, but there were as many short as long frocks to be seen at the Christmas Eve dance at one hotel.
A leading Chungking newspaper urged an attack by British forces in Burma on Thailand to threaten the rear of the Japanese invaders in northern Malaya.
The Penang Straits Echo proprietor who had evacuated to Singapore described the achievements of the editor, Mr M Saravanamuttu, during the Japanese air raids as "an epic of journalism."
He described how the editor carried cooked food to the wardens during the bombing raids as well as ensuring that the paper came out.
"It was," he said, "a job for a giant."
His last editorial was headlined The Bloodbath of Penang.
Possibly the most remarkable announcement of all in the Singapore press was the following:
"European (British) desires post as office assistant. Permanent or temporary" which appeared on Dec 27, the date of the enactment of the Martial Law Ordinance.
As usual the B.B.C. maintained a flow of cheering news, stating that in the fighting now in progress in Perak, "wave after wave of Japanese infantry are being wiped out by the concentrated deadly fire of British and Imperial forces."
At the Singapore Tanglin Club, the committee decided to convert the ballroom into a dormitory for air raid refugees. They decided to leave the bar and billiard room intact for the present and not to establish a first aid post, as there was one at the nearby Goodwood Park Hotel.
BY SEA AND BY LAND
On Dec 28 all civilians in Singapore were ordered to register and carry identification cards; shelters for thousands were being dug by the Municipality.
Those building their own were told to telephone the Health Office if the walls or floor remained wet continuously.
Two Javanese were each fined $5 for roasting satay with an uncovered fire.
Ian Morrison of the Calcutta Statesman gave a concise description of the Japanese soldiers: "They are lightly dressed, they wear rubber shoes, and they are partial to climbing trees and sniping. The problem is to establish a position which cannot be attacked from the flank."
The Japanese master planners had been intrigued by the way the British appeared to be sending up reinforcements into Malaya, although it should have been clear that there was little hope of stopping the advance.
They also knew that Percival was desperately counting the days before substantial reinforcements were due to arrive to mid-January.
So they decided to press southwards as hard and fast as possible, by sea as well as on land.
They transported 40 boats, used in the Singapore landing, cross-country to Alor Star, adding 20 picked up in Penang, and embarked a whole battalion of infantry, engineers and mountain guns.
Celebrating New Year Eve at sea, these were machine-gunned by the R.A.F. Many were wounded but on Jan 4, the craft landed at Sungkai.
Then a "reckless action" by the Japanese Imperial Guards was to take over the craft, land at Morib, cut across to Kajang, and hold the main road south of Kuala Lumpur.
Mr Churchill was furious. He cabled Percival: "Control of the Western Coast passed to the Japanese army which did not have even one naval vessel there.
Churchill could not understand why the Royal Navy had not dealt with the small craft with destroyers or submarines.
All that Admiral Dudley Pound could suggest was that there were not enough aircraft, that Penang's denial tactics had failed, and that the Japanese must have been able to use vessels abandoned there.
It was at Kampar that the advancing Japanese met the strongest opposition so far. The eastern flank was 4,000ft high with steep sides, and the summit was screened by thick jungle.
The main road was close to its western slopes. To the north-west and the south was a large tin mining area, with rubber plantations in the south-west.
The mining area gave an excellent firing line for machineguns, and on New Year Eve the Gurkhas, at home fighting in the mountains, inflicted heavy losses on the enemy.
The Sikhs of the Punjab Regiment too, drove the Japanese out of a vital position and Col Tsuji, who said he spent New Year Eve being shelled in a small car, admitted that the issue was "in grave doubt."
Throughout that night and the next morning, a stream of Japanese wounded returned as best they could from the frontline.
This was the Japanese army's baptism in real jungle warfare. It was not to their liking, the men were not only exhausted they had, said Col Tsuji, "no life in their voices."
"Morale had never been lower."
At 9 p.m. on New Year Day, the battle for Kampar was as good as over. Then the Punjab Regiment withdrew to the Tapah-Bidor area, and the Ando Regiment went their way through swamps to attack rear positions with hand grenades.
While not far away, a Japanese battalion landed from vessels down the Perak River, and attacked and seized Kampar that evening.
South of the Perak border, two steamers and 12 landing craft threatened the coast at Kuala Selangor, but withdrew after one was sunk.
Despite this respite and driving back cavalry counter-attacks, the Japanese took Batang Berjuntai on Jan 6; a spectacular feature of the British denial policy in that area must have been the demolition of the Batu Arang coal mines at Rawang.
At the finale of the Battle of Kampar, Col Tsuji apologetically delivered a delayed order from the Japanese army commander to the commander of the Okata Regiment placing him under close arrest for 30 days - his punishment for having been responsible, as their superior officer, for the conduct of troops under his command - the Kobayashi Battalion - who had looted and committee rape on civilians in Penang.
By a coincidence, it seems that there was almost as much trouble with the top Japanese staff as must have been brewing at the same time between Percival and his colleagues.
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To be continued....
Part One: The last weekend at a cabaret
Part Two: December upcountry
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