Pa finished school  at 18, and joined the RAF in Singapore at 19 as an artisan or flight mechanic,

Dec 8 1941 Jap sneak attacked Singapore at the same time as Pearl Harbour.

We watched dogfight and fireworks we thought one early morning, and did not know that Singapore was being bombed.

In the morning, we saw big holes on the hangers doors, the damaged aircrafts, the big craters and dead people in the ground, then only we knew there was a war.

Our job then, was to patched up the RAF hurricanes and buffaloes. Sargeant pilots from Australia, those that can takeoff and land, went up to fight the enemy, but their planes were too slow, usually a dozen takeoff and two returned riddled with bullet holes.

In Perak, there was a big battle at Slim River, the British had deployed Gurkhas and Chinese volunteers there, trying to stop the Japanese.  The Japanese attacked, with the headbands of the rising sun around their head. They were very fierce. The front line Japanese army were mainly Koreans and Formosan soldiers recruited by the Japanese. Radio and newspapers gave the news in Singapore, the British had to keep retreating from the North of Malaya down to Singapore. Thailand had given the Japanese safe passage to the North of Malaya.  Japanese suicide bombers, Kamikaze, destroyed HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales.

Gunfight at night. In morning, dead Japanese like ants, Gurkhas died alot too, they would drink their canteens of rum and fight with their knifes at close quarters, hiding behind coconut trees. They would fight to the death and not return. Frontline were Gurkhas and Chinese volunteers while the British troops were at second line of defence all along the way, retreating all along to Singapore. The Japanese were very daring and suicidal.

Japs came in sampans at crossway like ants, pa was armed by the British to fight them, all fixed cannons were facing wrong direction towards the sea. There were very heavy British casualties and the Chinese volunteers were later rounded up by the Japs and executed at Changi Beach. Singapore  surrendered. 

The  British  commandeered  the  S.S.  Darvel  and headed for Australia, crammed with soldiers.
including  the Malayans. Leong Teik was having a haircut on board SS Darvel when the ship was bombed by Jap's dive bombers one day off Jarkarta. We were all laughing at his half hair cut.  Hit on the left side of the ship, there was a big hole and all had to stand on the other side, the ship was tilted and water had to be pumped out til Jarkarta. Dutch won't let us land, because we did not have permit. Commander had meeting with Dutch authorities and we were allowed to land and then taken to airfield.

Later we left Jarkarta by road, on the way to Tjillitjap, southern tip of Java to go on convoy to Australia. When we arrived at Garoet, the convoy had left, the British did not want to wait for the Malaysians  but the following day the whole convoy was sunk by Jap subs and aircraft carriers. All the Malaysians were laughing and happy to be spared. So we were stranded in Garoet and were sent to the airfield.

1941 Nov surrendered in Central Java, Tanjong Priok, 117 Malaysians with RAF.

Six months in camp at airfield, doing nothing, we received supplies of food, and we did our own cooking.
Pa and 2 comrades, ran into jungle, because they were frightened of the Japs,  they slept at night up on trees because of the wet. Leeches stuck to their legs in the morning. They walked and walked for many days and came upon a small village, where there were lots of Chinese people, a Chinese Chamber of Commerce put us up for 3 or 4 days, then we trekked to a fishing village, opposite Bali.

We got an old sampan, and took along a tin of biscuits and some water. Next morning we set sail but we saw 3 Jap planes so we dived into the water and swam back. The sampan dissappeared, left only pieces of wood floating where it was.

The villagers said that there was a lot of sharks in that area.

After a few days we decided to surrender. The headman took us to a Jap prison camp at Tasik Malaja though the Japanese were not there yet.

[Jap put sword at my neck and screamed at us but we did not understand. Really shook me up,
barb wire and barracks, guard house]

Six months at “Jap prison” camp doing nothing.

When the Japanese guards finally arrived, they trucked us to Tanjong Priok, where we boarded a cargo  ship to Singapore then to Changi Prison.

At Changi, we were imprisoned in cells, which were never cleaned, they were very dark and all were crammed in the cells. Wing Commander Steedman was interrogated by the Japanese and he refused to give infomation and was executed.  Pa was in work detail to dig a hole but did not see him executed, heard gunshots on the way back.

2 or 3 days later, we were placed in cargo hold of a ship to Japan, seasick and sea spray into hold, and hardly enough room to stand. The journey took one month.

In December we reached Yokohama, there were ice everywhere, we were cold, the warm woollen RAF overcoat  were stolen by the Japanese, Japanese cotton overcoats  which were given, hardly keep us warm. It was so cold. It was the first time any of us had seen  snow and experienced winter, but we were relieved to be on land. We had spent 11 mths in Java and Singapore.

Now we were prisoners of war in Motoyama Prison Camp No:5 in Tokyo,  Japan for another 3 years. The camp had 6 feet board fencing, and it was on top of a small hill. It was a brand new camp, huts were all new pine, and in very good conditions, we had enough food to do our own cooking.

(part one)