The escape was not well thought of by other senior Army officers, and in parliamentary circles it was politely termed unwise. on the Internet. In addition, there were two British machine-gun battalions, one Australian, and a British reconnaissance battalion. A month later they were washed ashore having returned to within a hundred miles of their departure point. 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. Escape From Singapore, 1942 by Skidmore, Ian. These recordings can be accessed through Apple iTunes or for Android users, Stitcher. This brave man had refused to kneel in order to be beheaded. Only 24 Australian Army nurses survived the bombings, massacre and POW captivity. Singapore was considered so important that Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered Percival to fight to the last man. [45], The III Indian Corps (Lieutenant-General Sir Lewis Heath) including the 11th Indian Infantry Division under Major-General Berthold Key with reinforcements from the 8th Indian Brigade,[47] and the 18th Infantry Divisionwas assigned the north-eastern sector, known as the "Northern Area". Escape from Singapore, 1942;: The story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters, ASIN Another unfortunate consequence leading to confusion was that naval personnel responsible for coding and decoding signals were approved to leave the island aboard HMS Jupiterin the early hours of 12 February. [69] The Australians numbered just 3,000 men and lacked any significant reserve. Major Geoffrey Rowly-Conwy of the Royal Artillery refuses to obey an order to surrender to the Japanese as they close in on Singapore. Later they were flown to Batavia and from there to Australia. ESCAPE FROM SINGAPORE -- 1942 by Ian Skidmore RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1974 A yarn of adventure in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. The "Southern Area", including the main urban areas in the south-east, was commanded by Major-General Frank Simmons. Like the Buffalos the Hurricanes began to suffer severe losses in dogfights. 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. [58], Yamashita had just over 30,000 men from three divisions: the Imperial Guards Division (Lieutenant-General Takuma Nishimura), the 5th Division (Lieutenant-General Takuro Matsui) and the Japanese 18th Division (Lieutenant-General Renya Mutaguchi). Bennetts independent spirit did not fit into the Allied command structure, however his Division generally acquitted themselves well against a seasoned enemy. I could not help wondering why such an outflow of civilians, Europeans as well as Asians, should have been allowed at this late hour. [157] About 5,000 men were killed or wounded, a majority of whom were Australian. Adding to the panic, they were being bombed. 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. A further requirement was that the Japanese Rising Sun Flag be hoisted over the Cathay Building, the tallest building in Singapore. The General, accompanied by his ADC, Lieutenant Gordon Walker, and staff officer Major Charles Moses3plus some Malaysian officers arranged to hire a junk. 1 The official history records Wah Sui sailing with 120 wounded but Moreman and Reid (2002) say six nurses and 300 wounded; those onboard say there were between 350 and 450 passengers, many of whom may not have been wounded. Property of the Rajah of Sarawak, she was requisitioned by the Admiralty, lightly armed andgivenacoatofgreypaint.Sheretainedher civilian crew who were given naval reserve ranks, commanded by Captain Richard Borton. There was considerable loss of life and casualties from both vessels, and most survivors were captured. [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. [74] As the Japanese army advanced towards Singapore Island, the day and night raids increased in frequency and intensity, resulting in thousands of civilian casualties, up to the time of the British surrender. The men were detailed to help the undermanned crew and the women assisted in the galley and saloon. The rest of the crew, with little seafaring experience, were from Dalforce. , Unknown Binding [90] The authority for this withdrawal would later be the subject of debate, with Bennett stating that he had not given Maxwell authorisation to do so. This perimeter would be used to block Allied attempts to regain the lost territory and defeat their will to fight. Pool, Richard, Course for Disaster From Scapa Flow to the River Kwai, Leo Cooper, London, 1987. 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. HMSYin Ping was a WWI vintage coal burning unarmed tug requisitioned into the local naval forces under the command of an Australian planter, LEUT Patrick Wilkinson SSRNVR. An ambush was sprung by the 2/30th Australian Battalion on the main road at the Gemenceh River near Gemas on 14 January, causing many Japanese casualties. [152] According to another source, Taylor cracked under the pressure. An early relief ship was the small Dutch steamer SS Rooseboomwhich loaded about 500 refugees, mainly British troops but some civilians. Escape from Singapore, 1942;: The story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters 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. Discover more of the authors books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more. [103] After brushing aside elements of the 6th/15th Indian Brigade, the Japanese again began attacking the 22nd Australian Brigade around the Reformatory Road. Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. The Japanese had imprisoned some 75,000 commonwealth soldiers in war camps on the swampy island of Singapore in the spring of 1942. An exception to the fighting force was the Second Battalion of Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, part of the Indian 12thBrigade, who had been positioned in Malaya in late 1939 to bolster the local forces. [76][h] From 27 to 30 January, another 48 Hurricanes arrived on the aircraft carrier HMSIndomitable. Dalforce, formally the Singapore Overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army, was formed in Singapore in early 1942 by Colonel John Dalley. As the wreck of Kung Wowas still afloat bombers returned and sank her. Grasshopperwas hit twice and set on fire but her captain managed to beach her on nearby Sebayer Islands. . [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. 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. They carried 2 x 4-inch guns, 1 x 3.7-inch gun and 8machine guns, with a crew of 75 officers and men. Many European and Eurasian women and children were evacuated before the end of December. Danae offloaded them at Tjilatjap, a small port now crowded with ships, on the south coast of Java. Most were damaged and many sunk with large numbers of casualties. In deference to his Chinese crew Bill renamed his vessel Suey Sin Fah,and armed her with a machine gun before sailing with refugees from Sumatra to southern India. The Fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore,[c] took place in the SouthEast Asian theatre of the Pacific War. This is without a doubt the most boring WWII book I've come across. Fortunately a perceptive captain holds his fire, and permits them to board. [8][9] The basic plan for taking Singapore was worked out in July 1940. ALSO INCLUDES CORRESPONDENCE TO HIS FAMILY AND LATER NEWS CUTTINGS 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. [111] The counter-attack was repulsed by the Imperial Guards and the 27th Australian Brigade was split in half on either side of the Bukit Timah Road with elements spread as far as the Pierce Reservoir.[112]. More than 15,000 Australian soldiers were captured. By midnight, the two Japanese divisions fired star shell to indicate to their commander that they had secured their initial objectives and by 01:00 they were well established. Singapore 1942: End of Empire: With Lisa Huynh, Andrew McFarlane, Shuang Hu, Tony Nixon. Against all odds, and crammed like sardines, they were underway. Of the few survivors eight were picked up by the Japanese and later six more were found by the steamer Mata Hari. [143], Under the terms of the surrender, hostilities were to cease at 20:30 that evening, all military forces in Singapore were to surrender unconditionally, all Commonwealth forces would remain in position and disarm themselves within an hour, and the British were allowed to maintain a force of 1,000 armed men to prevent looting until relieved by the Japanese. [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. Singapore controlled the main shipping channel between the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. A least one ship put up a gallant fight against overwhelming odds, she was the converted ferry cum armed patrol boat, HMS Li Wo, under command of Temporary Lieutenant Thomas Wilkinson RNR. 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. They were supported by seven obsolete aircraft, one elderly destroyer, two gunboats and eight motor torpedo boats (MTBs). [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. able aboard ahead anchor arms army arrived asked attack battery became began better boat bobby bombs british broke broome brought called ceylon chance climbed coast command craft crew danger dark. Because of the dangers no women were to be taken onboard. His relations with senior British commanders and staff in Malaya were, at times, strained, as he grappled to maintain control of the Australian troops. [146][147][148] Bennett blamed Percival and the Indian troops for the defeat but Callaghan reluctantly stated that Australian units had been affected, towards the end of the battle, by many desertions. In the first few minutes of 13 February the headquarters ship Laburnum, signaling by Morse light,gave orders to sail. Brooke writes of his experiences in Singapores Dunkirk(Brooke 1989), but tragically this episode did not emulate the success of the English Channel crossing. Escape from Singapore, 1942: the story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters. The British outnumbered the Japanese but much of the water for the island was drawn from reservoirs on the mainland. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. Every conceivable kind of boat, including yachts, was being pressed into service and my thoughts returned to those days of Dunkirk almost two years before. [56] The two Australian brigades were subsequently allocated a very wide frontage of over 11mi (18km) and were separated by the Kranji River. Air cover was in a worse state with 158 obsolete aircraft, including four RAAF squadrons, two of Brewster Buffalo fighters and two of Lockheed Hudson bombers. The water system was badly damaged and supply was uncertain, rations were running low, petrol for military vehicles was all but exhausted, and there was little ammunition left for the field artillery and anti-aircraft guns, which were unable to disrupt the Japanese air attacks causing many casualties in the city centre. One young Indian prisoner with a Bengaluru connection was. Were glad you found a book that interests you! Brooke, Geoffrey, Singapores Dunkirk, Leo Cooper, London, 1989. [68] The assault was received by the 2/18th Battalion and the 2/20th Battalion. The British Lieutenant-General, Arthur Percival, commanded 85,000 Allied troops at Singapore, although many units were under-strength and most units lacked experience. [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. The Buffaloes were operated by one Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and two Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Burroughs, Walter, The Naval Evacuation of Singapore February 1942, Naval Historical Review Vol 40 No 2, June 2019, Naval Historical Society of Australia, Sydney. Crowds now formed at the embarkation areas, some with passes and others without. 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. He survived this ordeal and when the opportunity came he and a number of his shipmates escaped in the river steamer Kung Wo. For the first time this momentous 20th century battle, and its equally dramatic aftermath, will be told from a multi . I had 30,000 men and was outnumbered more than three to one. Despite stubborn resistance and inflicting considerable casualties over 17 days of fighting, Hong Kong surrendered on Christmas Day 1941. [44] The rest of the force was of mixed quality, condition, training, equipment and morale. Showing one featured edition. [57] Much of the equipment and resources of the garrison had been incorrectly allocated to the north east sector, where the most complete and freshest formationthe 18th Infantry Divisionwas deployed, while the depleted 8th Australian Division sector with two of its three brigades had no serious fixed defensive works or obstacles. The surrender of Singapore was the largest single wartime tragedy that shook the morale of Australians. 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. The infantry positions were reinforced by the recently arrived Australian 2/4th Machine-Gun Battalion. 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 Naval Historical Society of Australia Inc. This edition doesn't have a description yet. The presence of the prison camp is said to have shielded the town of Barth from Allied bombing. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. It was attacked by light naval craft and by aircraft. [169] Numerous British and Australian soldiers taken prisoner remained in Singapore's Changi Prison and many died in captivity. [71] The initial fighting cost the Australians many casualties, the 2/20th, losing 334 men killed and 214 wounded. Some died during the night as a result of their treatment. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Some did make landfall on a number of islands including Pompong Island (about 80 miles south of Singapore) where they escaped the wrath of their attackers. A British lieutenantacting as an envoy with a white flagapproached Japanese forces but was killed with a bayonet. Learn more. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Japanese let the other survivors go ashore and the wreck was used for occasional bombing practice. [154], A classified wartime report by Wavell released in 1992 blamed the Australians for the loss of Singapore. There must at this stage be no thought of saving the troops or sparing the population. Show all copies. [11], Japanese oil reserves were rapidly depleting due to its military operations in China and by industrial consumption. [12][13] Following these attacks, a period of consolidation was planned, after which the Japanese planners intended to build up the defences of the captured territory by establishing a strong perimeter from the IndiaBurma frontier through to Wake Island and traversing Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, New Guinea and New Britain, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Marshall and Gilbert Islands. 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