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Malaya 1941
Having arrived back in England 0n the 31st May 1940 my Father
would have been sent on leave, his next posting was to the 53rd Section
at Arnold , bestwood lodge , Nottingham ,which acted as mobilisation
centre and was returned to the rank of Private on posting (I cannot find
any reason for this).
My Father was posted to the "Z" AOW (Advanced Ordnance Workshop) which was mobilized on the 26th Feb 1941 .by the 5th March the
mobilization was complete and they commenced training in foot and rifle
drill.
On the 20th of March the unit arrived at Liverpool Docks
and Embarked on the Ship "Duchess
of York".
The Duchess of York
The following events are extracts from the War Diary of the "Z"
AOW
Officers :-
Major H Ortiger
Captain E J Coulthard
Lieut S C Terry
Lieut F A Youems
2nd Lieut A E F Wickham
The loading of machinery and other equipment was also completed.
The ship left the docks to lay off harbour , finally setting sail
on the 21st March.the ship joined up with other ships on the
River Clyde , together they formed the Convoy WS7.
The ship arrived at
Freetown on
the 4th of April and lay of port for three days , no personnel allowed
on shore.
On the 10th of April the ship reached Cape Town
and berthed in harbour for three days, the personnel were allowed on
shore for two days recreation. I remember my Father saying that a
representative from the South African Govement addressed the men and
stated that if any of them wished to settle in South Africa they would
be welcome .
The Ship then sailed to
Bombay , India and was in port
for two days , personnel only allowed on shore for the last evening .
The Ship then sailed to Colombo , Ceylon and was only in
port for one day and personnel were not allowed ashore.
The Ship reached its final destination
Singapore on the
15th of May 1941 and the Unit disembarked and proceeded to Anson Road
Camp which had been erected and made ready for the 2nd Battalion Loyal
Regiment. The Camp was ready for occupation by the unit but the site
chosen caused dismay as it had a very deep drain running across the
middle which carried refuse from the town to the sea , also the ground
became water logged with each shower of rain. The next few days were
spent drawing up camp equipment and settling in.
Remark from Commanding officer :-
"Owing to the condition under which the troops were living the spreading of
skin disease in the form of ringworm was difficult to control. A large
number affected by this sickness.
Theoretically the unit should have proceeded to
Kuala Lumpur
which was its destination."
On the 12th July an advance party set off by road for
Kuala Lumpur to join the 9th Indian Division ,
(Part of the
3rd Indian Corp) with a
Rail section leaving on the 13th July . The Convoy carrying the
Workshop Machinery arrived on the 16th July. The Machinery was unloaded
on the 17th July and the accommodation stores arrived by rail and was
unloaded with the assistance of hired transport and "coolie labour".The
Main body of the Workshop Company arrived in Kuala Lumpur on the 8th
August from Singapore via night Train and day Coaches and were billeted
at Maxwell Road Camp.
My Father dress in Tropical Uniform and two fellow R.A.O.C
work mates
On the 9th August the unit began cleaning the camp area , cutting grass
and digging slit Trenches and other Regimental Duties . The 10th August
saw the arrival of the rear party from Singapore . One A.A.S/Sargent
and fifteen other ranks commenced work with "C" Section of the 47
Ordnance Mobile Workshop to maintain Lorry units , but the number of
vehicles was almost double that which was intended to maintain so it was
decided to employ "Asiatic" workers.
The 23rd of August saw the Visit of Col W.P.B. Ashton A.D.O.S (e) Malaya
to inspect the unit.
A Workshop was set up at Port Swettenham on the 29th August.
Appendix 1. written by commanding officer "Z" Advanced Workshop Major H.
Ortiger :-
"The A.O.W sent out to Malaya was smaller in personnel and equipment
than that laid down in A.F.G 1098 for an A.O.W. The modified A.F.G. 1098
however only gave details o personnel , workshop machinery , tradesmen's
hand tools , transport and fire arms . It made no reference to Workshop
Equipment and barrack accommodation stores.
The Unit brought out most of the equipment shown on the modified A.F.G.
1096 but owing to the entire lack of workshop equipment such as vices ,
benches , drills etc. the Workshop could not be formed.
Two cables were sent to the War Office by A.D.O.S (E) Malaya , drawing
attention to this fact and a reply was received about the middle of July
stating that the matter would be put in hand and the stores forwarded as
soon as provision could be made.
As it was anticipated that some time would elapse before the stores
arrived , a was drawn up of the most essential items required to start
the workshop , with the intension of buying them locally to tide over
the period of waiting. This list was forwarded to A.D.O.S (E) on the
15th July 1941. "
So basically the "Z" Advanced
Ordnance Workshop was sent
to Malay woefully ill equipped both in Men and Equipment , this was
the same throughout Malaya and would have catastrophic consequences in
December.
The reasons for this will be gone into more detail in the
Singapore Chapter.
Map of Kuala Lumur 1941
Enlarged Map showing RAOC Ordnance Camp
The original plan for the "Z" AOW at Maxwell road Kuala Lumpur was
originally planned to have a floor space of 20,000 square feet ( 60962
Square Meters) , but it was decided to increase the size to 24,000
square feet (7315 square meters) to accommodate :-
Instrument Shop
Vehicle Wash
N.A.A.F.I Store
N.A.A.F.I Staff Living Quarters
When the unit arrived in Kuala Lumpur the other ranks accommodation was
almost complete but the site of the camp which was situated on the
confluence of two rivers had inadequate drainage , so when it rained the
ground became waterlogged and the hard standing outside the Motor
Vehicle Workshop became too soft for heavy Vehicles and Bren Carriers.
Some of the Mess Halls were built the reverse way around so that the
serving hatches were at the opposite side to the cookhouse , The Expense
store was built incorrectly and was unusable.
There was only three Latrines for 49 Warrant Officers and Sergeants. So
work had to be carried out by the unit to correct these problems ,
most of it had been completed by 8th
August 1941.
"Z" AOW RAOC Football Team Kuala Lumpur 1941
Back Row ,left to Right
S/Sgt G A Bath , Pte F C Harris , Pte J E Fenner , Pte A Flint
Middle Row ,Left to Right
Pte C Noble , Pte H Livermore , Pte G A
Snowdon
Front Row ,Left to Right
Sgt C J Willoughby , ASM A T Smith , S/Sgt A J Gwillian , Pte E J
Robertson , Pte D C Frost
More information about what happend to the men above click on the Z AOW Roll link on the left
Between the 1st of September and the 4th of September the Unit underwent a
medical inspection and it was found that 106 men required medical
attention for skin trouble , the most prelevent was Dermatitis ,
Ringworm , Prickly Heat and Singapore Foot (Hand, Foot & Mouth
Disease is present all year round in Singapore with seasonal outbreaks
every year) .
The 5th and 6th of September saw the Port Workshop making
vehicles , including 12 Bren Carriers , unloaded from ships ready for
the road , the amount of work entailed made it necessary for the
workshop to operate both day and night.
Universal Bren Carrier
On the 8th September the Commanding Officer departed to Singapore to
discuss the problems regarding the Workshop accommodation and the
provision of workshop equipment.
Large areas of the camp at Maxwell Road became flooded after heavy rain as
the problem of drainage had not been addressed .
On the 9th September the Port Workshop also became waterlogged after
heavy rain resulting in the Albion Recovery Lorry being put out of
action. The Trade Testing of 60 Tradesmen of the unit who applied for
upgrading in their trades began.
Albion Recovery Vehicle
A Dental inspection of the unit commenced on the 10th September and a
letter of appreciation of excellent work done by detachment of "Z" AOW
forming Port Workshop at Port Swettenham received.
12th September the Dental Inspection was completed .
Between the 18th and the 22nd of September work continued equipping the
workshop by building work benches and erecting lifting gantries able to
lift 1 ton . There was further work on the drainage of the accommodation
area. On the 23rd six unclassified storeman were trade tested , all
failed the highest score being 15% ! The Recovery section was also sent
out to recover a vehicle belonging to Headquarters by after 5hrs
searching for it along the Kuala Lumpur - Klang Road , they could not
find it.
On the 24th of September a District Court Martial was convened under the
Army Act against :-
763983 Pte A Inglis "Z" AOW
157522 Pte W Needham "Z" AOW
At Maxwell Road Camp , the composition of the Court was :-
President - Major R. Peel Royal Corps of Signals
Members -Capt D. Parry-Evans Royal Engineers
-Lt T.G. Stephenson , Royal Gonhal Rifles
Prosecutor -Capt E.J. Coulthard R.A.O.C
Defence -Lt N.D. Robins , Royal Corps of Signals
George Albert Snowdon my Father , passed his Trade Test and Became
Electric Welder A Class 1
George Albert Snowdon
On the 25th an application to replace the six unclassified storeman with
more experienced men from Singapore.
A proposal by the Malay Command was received to form a Asiatic Branch of
Workshop companies to be employed at the Base Ordnance Workshop and "Z"
AOW to release British personal to form 2nd Line Workshops and it was
proposed that 46 Tradesmen at "Z" AOW would be Replaced by 70 Asiatics.
The District Court Marshal was Concluded.
The installation of wiring for lighting and power for the machines in
the workshop commenced on the 27th September.
On the 1st October Major H Ortiger and Captain E J Coulthard of "Z" AOW
visited the Advanced Base Ordnance Depot at Kent Halt to determine the
quantity and variety of the Mechanical Transport spares held.
Concerns over the provision of spares for vehicles not
yet covered was raised with the Commanding Officer Ordnance , who
replied suggesting that Asiatic branches of Workshop companies should be
formed . The following comments were made :-
1) The proposal would increase the efficiency of the repair
organisation.
2) Scarcity of Asiatic Labour - labour at present available is of second
or third class quality .
3) Difficulty of brining labour to the place where it is required.
4) The Effect on the Establishment of the "AOW" - Difficulty may be
experienced in running the unit regimentally if Junior Non Commissioned
Officers are replaced by Asiatics.
On the 2nd of October Quarter Master Sergeants Smith and
Seabury along with Sergeant Petch od the Mechanical Transport repair
department visit Advanced Base Ordnance Depot to draw up a list of spare
that can be held at AOW at Maxwell Road to reduce the number of visits
to A.B.O.D to obtain spares frequently required .
Nine Bren Carriers driven by personnel of "Z" AOW took part in a
driving demonstration in Kuala Lumpur on the 9th October . The Building
of a road to connect the main road to the men's cookhouse was also
undertaken.
On the 10th October a Army Doctor form the 3rd Indian Corp
visited the unit to discuss skin diseases and how to prevent them with
units Doctor and the Commanding Officer.
The construction of a Instrument workshop was commenced on the
11th of October.
Instructions from R.A.O.C Malaya on the 14th October , were received to
dispense with the Written examinations of Clerks and Storemen for the
purpose of Trade classification . Personnel suitable for promotion up to
and including the rank of Lance Sergeant will be automatically
classified as Clerks and Storemen class II. Similarly personnel suitable
for promotion to sergeant will be automatically classified as class I.
On the 14th October , Brigadier Moir , commanding Lines of
Communication Area visited the unit and accompanied by Lt Col Patterson
were taken on a tour of the Workshop and accommodation areas the
question of providing a wire perimeter fence was discussed .
In the afternoon the unit was visited by Major
General Verschoyle Cambell accompanied by Col W W Linnie of Lines of
Communications and Lt Col B A Austin from the 3rd Indian Corp.
Three Painters from the unit proceeded to 14th section RAOC , to
supervise labour gangs engaged on the camouflage of tentage throughout
Malaya.
The Mechanical Transport Workshop opened on the 15th October to receive
vehicles requiring 3rd line repair from Ordnance Mobile Workshops and
Army Base Ordnance Depot.
The unit was notified that it was to receive on the 18th
October , from the 3rd Indian Corp the following amenities were to
be provided :-
1 Dartboard , 12 packs of cards , 1 Table Tennis set ,2 sets of dominoes
and 1 set of Monopoly , these items are the first to be provided out of
the welfare fund and fall far short of the units requirements . The unit
did not have sufficient funds of its own to equip the unit effectively
with the games or sports equipment.
On the 19th October the unit received the approval to erect a 8 foot
(2.4 meters) unclimbable wire perimeter fence at a cost of $8000.
Major L Whatley visited the unit on the 21st of October to discus
questions affecting general policy of the repair service of the AOW,
He also carried out an inspection of "z" AOW Armourers shop and
recommended that extensions and alterations should be made to the
present building. The next day Major Ortiger and Captain Couthard
carried out a reconnaissance of the area around Maxwell Road Camp and
located a suitable site and informed H.Q. Line of Communications.
After an inspection of the accommodation area on the 23th October
by the Commanding Officer of the Hygiene Section it was decided to dig a
pit to place all refuse from the cook house after it had been reduced in
the incinerator to assist in the reduction in the number of flies and
other insects which collect near the men's cook house.
On the 23rd of October orders were issued that two N.C.O's of the unit
would be put on duty at the most popular rendezvous of the men of "Z"
AOW in an effort to reduce the number of charges being brought against
men of the unit by the Military Police as a result breaches of the
discipline committed while off duty.
Colonel W P B Ashton inspected the Instrument Workshop being constructed
and ordered an extension to be built on to it to house a Battery
Charging Plant. He also discussed plans to employ Asiatic Laboures in
the Work Shop. The next day Major Ortiger visited Kuala
Lumpur Trade School to enquire into the availability or otherwise
Asiatic Labour.
On the 1st November a notification arrived that a Diesel
Generator would be dispatched from the UK as an alternative power supply
for the "Z" AOW workshop . Captain Coulthard left on leave.
By 3rd of November all the item required for the workshop had been
purchased that were available at that time
The cost of building a shed to house the Generating Plant would be met
from local funds. The unit also received notification on the 5th
November that other equipment would be shipped from the UK excluding a
engraving machine that would not be available for another nine months.
The chief Engineer from Malaya command visited the unit on the 6th
November to discuss the following items :-
1) The Source of power supply for the workshop machines
2) Camouflage
3) Dispersal
4) Expansion
5)Workshop facilities
On the 7th November more building work was carried out to improve
storage etc.
Pte Allison of "Z" AOW (remanded for court martial) was taken to
Singapore on the 8th November under escort to be examined by a
medical specialist at the Alexander Hospital.
9th November , Captain Coulthard returned from leave.
Between November 11th and the 28th November the unit continued
organizing the workshop and finalizing the building work and setting up
a instrument workshop. The unit received notification on the 24th
November that the Charges against Pte Allison should be dropped on
Medical Grounds.
The last two entries in the War Diary were :-
29th November :- Action taken as laid down in operation instructions
30th November :- Further action taken as laid down in operation
instructions
Were these an indication that an Invasion was finally going to become a
reality ?
The is no further War Diaries of the "Z" AOW for December , January and
February , not really surprising as the following events happened so
swiftly , having spent nine months setting up a Ordnance Workshop the
Japanese were about sweep it away along with the British Army in just
over two months , starting with the invasion on the 8th December 1941.
Kuala Lumpur was almost empty by the 1st of January 1942 , an official order for all white woman to leave was issued on the 3rd of January with the Japanese reported to be only 100 miles away . The Camp at Maxwell Road was ordered to evacuate to Singapore and a detachment of 50 men left for Singapore on the 3rd of January . The rest of the camp was cleared by the 5th and 6th and part left by road and part by rail , the rail section arrived at Johore at 6pm on the 7th and the next few days were spent unloading the train and preparing the transport by road into Singapore .
The "Z" AOW men arriving in Singapore were attached to 14
Section RAOC and were split up , some going to Marlborough Camp on the
9th of January , some going to Alexander Depot and the rest going to
Anson Road Workshop (the probable destination of my father).
"Z" AOW Story continues on the Capture Chapter
Invasion of Malaya 8th December 1941
The invasion of Malaya by Japan has all ways be portrayed as a
unprovoked attack by Japan on not only Malaya but also Pearl Harbour ,
Hawaii and the Philippines and Malaya and Singapore were lost by
Incompetence by the Commanders , But the truth is more complicated
than that
.
Sir Robert Brook-Pophams
Photo from :-
British Empire & Commonwealth Forces in the Far East-SE Asia 1937-1946
On 11 November 1940 The new Commander in Chief Far East , Sir
Robert Brook-Pop ham arrived in Singapore , at the same time a Merchant
Fleet Ship the SS Automaton was attacked by a German
Surface raider
Atlantis off the North Coast of Sumatra .The
Automaton was carrying a mixed sort of cargo and mail bags on
its journey from Liverpool via South Africa to Penang , Singapore , Hong
Kong and Shanghai . The Raiders not only recovered fifteen bags of
Secret mail and decoding tablets from the strong room , they also found
a green diplomatic bag with Brass Eyelets (so that it would sink if
thrown overboard) , the bag contained highly sensitive information for
the eyes of Brook-Pophams only . The information stated that because of
the commitments of Britain in the European and Middle East wars it was
unable to provide much protection for the Far East Territories in the
event of an Japanese invasion , it also provided details of Navel
Strengths and RAF units and comprehensive description of fortifications
on Singapore and the probable roles of New Zealand and Australia in the
event of War with Japan , in short a complete analysis of Britain's
state in the Far East and its ability to resist an attack by Japan
.
The Captain of the Atlantis recognized the importance of the information
from the Automaton and using a previously captured
Norwegian Tanker the
Ole Jacob
he sent a Skelton crew straight to Japan were the documents were handed
over to the German Embassy. A report was then sent to Germany were Adolf
Hitler personally instructed the contents to be handed over to the
Japanese , who despite their initial suspicion of a Germen ploy to lure
them into an attack in the Pacific , soon realized this
information was gold dust for any plans for a war in the Far East. The
loss of this information has never been officially acknowledged by
Britain even to this present day.
In August Winston Churchill and the American President , Roosevelt had
their first WWII meeting at Placentia Bay in Newfoundland
in secret as the American President was still facing strong opposition
any American involvement in the War in Europe from isolationist in
Congress . Roosevelt was strongly in favour of America entering the War
but found it politically impossible to unilaterally declare war . In
October 1940
Arthur McCollum had produced a memorandum
detailing an eight point plan to provoke Japan into attacking American ,
British and Dutch interests in the Pacific Region :-
- Arrange with Britain for the use of British bases in the Pacific , particularly Singapore
- Arrange with Holland for the use of bases and supplies in Dutch East Indies
- Provide all possible aid to the Government of Chiang Kai-shek
- Send a fleet of heavy cruisers to the Philippines or Singapore
- Send two divisions of submarines to the Far East .
- Keep the Main strength of the U.S. fleet in the vicinity of Hawaii.
- Insist that the Dutch Government refuses to grant to the Japanese any economic supplies , especially Oil.
- Along with Britain impose a complete embargo on all trade with Japan.
Points 7 and 8 were crucial , Japan as an
industrialized nation could not function without oil so armed conflict
was virtually guarantied , but the Japanese Government was sharply
divided over the strategy . The Army wanted to invade Malaya , Singapore
and then Sumatra (Dutch Oil Field located in Palembang)
via French Indochina and Thailand , but the Navy
favoured attacking the American Fleet at Pearl Harbour ,
Hawaii and also the Philippines . The Emperor Hirohito
ruled that both plans were to be implemented.
What followed is still a controversy in America but also in Britain also , In December 1940 an agreement was signed in Washington between Britain and America which would mean both countries having a full exchange of technical information concerning German , Italian and Japanese codes . In January 1941 an American team of cryptographers arrived at Bletchley Park , Home of Britain's decrypt operations . One of the key reasons for the American visit was their interest in cracking the Japanese codes . the Britain's Hugh Foss and Oliver Starchey had penetrated the Japanese diplomatic code machine in 1934 and Colonel Tiltman had cracked Japanese military code as far back as 1933 and the new Army ciphers in 1938. The American Navy had broken the Japanese Navel codes using their decryption machine known as Purple , and it is alleged that the American Administration knew that an Japanese attack was immanent and Pearl Harbour and the Philippines were going to be the targets . Britain is alleged to have also known about the planned invasion of Malaya as they had set up a 'Decrypt' Post in Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) with one of Alan Turing designed 'Bombe' decrypt machine installed there to work on Japanese codes .
The Americans instruction for the three Aircraft Carriers based
at Pearl Harbour to be sent out on manoeuvres prior to the attack
only fuels this conspiracy .
Japans attack on
Pearl
Harbour brought America into the war against Japan , and
Hitler , by Declaring war on America saved Roosevelt the trouble of
getting Congress to declare War on Germany also.
Japanese Soldiers using Bicycles to rapidly advance
So Japan armed with its comprehensive assessment of the British capabilities in Hong Kong , Malaya and Singapore from the SS Automaton did the British really have any chance against the Japanese ? In the above War Diary it is quite apparent that there was an acute shortage of everything from just basic tools for the work shops , but if you look at the Army , Navy and the Air force , they were desperately short of the required equipment to defend Malaya and ultimately Singapore. The Air force for example were supplied with obsolete air craft like the Brewster Buffalo and were absolutely no match for the Japanese air craft such as the Zero , the loss of the command of the air was probably the biggest single reason why defeat in Malaya and Singapore was inevitable , but add to the fact that the Army was comprised of badly equipped units (they did not possess a single tank ) and they were badly prepared for the warfare that was about to be unleashed on them by a highly trained Japanese Army.
Japanese Type 95 Tanks in Malaya 1941
War
material was available but it was deemed that the Middle East should
take president over the requests from the Far East .The British
Government worked on the principal that in the event of an attack by
Japan they would have plenty of time to send reinforcements , a
policy that proved to be totally unworkable but also condemned more
Soldiers including my Uncle , Charles William Nicholson
, Air Men and Navy personnel to years of terrible captivity or to their
Deaths in Japanese Prisoners of War Camps . The British , like the
American administration totally underestimated the capabilities of the
Japanese armed forces with disastrous results .The
HMS Prince of Wales and
HMS Repulse disaster .
Memorial for HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales at the National
Arboretum
Japanese Troops in Kuala Lumpur it Fell on the 11th Jan 1942
My Fathers unit "Z" AOW would have been evacuated as the Army fought a desperate rear-guard action , He described how he was part of a general retreat through the Jungle with other refugees all heading for Singapore.
Wounded Being Evacuated from Malaya
Below is a war time propaganda film about Malaya