1942 Singapore Jungle Story. A Family History. (1 Viewer)

[ROUGH RIDER]

With the 70th anniversary of the fall of Singapore next year I want to share this with you.This article that appeared in the Harrogate Herald (an English newspaper) in 1981 was written by my wife as told to her by her Grandmother, which relays a story of what happened just before Singapore fell. I'm posting this in honor of the men and women who lost their lives in the fall of Singapore 1942.

Jungle Ordeal

Somebody would have to go for food. It was two weeks now since all the women had been told of the impending enemy attack. Do not leave your houses, they had said. But how were they to survive without food?

The young women stepped forward and said she would go. The others, although they knew they should dissuade her, agreed and set her on her way.

The young woman was fitter than most of the others and so knew her chances of getting to the shop at the other side of the jungle were higher than those of other women. She ran, partly because she thought she may change her mind if she walked, and partly because she had a strong feeling it would be today that the Japanese would choose to launch their attack on the base camp close to the jungle.

She began fighting her way through the dense jungle, the long branches scratching her face as she ran by. She had made the trip many times and by now the route was very familiar to her. She soon reached the small shop just outside the jungle and blurted out her story to the assistant who immediately gave her the food she needed.

She gathered up as much as she could in her arms and began her return journey. As she reached a large old tree which marked almost the end of the jungle, she heard them. She ran faster. They came closer. The big engines like thunder now. As she reached the dirt road leading from the jungle she tripped. The planes were so close now. She remembered what her husband had told her to do in such a situation Lay down he had said, and don't move a muscle until they go. I can't move, she laughed to herself.

Suddenly it started. The bullets sprayed about her, then more and more. They came, as if searching for a firm target. She thought of her dear husband away on some mission on a faraway island. She would have something to tell him when he returned, if he returned, if she returned. She thought of her two small children she had left back at the house, Jim and Helen. They were probably very scared by now. She thought of how cross her husband would be if he knew she had left them there on her own. The pebbles on the path, biting so hard now on her skin from her fall, stung as the hot dirt teased the broken skin. It seemed like an eternity but it was in fact only 11 minutes before the Japanese planes left.

Timidly the woman looked up into the sky. Yes, they had gone. Now she could get this food back to her friends.

 

[ROUGH RIDER]

The women in the story was Helen Lees. Her Husband was Sergeant George Forbes Lees of His Majesties Royal coast Artillery. Helen the children and the others were taken to the port to be evacuated. They were given two choices one ship to England the other to Australia. Helen took England. On its way to Australia the other ship was bombed and sunk there were no survivors. George was taken prisoner with the fall of Singapore. Not long after surrender Sergeant Lees and another soldier were executed (beheaded) for trying to escape. He is now buried at Kranji Singapore War Memorial. I know we all collect toy soldiers for various reasons which is great. In a way they keep history alive. But sometimes we ought look back on war in a more personal way. Thank you John.

 

[glossman]

The women in the story was Helen Lees. Her Husband was Sergeant George Forbes Lees of His Majesties Royal coast Artillery. Helen the children and the others were taken to the port to be evacuated. They were given two choices one ship to England the other to Australia. Helen took England. On its way to Australia the other ship was bombed and sunk there were no survivors. George was taken prisoner with the fall of Singapore. Not long after surrender Sergeant Lees and another soldier were executed (beheaded) for trying to escape. He is now buried at Kranji Singapore War Memorial. I know we all collect toy soldiers for various reasons which is great. In a way they keep history alive. But sometimes we ought look back on war in a more personal way. Thank you John.

Hello ROUGH RIDER,

Thanks very much for an interesting thread. I have a story similar to yours which I shall relate in brief.

My maternal grandfather had arranged for his entire family which included my mother to be evacuated to Australia via shipping convoy just before the "Fall of Singapore" on 15th February 1942.

For some unknown reason, my family did not embark for the journey to Australia. If my mother had boarded the ship, she may well have perished as the convoy was largely destroyed and sunk by Japanese bombers. The RAF was so short of planes at the time that no significant search and rescue operation was conducted. Those that embarked the ships were never heard from again.

The Japanese occupation of Singapore was a brutal reign of terror. I am happy to note that my mother survived the war.

I guess my father was more fortunate than Sgt. George Forbes Lees. My father served under British Command at the Battle for Hong Kong. When British forces surrendered, my father became a POW along with other allied soliders. He managed to escape with another mate and made it to mainland China.

My father survived the war too.

Regards, Raymond.

 

[ROUGH RIDER]

Hi Glossman
Glad your story ended good. I wonder how many other stories are out there.
God Bless Their Souls.

 

[Mitch]

Fascinating
Mitch

 

[Hazebrouck]

Thanks for sharing that family story from a part of the war that doesn't receive a great deal of attention.

My dad used to do some work for a lovely old bloke who ended up as POW of the Japanese during the war. A truly gentle soul who endured a terrible time.

Those men and women who survived learnt about resilience and that many were able to get back on their feet and succeed in their lives is a testament to their strength .