Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
The all Canadian team of Tideway Green was dropped on 5 of August to Campbell Miles`s reception committee in the north Johore. The team was led by Maj. Joe H.A. Benoit and included Sgt. Kim Wing (Ernie) Louie. K5163 interpreter, who spoke Cantonese. Ernie had completed his training when he joined the team at Horana. Benoit`s 2 i/c, Capt. John E. Hanna, who spoke Mandarin, and Capt. Roger M. Caza, wireless operator, were dropped to the team two days later. They remained at base for about five days and then set out on what was supposed to be a three day trip through the jungle. Some of the equipment and kit had to be discarded to lighten the loads. The trip lasted a nightmarish seven days as they tramped 85 miles through swamps and dense jungle. It rained for full three days and their boots disintegrated. They were only retain only items necessary for their survival because of lack of carriers. Some of the guerrillas were accustomed to leading new arrivals through the thickest and swampiest jungle. Many teams never knew the precise locations of guerrilla camps, but the guerrillas were always aware of the team locations. The guerrillas often mounted skeleton guards on the patrol liaison team camps. Ostensibly as protection against enemy attack. Tideway Green never learned the location of the guerrilla camp in their area. A DZ. Adequate for food and stores was soon located but it was unsuitable for personnel. The food shortage both among the guerrillas and the Malays was very bad. On 17 August the were ordered to take no action and remain at their base, Then on the 20 th. They were instructed to search out POW camp and report their condition to base. The first drop of bulk food, including rice and dried fish, was received for the guerrillas. The wireless set was became unusable. Another drop of food and replacement parts for the wireless set was made on 24 August, but this time the food was for members of the team. At the end of the month, an Australian captain and corporal jumped to a reception committee of Ernie Louie and John Hanna. The two had searched out the DZ, for the parachutists since the guerrillas had refused to locate it. They had doggedly tramped through the area by compass marching and discovered a DZ. they considered reasonably safe about six miles away. The Japanese surrendered before there was need to go into action, the Benoit team was to have blocked the road north Johore area for the code name ZIPPER invasion. Batu Pahat and at nearby Kluang three days later, they found 900 POW in addition, twelve Indian escapees, as well as one British and three American, reported to the team. These former PWOs were transferred to British military authorities in Singapore. For the POWs at Kluang, contact was made with the Japanese authorities and food and medicine drops were organized for the relief. Arrangement were then made for their repatriation between 12 and 14 September. The guerrillas were becoming unwilling to cooperate now and the team had to deal with the inevitable conflict between the Malays and the Chinese. The team was forced to request help from the British Army in Singapore in order to restrain the Malays who allegedly had killed two hundred Chinese at Batu Pahat. The Chinese requested immediate help since some killing was still going on and house were being burned. In mid-September, Hanna and Louie were posted in Muar, and the team itself moved into the town on 21 September, After the month at Muar, on 18 October, they turned over control to the British Officer but they continued their police and civil administration duties until they left Malaya 12 November. Ernie Louie traveled to Meerut, and others went to Columbo. Galvanic Brown, led by Maj. Ian A. Macdonald, a rubber planter who spoke Malay, was dropped 24 July, with Capt. M.G. Levy his 2 i/c. The wireless operator was Sgt. Tom R. Henney, and Sgt. Hinn Wing (Henry) Fung, code named Kale, K5224, From Vancouver, was the interpreter. Two members of E. Group were included in the drop. The plane started out on the 20th. But the pilot was forced to return because of a malfunction. It took six hours flying to get rid of the gasoline that could not be jettisoned, before they could safety land. They started out again on the 22nd and their drop was completed without further mishap. The Galvanic Brown team was dropped to a blue reception committee north of Kuala Lumpur. They set out for their camp near Kajang, a trip that took nearly a week, The camp was south of Kuala Lumpur close to the guerrilla regiment. They had no sooner set up camp than they were forced to move because of a Japanese patrol rapidly nearing their location and the guerrilla moved with them. Food and medical drops were made and they set about giving what medical help they could. Macdonald was briefed to report on the rubber and tin situation. After the surrender the group entered Kajang but the Japanese stationed here refused to discuss surrender until the British army arrived. The team was able to diffuse hostilities between the MPAJA (Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army) and collaborators as well as to maintain control of the Japanese and ward off bandits until an Indian Army detachtment arrived 9/10 September and the team moved into Kuala Lumpur. Macdonald was please with Henry Fung who was the first of the Chinese Canadians to volunteer for operations in Malaya. Henry was “a great success with the guerrilla and always cheerful to do any amount of work asked of him”. This particular team lived with the guerrilla and seem to have established an excellent rapport with them. The wives and children of the MPAJA were also sheltered in the camp and made clothing for their men from bolts of cloth dropped by Force 136, most of the men were too small for standard issue clothing. It is possible that the three star worn on the sleeve by Henry Fung indicates that this item also was made by one of the ladies in the camp. Galvanic Green PTL was dropped 28 July to a reception party at Kerling in Selangor. Maj. C,E, Maxwell led the team with a lieutenant, a sergeant, and two Nationalist Chinese wireless operators, and Sgt. Bing Lee Chinn. K5161 from Vancouver, code-named Haricot, the interpreter. Maxwell was disappointed that Chinn was able to speak only the Cantonese dialect. The two Nationalist Chinese may have spoken Mandarin and little or no English so that communication with these might have been difficult. Unlike the Cantonese-speaking Canadian Chinese, the Chinese in Malaya were not all from the same area in China, although most came from the southern province. As a result there were several distinct spoken dialects. In spite of language problems, Bing Lee Chinn was able to interpret for most of the MPAJA with out difficulty. By the time Maxwell`s group had set up camp, the Japanese had capitulated. The team immediately began providing medical assistance to the guerrillas who were suffering from beri- beri and skin ulcers and they also gave medical attention to those in Kuala Kubu Bahru. They used work parties of Japanese in Kuala Kuhru to clean up. Galvanic State was dropped near Kuala Lumpur 28 July, under Capt. K. Robert Heine, his 2 i/c, Capt. Hugh Fraser, two wireless operators, and Sgt. Robert W, (BOB) Lew, K5677, code named Maize, interpreter, as well as a tracker dog that was killed on landing. Slate was dropped to a guerrilla reception committee near Kuala Lipis, about 30 miles north of Kuala Lumpur. It took five days to reach their camp at Kachau, near Serendah. Again, because of a Japanese patrol, they had to quickly and quietly leave camp. There was tension and anxiety as they slipped away unseen and unheard while the Japanese approached. The Japanese, on the other hand, never seemed to mount a serious campaign to winkle them out. Broadhurst had distributed three of his teams north of Kuala Lumpur and the two others, Blue and Brown, to the east and south. The teams were instructed to establish secure bases quickly so that there would not be long lines of communication, the patrols were to set up camps in places where they could develop quickly and be prepared to go into action immediately. Enemy pressure steadily increased during late July and early August as the Japanese probed into their positions with a frontal penetration, repulsed by a section of the Gurkha support group. If the Japanese had attacked at this point, the whole Selangor organization would have been jeopardized. There was no further Japanese action until fighting erupted between the MPAJA and the Japanese at Serendah on the 31 August. The guerrillas at first had wanted Slate to be formed near Orange but lack of food in the area and increased enemy activity necessitated its move to the Kachau-Broga area, South of Brown. The move was not complete until after the Japanese capitulation. On the Japanese surrender, Heine and Lew drove into Serendah: like Davis and Broadhurst at Kuala Lumpur, they were astonished to find a map on the walls of the garrison showing the location of most of the guerrilla camps. The Slate team provided medical help to the Malays and the guerrillas who like the inhabitants generally, were suffering from lack of medical treatment. Bob Lew then traveled to Kuala Lumpur to join the others. It was not until 22 August that a medical team of Capt. John Holman and his medical orderly, Sergeant Goodyer, as well as a British sergeant wireless operator, were added to the Selangor teams; they were dropped to a reception committee at Serendah. It had been planned to complete the drop of the additional Gurkha support groups during the August moon period but bodies were ‘frozen’ after the Japanese surrender. John Davis moved from Perak to Selangor to join Broadhurst when the prospect of a Japanese surrender seemed imminent in mid-August. Bing Lee and Ted Wong were with Broadhurst when Davis joined the group. When they moved to the headquarters camp near Serenadah. Davis and Broadhurst learned that the Japanese commander in Singapore, Gen. Itagaki Seishiro, intended to continue fighting. There was a tedious period while they waited for news of the surrender. By 24 August, the Japanese still had not replied to the surrender; instead they attacked the guerrillas in Serendah. Also during this period, there was a guerrilla attack on a Japanese convoy in south Perak, which did not help the tension. The fighting was stopped in Serendah by the personal intervention of Davis and Broadhurst. Then they entered Kuaka Lumpur and contacted the Japanese governor of Selangor with regard the surrender. The Japanese officer in Kuala Lumpur, where some 6,000 Japanese troops were garrisoned, left some troops in Serendah to help keep the peace, but they insisted on waiting for the British Army to arrive before any formal surrender occur. ON 31 August, Davis and Broadhurst moved into Kuala Lumpur to prevent further incidents. They established themselves in a Chinese house overlooking the race track where the guerrillas were encamped; they were thus able to keep watch over both the former enemy and the MPAJA allies. Ugly situations developed: the guerrillas were hard to disband, and the Japanese refused to recognize the British connection with the guerrillas. Instructions had come from headquarters not to jeopardize the lives of prisoners by any kind of confrontation with the Japanese. Some 1,300 internees were located by the teams in a camp near Kachau in Selangor; wireless contact was immediately made with headquarters advising the number and location of this group. Since nothing further could be done in Kuala Lumpur, Davis and Broadhurst set out for Morib Beach for Operation Zipper. At the time the British Army invaded on the 9 September, the guerillas were being used to prevent looting and lynchings and their health was improving with food supplies, transport, and quarters provided by the Japanese. Although General MacArthur had accepted the Japanese surrender on the 2 September in Tokyo Bay, British troops did not reach Kuala Lumpur until 13 September, the day following Mountbatten`s acceptance of the Japanese surrender of all troops in SEAC theatre at Singapore. By the end of September the British military authority and Force 136 teams were disbanding and disarming the guerrillas. Bing Lee coded messages to Ceylon concerning the situation in Selangor. including information on the POW camps they had found. Both he and Ted Wong helped supervise Japanese work parties and with the help of guerrillas maintained the peace between the Chinese and Malayas. Assistance was also given to Australian Prisoners of War. At Serendah, the Japanese allowed the team to use the local police station and the hospital. WILLY CHONG - FORCE 136
