Volunteers also gave up life for the country

I WAS greatly encouraged by Wong Chun Wai’s article “For the love of country” ( Sunday Star, Jan 21) in which he gave a comprehensive overview of the part played by non-Malays in defending Malaya during the First Emergency 1948–1960 and the Second Emergency of the 1970s–1980s. Wong is one of several Malaysians who have written to correct the erroneous opinion of Ustaz Ismail Mina Ahmad.

However, as far as I am aware, no mention has been made so far of the role played by volunteers during the Japanese invasion. The Malayan Volunteers, as they were known, were territorial soldiers from all races and backgrounds.

Volunteer battalions had been in existence since the late 19th century but in the 1930s, their units and members greatly increased. The Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces (FMSVF) comprised four battalions, one for each of the Federated States, the Straits Settlement Volunteer Force (SSVF) comprising two battalions for Singapore (at that time part of Malaya), and one each for Penang and Melaka, and there were volunteer forces in Johor (Johor Volunteer Engineers), Kedah and Kelantan.

In addition, there were the Navy Volunteer Reserve, Volunteer Air Force, Armoured Car Companies and a number of other specialised units.

When the invasion began, these men did not operate with their volunteer units but were assigned to regular British and Indian regiments. Many were killed or wounded in action. Though some volunteers became prisoners of war (POW) in Singapore, others managed to make their way, largely on foot, back to their kampung and towns.

As the retreat drew closer to Singapore, British officers gave the local-born the option to discard their weapons and uniforms and return to their families. Those who survived endeavoured to keep their military involvement secret from the occupying force, and so their brave service is largely forgotten or unknown.

Melaka’s B Company 4/SSVF was purely Chinese and included Captain Cho Seow Lim who was killed in action in Singapore on Feb 13, 1942. Company quartermaster sergeant Tan Kim Tee was executed in Singapore on Feb 28, 1942 together with 88 other Chinese and Malay volunteers.

George Hess’e of the FMSVF Light Battery and Robert Devadason Sapper of 1/FMSVF, both of Ceylonese extraction, sur- vived the war after hazardous journeys to their respective homes. George travelled from Singapore to Selangor and Robert from Kuala Lipis to Gombak.

Many Malays were volunteers, including Private Md Yusuf Harun of A Company 4/SSVF who made his way from Singapore back to Melaka on foot. One of the European Volunteers was (Tan Sri) Mubin Sheppard, captain of 1FMSVF. He was a POW in Changi.

Malaysia has plenty of heroes from all communities who have bravely defended the country but their exploits, in particular those of the volunteers mentioned here, are largely unknown. A revision of the school history syllabus is sorely needed to give the young a balanced account.