Japanese Occupation of Southeast Asia - Many Indian Dead
The Japanese occupation of Southeast Asia during World War II is regarded as one of the darkest periods in the region's history; some of the worst atrocities against soldiers and civilians were committed by the Japanese in Burma, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaya, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore - as well as India's Andaman Islands.
First Major Battle of the Pacific War
Malaya’s flourishing economy and strategic location made it an important target. In December 1941 - before the attack on Pearl Harbor - Japan bombed Singapore and the beaches of Kota Bharu in Kelantan (northeast coast of Malaya). Serving as the base of the Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force, Kota Bharu was the first major battle of the Pacific War and was fought between ground forces of the British Indian Army (including the 17th Dogra Regiment) and the Empire of Japan.
The Japanese took over Malaya with little opposition. Commonwealth troops - inadequately trained in jungle warfare and lacking ammunition - were expecting an invasion by sea (not by land), and fell easily. Malaya and Singapore were occupied by the Japanese until the war ended and British and Allied forces returned.
Fall of Singapore
The Fall of Singapore - Britain's major military base in Southeast Asia - was the worst disaster and largest surrender in British military history. About 80,000 British, Indian and Australian troops became prisoners of war (POWs) joining 50,000 taken from the earlier Malay Campaign.
According to an exhibit at Singapore's Changi War Museum, the British had so greatly underestimated the Japanese that - even though the invading army was only a few hours away - the dancing and merriment continued at the Raffles Club!
More than 60,000 Indian Dead
Indian troops were the largest national force in the Allied army defending Singapore and Malaya. Most were deployed in Northern Malaya. They faced not only the initial Japanese onslaught but were also heavily engaged in all the main battles in the peninsula.
Having been trained for North African desert warfare, Indian units were unprepared for guerrilla war in the Malay jungles. They had no armoured support and insufficient anti-tank weapons and training; as a result, Indian infantry units were decimated.
Raw recruits and inexperienced officers were sent to the front resulting in Indians accounting for more than 60 percent of total Allied casualties suffered. Most official accounts agree on 60,000 plus Indian dead.
Indian National Army
After the Allied surrender in February 1942, Indian prisoners were sent to the Selentar Camp in Singapore. There and at the Changi Camp, they came under intense pressure to join the Indian National Army (INA) or Azad Hind Fauj led by Subhash Chandra Bose. Many did join the INA; others refused and were executed by the Japanese.
Formed by Indian nationalists in Southeast Asia in 1942, the INA's aim was to secure India's independence with Japanese help. Initially composed of Indian POWs captured by Japan in the Malay campaign and at Singapore, the INA later drew volunteers from Tamil expatriates in Malaya and Burma.
More than 40,000 Indian POWs refused to join the INA. They suffered the same hardships as Allied troops and were even sent by the Japanese to build airfields in the South Pacific; few returned.
After the Japanese surrender, the 5th India Division was the first Allied force that returned to liberate Singapore in September 1945.
Kranji Memorial - Many Walls of Indian Dead
The Kranji War Memorial is laid out on a sloping green hill with a view of the Straits of Johor to the north and the hills of Singapore to the south. The main avenue of the cemetery rises from the Stone of Remembrance near the entrance to the Cross of Sacrifice, beyond which are steps leading to a hill top terrace.
A stone sculpture called the Singapore Memorial Wall rises from the top of the slope. An enormous slab roof is supported by 12 walls on which the names of 24,000 servicemen are inscribed; they have no known graves and no date of death, but were reported missing or captured in the Malay and Indonesia campaigns. The wall also lists the names of those who died during the construction of the Burma-Siam Death Railway and those who were lost at sea while being transported to other POW camps.
The names of Indian dead occupy more walls at Kranji than any other country. The regimental names evoke the Colonial era and include the Frontier Force Rifles, Dogra and Punjab Regiments, Jat Light Infantry, Hyderabad Infantry, the Indian Army Medical Corps, Royal Indian Army Service Corps, Indian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, and others representing Kapurthala, Rajputana, Sikh, Garhwal and so on.
On the terrace behind the Memorial Wall is the Cremation Memorial which commemorates 789 soldiers of the Indian Army who were cremated according to Hindu rites; they were predominantly Tamils, Sikhs and Rajputs.
Changi Museum and Chapel
At Changi Museum, visitors can see photos and paintings of the city under occupation while former prisoners recount stories of torture, murder and starvation in the notorious Changi Prison. There is a full-size replica of the Changi Chapel which was first constructed by prisoners in 1942.
The highlight of the chapel is a series of wall paintings called the Changi Murals, recreated from the originals painted by Bombardier Stanley Warren. Another mural near the entrance, titled Two Malarias with a Cholera, portrays the experience of the artist Ray Parkin during his time on the Death Railway.
By documenting significant events of the Japanese Occupation, the museum serves as an important educational resource and pilgrimage site for POW families.
The Changi Museum has coats of arms and plaques for British and Australian regiments that lost men but - sadly - not a single Indian regiment is represented.
Ludi.
Singapore, August 26, 2014
Text and Photos from my iPad
Kranji War Memorial
The Japanese occupation of Southeast Asia during World War II is regarded as one of the darkest periods in the region's history; some of the worst atrocities against soldiers and civilians were committed by the Japanese in Burma, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaya, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore - as well as India's Andaman Islands.
First Major Battle of the Pacific War
Malaya’s flourishing economy and strategic location made it an important target. In December 1941 - before the attack on Pearl Harbor - Japan bombed Singapore and the beaches of Kota Bharu in Kelantan (northeast coast of Malaya). Serving as the base of the Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force, Kota Bharu was the first major battle of the Pacific War and was fought between ground forces of the British Indian Army (including the 17th Dogra Regiment) and the Empire of Japan.
The Japanese took over Malaya with little opposition. Commonwealth troops - inadequately trained in jungle warfare and lacking ammunition - were expecting an invasion by sea (not by land), and fell easily. Malaya and Singapore were occupied by the Japanese until the war ended and British and Allied forces returned.
Fall of Singapore
The Fall of Singapore - Britain's major military base in Southeast Asia - was the worst disaster and largest surrender in British military history. About 80,000 British, Indian and Australian troops became prisoners of war (POWs) joining 50,000 taken from the earlier Malay Campaign.
According to an exhibit at Singapore's Changi War Museum, the British had so greatly underestimated the Japanese that - even though the invading army was only a few hours away - the dancing and merriment continued at the Raffles Club!
More than 60,000 Indian Dead
Indian troops were the largest national force in the Allied army defending Singapore and Malaya. Most were deployed in Northern Malaya. They faced not only the initial Japanese onslaught but were also heavily engaged in all the main battles in the peninsula.
Having been trained for North African desert warfare, Indian units were unprepared for guerrilla war in the Malay jungles. They had no armoured support and insufficient anti-tank weapons and training; as a result, Indian infantry units were decimated.
Raw recruits and inexperienced officers were sent to the front resulting in Indians accounting for more than 60 percent of total Allied casualties suffered. Most official accounts agree on 60,000 plus Indian dead.
Indian National Army
After the Allied surrender in February 1942, Indian prisoners were sent to the Selentar Camp in Singapore. There and at the Changi Camp, they came under intense pressure to join the Indian National Army (INA) or Azad Hind Fauj led by Subhash Chandra Bose. Many did join the INA; others refused and were executed by the Japanese.
Formed by Indian nationalists in Southeast Asia in 1942, the INA's aim was to secure India's independence with Japanese help. Initially composed of Indian POWs captured by Japan in the Malay campaign and at Singapore, the INA later drew volunteers from Tamil expatriates in Malaya and Burma.
More than 40,000 Indian POWs refused to join the INA. They suffered the same hardships as Allied troops and were even sent by the Japanese to build airfields in the South Pacific; few returned.
After the Japanese surrender, the 5th India Division was the first Allied force that returned to liberate Singapore in September 1945.
Kranji Memorial - Many Walls of Indian Dead
The Kranji War Memorial is laid out on a sloping green hill with a view of the Straits of Johor to the north and the hills of Singapore to the south. The main avenue of the cemetery rises from the Stone of Remembrance near the entrance to the Cross of Sacrifice, beyond which are steps leading to a hill top terrace.
A stone sculpture called the Singapore Memorial Wall rises from the top of the slope. An enormous slab roof is supported by 12 walls on which the names of 24,000 servicemen are inscribed; they have no known graves and no date of death, but were reported missing or captured in the Malay and Indonesia campaigns. The wall also lists the names of those who died during the construction of the Burma-Siam Death Railway and those who were lost at sea while being transported to other POW camps.
The names of Indian dead occupy more walls at Kranji than any other country. The regimental names evoke the Colonial era and include the Frontier Force Rifles, Dogra and Punjab Regiments, Jat Light Infantry, Hyderabad Infantry, the Indian Army Medical Corps, Royal Indian Army Service Corps, Indian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, and others representing Kapurthala, Rajputana, Sikh, Garhwal and so on.
On the terrace behind the Memorial Wall is the Cremation Memorial which commemorates 789 soldiers of the Indian Army who were cremated according to Hindu rites; they were predominantly Tamils, Sikhs and Rajputs.
Changi Museum and Chapel
At Changi Museum, visitors can see photos and paintings of the city under occupation while former prisoners recount stories of torture, murder and starvation in the notorious Changi Prison. There is a full-size replica of the Changi Chapel which was first constructed by prisoners in 1942.
The highlight of the chapel is a series of wall paintings called the Changi Murals, recreated from the originals painted by Bombardier Stanley Warren. Another mural near the entrance, titled Two Malarias with a Cholera, portrays the experience of the artist Ray Parkin during his time on the Death Railway.
By documenting significant events of the Japanese Occupation, the museum serves as an important educational resource and pilgrimage site for POW families.
The Changi Museum has coats of arms and plaques for British and Australian regiments that lost men but - sadly - not a single Indian regiment is represented.
Ludi.
Singapore, August 26, 2014
Text and Photos from my iPad
Kranji War Memorial
No comments:
Post a Comment