A Special Trip to Pompong Island February 14th 2009

Cprl Stanley Pyke was killed off Pompong Island (believed drowned during the bombing) after evacuating Singapore with fellow RAF radar personnel aboard the Tien Kwang. On the 67th anniversary of the sinking of the Kuala and the Tien Kwang I had the privilege to be part of a group that traveled to Pompong island with his son Stan Pyke in honour of the father that he never met. In fact Stan was born in Scotland after his father had been posted to Singapore and was approximately six months old when his father was killed during the evacuation. It was an emotional but exhilarating trip for Stan and in fact for all of us in the group that joined him on his first trip to Pompong Island. This is an edited version of Stan's recollections of the trip we made on the 67th anniversary:-

As is now well known, due to many cock-ups, lack of equipment etc our forces had been pushed back down Malaya and eventually onto Singapore Island. By the end of Thursday 12th Feb 1942 all the army and RAF radar units had been withdrawn from the East of Singapore Island. On the afternoon of Friday the 13th February (black Friday!!) the AOC ordered all remaining radar equipment to be destroyed and all radar tradesmen to embark in small ships. The first group of 283 personnel, including 17 from the hospital, made their way in groups to Keppel docks and embarked, under continual bombing, onto one of two ships. These were the HMS Kuala and the SS Tien Kwang both of which had been commandeered by the navy during the war. I know that approx 250 radar personnel and their equipment went onto the SS Tien Kwang and that my father was one of them.

The KUALA and the Tien Kwang sailed from Singapore on Friday the 13th February 1942. The HMS Kuala under the command of Lieutenant Caithness had approximately 500 to 600 evacuees on board, mainly nurses but also Public Works Department personnel and various other civilians. The SS Tien Kwang was commanded by Lieutenant W Briggs, RNR and had mainly RAF radar and army personnel with a few civilians on board. They left Singapore at approx 18.15hrs on route to Batavia (now Jakarta), Java via the straits of Rhio, Barbala and Banka. At 05.45hrs on the 14th they anchored off Pompong Island which is approx 70 miles south of Singapore. The Kuala was in front approx 300 yards from the shore with Tien Kwang about the same distance astern and slightly closer to the island. Boats were sent ashore to collect branches in an attempt to camouflage the ships.

At approx 11.00hrs Japanese aircraft were seen bombing the Kung Wo which was about 3 miles behind the Tien Kwang. It was still afloat after being bombed and abandoned the previous night but this time it was sunk. The planes then spotted the two ships off Pompong Island, circled round and attacked the Kuala scoring a direct hit then turned and bombed the Tien Kwang. Many were killed and injured in the bombing and many drowned, trying to get to the island, or were washed away by the strong currents. My father was believed to have drowned even though he was a strong swimmer.

We all got through passport control and aboard the ferry on on our way. This it when it really sunk in that we were definitely going to Pompong Island. Up till them it was like walking in a dream, can it really be happening - now it was!

The day arrived, Saturday the 14th February, and what a difference from that day 67 years ago. Everything was peaceful and quiet (except for the calling of muslims to prayer). We got up and had a leisurely breakfast then got our things packed and met up in the hotel foyer. We left Tangong Pinang behind and headed out into the open seas. The sea was as calm as I have ever seen it, hardly a wave to be seen. The only problem we faced that day was the rubbish floating about in the bay, there were some fairly large pieces of wood etc amongst them. But soon after leaving the bay the sea was clear of debris and we made steady progress.

After almost two hours there it was in the distance - Pompong Island. We were almost there. What would I do, how would I feel after all this time, all this not knowing. All the unknown pent up emotion. The father I never knew was killed here exactly 67 years ago, a place that never existed in reality, a place I had always thought I would never see. We got closer and closer and then as we approached we circled the island to get a better idea of what it was like. Finally we came round the South tip and there was the beach I had read about in so many reports. The beach where so many injured people had sought refuge all these years ago. The beach my father never reached.

We headed towards the beach and ran the bow into the sand. At this point I was about to go ashore when Major Tan put a hand on my shoulder to stop me. I turned to see that in his other hand he had the pole he had been carrying around. As he handed the pole to me I saw there was a Union Jack tied on it. I was to plant the flag on the beach as is customary when you take over a beach during an invasion. And we were taking over the beach again as they did a long time ago. So we went ashore and I planted the flag in the sand. It was a great feeling to be there, on that beach, I felt the emotion, I felt the tears well up. I had managed to come here and put my father's soul to rest after all these years. I felt it for my mother too as she had known and been told so little over these long years. I felt it for his brother Tony and sister Brenda who also knew so little about his death.

The flag was flying on Pompong beach and I placed a memorial notice, I had made to leave on the island, at the foot of the flagpole for the moment.

We all gathered round and Ismi took photos of it and of us beside it with our own cameras. It was a very emotional time and I was glad to have so many good people to share it with. So many new friends who I will never forget.

Once we had taken the photos it was about the time that the bombing had started back then. So Maggie and I went for a swim in the sea. We must have been within a few hundred yards in the same stretch of water where my father drowned at about the same time 67 years earlier. That was such a wonderful feeling, emotional, not so much sad but more exhilarating. Just to be so close to where he had died and to be able to put his spirit to rest after all this time. My dad would know I had come to see him, to give him the send off he deserved. I felt very relieved, almost happy. Yes I was happy.

Maggie and I then went for a walk along the beach and noticed the unusual colour and texture of the rocks. I have seen rocks of a similar colour at St Cyrus but not the same texture. I thought it strange that nobody had mentioned it in any of the stories about Pompong, but them they had more important things on their mind - survival. We explored the trees near the beach and eventually found a suitable tree to put the memorial poster onto. I doubt if there will be anyone, except the local fishers, around to find it but you never know. Anyway if someone does find it they will know he died there and that he will always be remembered.

In the survival stories there were many reports of strong currents just off the shore and many strong swimmers and people on rafts being carried away from the island. While we were there David and Anders went snorkeling to see if they could see the wreck of the Kuala. The shore there has a gentle slope for a bit then there is a steep fall to about 30 meters. While swimming they were ok till they got to the edge of the shelf, when all of a sudden they were being pulled away by the current. Fortunately they are both good swimmers and were on the edge of the current but it still took them a long way before they managed to get back in shore. That just backs up the old stories from back then and they were lucky both of them were ok.

David had taken a metal detector along with him so he went off to see if he could find anything that had been left there. There could have been belt buckles, cap badges, buttons or any other objects lost in the mayhem. Unfortunately he drew a blank on that but had a good look round part of the island. I remember seeing Ollie having a look around the rocks just south or where we landed. We all had a good browse about, interested to see where these poor survivors had marooned. An island with virtually no water and no food to help survival. A very hostile place back then never knowing if the Japs would return or if they would be rescued. After all who would know they were even there?

The boat crew took advantage of their break to collect small cockles which they took home in jars. They also did a bit fishing with lines they threw into the water and Ismi joined in with this also. A few years ago there was an attempt to salvage some parts from the Kuala which isn't too far of shore in about 30 meters of water. There is a wooden framework left that they used to pull the parts onto shore. I have not heard of any attempt to locate the Tien Kwang.

Well all too soon it was time to load up the boat and return to Tanjong Pinang. The return trip was uneventful and KC got us back ok and in good time. We went straight onto the ferry to Singapore and were back late evening, exhausted after a very eventful day - one I will never forget. One very nice thing happened on the way on the ferry. Everyone had signed the chart that KC used to navigate to Pompong and back and this plus the Union Jack were presented to me as a memento of the trip we all made to Pompong Island. I will treasure them as long as I live. I thought it was a lovely thing and typical of Major Tan, he thinks of everything.

On the Monday as a thank you to all who came on the trip I took them all out for a meal . There are some wonderful people in this world and I have been luckily enough to have met probably more than my fair share.

What a wonderful trip - never to be forgotten.

Research regarding the Singapore evacuation ships of 1942

I have lived in Singapore for the past 14+ years and hold a fascination with Singapore military history and in particular the events related to the fall of Singapore to the Japanese in February 1942.

I am looking to one day publish a book on the topic and my research and focused area of interest is focused around military and civilian evacuation records and I am looking to document stories and recover as many images as possible associated with these records. Should you be able to add any background, share any stories or verify any of the information contained in this website please do not hesitate to contact me at davidahope@gmail.com

I have set up this blog site to serve several purposes. Firstly to assist my research by listing out some specific topics I am following up on but to also use it as a medium concerning my search for information and hopefully as a tool to assist with collaboration and fact finding and verification as there are many inaccurate records with this history due to the incomplete records, haste and confusion that existed in the last days of the Singapore evacuation. Although this is the primary purpose of my research I have also included on my website other stories of interest related to the period and to the general topic about the fall of Singapore as it is such a facinating topic with so history and stories within stories that deserve to be recorded and shared.

I am consolidating stories regarding the specific ships and stories related to the evacuation and specifically the names of the ships and vessels I am researching from a specific Singapore Harbour Board evacuation record of interest which includes:-

BAGAN - Harbour Board ferry Steamer
LABURNUM (refer below on this site)
MATA HARI (refer below on this site)
KUALA (refer below on this site)
TENGARROH
CHARON
M.L 130
SHU KURAIG
KUNG WOH
SHU KWANG
HMS DANAE
HMS KEDAH (refer below on this site)
KPM Steamer HOON HOOA
WU CHANG
Mata Hari (refer below on this site)
CITY of MANCHESTER
ZAANDAM
MALACCA
TANJONG PINANG
VYNER BROOKE (refer below on this site)

As information has come to light or if verification has been provided I have updated the details on this site. In advance I thank everyone who has been assisting me in one way or another with this research.

Original footage of the fall of Malaya 1942

Images of former military base in Penang

The island of Penang off Malaysia's west coast remains a controversial chapter in the history of the the fall of Malaya. Primarily as the decision was made to evacuate the island during the battle of Malaya and the evacuation support was primarily supporting the caucasion population leaving the local population feeling isolated and abandoned by the people that that that had been committed too and dependant on for so long.

Located South East of Penang Island is a former British integrated fortress constructed on 20 acress of land in the 1930s on what is now called Bukit Batu Maung. The fort is now a museum and efforts are underway to preserve the underground military tunnels,intelligence and logistics bunkers, halls offices, pill boxes, artilary and anti aircraft firing bays and ammunition storage bunkers. I understand that the fort was abandoned during the Penang evacuation and although there are signs of bomb damage I believe the fort was never used for its primary purpose which was to defend Penang! I have attached some images taken on my recent visit to the fort.

Remnants of battlefields in Singapore

There are several key battle sites in Singapore that have been well documented in the many books published on the fall of Singapore. Occasionally remnants of war are uncovered in Singapore including an unexploded bomb found during building excavations on Sentosa island in 2007 that was widely reported in the local press. On a recent search in the Adam Road area which was the scene of one of the key battles that took place close to the former combined military headquarters at Sime road I found a number of artifacts related to the battle including several .308 shell casings and bullet heads. Thanks to Mike Ford who identified the shell casing as being made by the Dominion Cartridge Company of Canada in 1940. The headstamp shows it is “DC 40 303 VIIZ”.

Known location of evacuation ships that were sunk

Approximate location of some of the ships that were sunk during the evacuation are shown below:-

The Vyner Brooke

This is a photo of a model of the Vyner Brooke taken by Dr. Neil McGregor.

Singapore Harbour Board Flag

On the 15th February 1942 as Singapore was falling to the Japanese this Australian flag, which flew at the offices of the Singapore Harbour Board (SHB), was taken down during the evacuation by Jack Finlay Stein, an Australian employed by SHB. Before the surrender Stein and 82 other Board members left the port in a vehicular ferry (which exact vessel he was on is being researched) and made their escape south to Jupes then on foot to Batavia. Fortuitously a British B.I. boat the “Modasa” put into Batavia for repairs and collected the escapees and transported them to Bombay via Colombo for on forwarding and eventual repatriation. The original flag is now framed and hangs proudly at one of Jack Stein’s decendent’s homes in Western Australia.

Sinking of HMAS Yarra March 4th 1942

The sloop HMAS Yarra was launched at the Cockatoo Dockyard, Sydney, on 28 March 1935 and commissioned on 21 January 1936. Displacing 1,080 tons, she was 81.1 metres long with a beam of 11 metres. She was armed with three 4-inch anti aircraft guns, four 3-pounder guns, a quadruple .5-inch anti aircraft machine-gun, and depth charges. She had a speed of 16.5 knots and a complement of 151.

Yarra's initial war service was in Australian waters, on patrol and escort duties. She was commanded by Lieutenant Commander W. H. Harrington, RAN, who was eventually to become Vice Admiral Sir Hastings Harrington, CBE, DSO, RAN, Chief of Naval Staff, 1962-65. In August 1940 she left for the Middle East where she was used on patrol and escort duties. In April 1941 she escorted a convoy from Bombay to the Persian Gulf where she took part in campaigns against Iraq and Iran. This was followed by service in the Mediterranean in November-December 1941.

With the outbreak of war with Japan, Yarra left the Mediterranean for Javanese waters, arriving in January 1942. She carried out escort and patrol duties and on 5 February performed a particularly fine piece of rescue work when she took 1800 survivors off the burning troopship Empress of Asia. On 11 February Harrington was relieved by Lieutenant Commander R. W. Rankin, RAN.

On 27 February orders were given to clear all remaining British auxiliary craft from Batavia (now Jakarta). About midnight Yarra and the Indian sloop HMIS Jumna sailed escorting a convoy to Tjilatjap. Arriving off Tjilatjap at 11 am on 2 March, the ships were warned not to enter harbour. The Yarra was ordered to take the convoy, which consisted of the depot ship Anking, the tanker Francol and the motor minesweeper MMS 51, to Fremantle while the Jumna sailed for Colombo. No time was to be lost, as powerful Japanese forces were known to be operating in the waters south of Java.

Steaming steadily south east at an average speed of 8.5 knots, the Yarra and her convoy made steady progress during the night of 2-3 March. Except for a faintly discerned shadowing aircraft sighted in the evening, there was no sign of the enemy. On the morning of the third two lifeboats were sighted. From these, Yarra picked up a number of exhausted survivors of the Dutch merchant ship Parigi, sunk by the Japanese two days earlier.

At 6.30 am on 4 March, as the sun rose the lookout in Yarra sighted the unmistakable topmasts of a Japanese heavy cruiser squadron to the north-east. The squadron consisted of Atago, Takao and Maya, each armed with ten 8-inch guns, and two destroyers. Immediately Lieutenant Commander Rankin made a sighting report, ordered the ships of convoy to scatter and, placing his ship between them and the enemy, laid smoke and prepared to engage. Yarra was outgunned and out-ranged, and the enemy ships were faster. Against such odds her task was hopeless, yet she kept fighting even as her convoy was overwhelmed and sunk, ship by ship.

Anking, which was carrying many RAN personnel was sunk first. Overwhelmed by many hits she was despatched in ten minutes. By then Yarra was on fire and listing heavily to port but still shooting. MMS 51 was on fire and was put down shortly after by a hail of close range automatic gunfire from one of the cruisers. The Francol took more punishment and still remained afloat, finally succumbing at about 7.30. Yarra, shattered by numerous hits, was the last to go. Soon after 8.00 am, Rankin ordered that the ship be abandoned. Minutes later he was killed when an 8-inch salvo hit the bridge. Leading Seaman R. Taylor, manning the last remaining gun, kept on firing until he too was killed, and the Yarra's guns fell silent. Her end, which came after close-range shelling by the two Japanese destroyers, was witnessed by 34 survivors on two rafts. All, except the Dutch captain of Parigi, were naval ratings.

When Yarra sank, the Japanese made off to the north-east after picking up one boatload of survivors from Francol. A collection of boats, rafts and floats was left scattered over a wide area of sea. Towards evening, a passing Dutch vessel, Tawali, rescued 57 officers and men from Anking. However, in spite of frantic signals, she failed to sight two Carley floats, which held 14 men from MMS 51. For the next two and a half days they drifted about until picked up by the Dutch steamer Tjimanjoek on 7 March. Meanwhile Yarra's men, their numbers sadly reduced by wounds, exposure, and thirst, continued to drift helplessly. On 9 March 13 of the sloop's ratings were picked up by the Dutch submarine KlL. Of the complement of 151, 138 (including the captain and all officers) were killed in the action or died subsequently on the raft.

Singapore Harbour Tug St Breock