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| Remembering the Battle of <b>Parit Sulong</b> 1942 - From Gua Musang to <b>...</b> Posted: 14 Feb 2012 07:27 AM PST 14th February 2012 - Ever since I was a little boy, I was always intrigued by the World War 2 in Malaya stories and some of the personnel accounts told to me by my grandfather and his generations that lived through the war. As such, most of the book that I borrowed at the school library since my elementary days will always be about the World War 2 fought here in Malaysia. The best one I read so far was by John Fleming entitled Twilight in Malaya. Reading it give me the thrilling experience as I was one of the defending personnel against the Japanese agression through the Malayan campaign. 2. I always have my own reservation about the Malayan campaign. Through my reading and life long research, I can conclude that the Fall of Singapore on the 15th February 1942 was the biggest ever blunder made by the British military commanders. It's effect were massive, the British colonial power not only lost their grip and power in Malaya but also the respect of the Malayan people mostly the loyal Malays afterwards which was translated into an independence in 1957. 3. I was given a rare opportunity by my good friend Suhana today to accompany her for an official ceremony held at the Parit Sulong riverside in remembering the tragic lost of the Australian 8th Division personnel that was killed during the Parit Sulong massacre and the Battle of Muar. It has always been my childhood dream to meet these war heroes as I always think that the Allied soldiers became POWs due to the British military commanders faux pas in terms of tactics and military decisions. Had they held their ground and put up a good fight in the Battle of Muar instead of retreating and surrendering down south, it would be a much better outcome rather then died unnecessarily, gunned down without mercy during their short captives by Japanese Imperial army near the Public Works Department (PWD) barracks beside the Parit Sulong river. 4. The Battle of Muar and Parit Sulong will always be remembered as the the battle where the Australian army and the 45th Indian Brigade put up a good fight against the Japanese Imperial force. The defending forces actually did inflicted a heavy casualties against the invading Japanese starting at their first encounter in Gemas and later throughout the Battle of Johore. Under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Anderson they held their ground stemming the Japanese advanced so much so that the battle fought was so fierce and many of the Aussies personnel were wounded and killed. In the aftermath of the Battle of Muar, the Australian commanders decided to surrender themselves to the invading enemy with the thought that they will be given a humanely care. They were put under Capt Rewi Snelling as the commander in charge to negotiate medical treatment with the Japanese but instead they were rounded up at the PWD barracks, brutally beaten, machine gunned and later lit up fire mercilessly by the Japanese nearby the Parit Sulong river. 5. It was a gruesome massacre but one of the victims, Lt Ben Hackney survived the massacre and the war managed to tell his stories to the Allied war crimes investigator. Of the estimated 150 wounded prisoner who were captured by the Japanese, only three survived, one died couples of days later in the Battle of Singapore and two survived the war. 6. I have the highest respect for the Australian 8th Division and Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders from the British force that fought the war in Malaya. Through my reading, the battle that gave some heavy resistance towards the advancing Japanese would involved the Australian 8th Division in Johore and the able unit of Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders throughout the Malayan campaign. They were the real fighting man of the defending Allied forces in Malaya. The book entitled Moon Over Malaya by Jonathan Mofatt and Audrey Holmes McCormick offers vivid details of the personnel accounts and dramatic moments of the Argylls and Sutherland Highlanders unit throughout their Malayan campaign against the Japanese invasion and highly recommended by me. 7. Today I have the honor of meeting some of these war heroes. It was truly was an honorable experienced, instead of reading about them in books since my childhood times, now I have an exclusive opportunity to shake these men hands. I have the highest respect to them, fighting in another country thousand of miles away from their home, just show the true brevity and spirits of these legendary warriors. 8. I also managed to snap some pictures to share with my fellow viewers and it is very sad to note that Malaysian are very poor in treasuring its own rich history. You can see by the photos that I post, the PWD barracks that was once witnessed as the place where the wounded Aussies were held prisoners and later killed are in a poor and dilapidated shape. It should have been conserve and recognized as one of the country's historical site. I realized that we still have a long way to go in our "history department". We need to do a lot of work to inculcate our young-lings on the importance of appreciating history and its teachings. I wonder maybe due to this poor stressing in the history department and our failure to stress the importance of analyzing history, might be the reason why when came jokers claimed that the Communist Terrorist were the true independence fighters, some of our people actually believed in it. It was very unfortunate and a sheer ignorance on our part, merely sees history as a past affair. 9. I also managed to get the autograpghs of all the Australian war heroes that were celebrated today. I will definitely show it to my children and grandchildren one fine evening telling them stories of the heroic soldiers that fought well during the Battle of Malaya. Deep down my feelings I know my children and grandchildren will appreciate history and it's teachings as I am today. God bless these heroes and lest we forget! | ||||
| BLOG JOHOR: 01 <b>di parit sulong</b> - Google Blog Search Posted: 15 Jan 2012 07:11 AM PST URL Sumber Asal :-
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