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My Memories
of Leaving Singapore
by Catherine Butcher - COFEPOW member
I was 9 when I left Singapore. It seems amazing that I remember everything about those last days, probably because we were so frightened. My father was in the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders and we had lived in Singapore for two and a half years with the regiment, having been transferred from India. We lived in Tanglin in a very nice married quarter next to, or near the head teacher Mr. Geary. The first I knew about the war was when we were told the Japanese were coming through the jungle on bicycles and a local gardener had been found with his throat cut. Then one night my mother woke me up and we went on to the veranda. There was a tremendous sound of aeroplanes with twinkling lights flying overhead. After a few minutes we heard the sound of bombs being dropped. Everything seemed to move swiftly after that. The bombing increased to such an extent that it was not possible to go to school anymore. Coolies were in the process of building air raid shelters but they were unfinished. Our only protection was the billiard table under which my mother, amah and myself would shelter. Amah would put a mattress on top of me and lie on top of that. We had a very near miss one day: we heard the whistle of bombs and I distinctly remember calling out "goodbye mummy, see you in heaven!" My father at this time was in the front line with the regiment. We met a lady with a little boy whose house had been bombed and she came to live with us. I don't remember her name. My father was seriously ill with a severe attack of malaria and was transferred from the front line (he was with the Argylls with Colonel Stewart), and sent to Queen Alexandra Hospital. I visited him there with my mother and handed out cigarettes to wounded soldiers. ( I wonder how many of them survived the massacre there?), but my father discharged himself to get us on board ship.
My father said he would ensure we would be evacuated. A few days/weeks(??) later we left hurriedly as we were told a ship would be leaving for Australia. I do not remember the name or date of sailing. We left the house unlocked, packed a small wooden box with items of clothing (my mother panicked and packed garden party frocks, hats, evening dresses - none of which were ever used again!). We had no time to say goodbye to anyone. Most people with large families had been evacuated by then anyway. I was an only child and we were one of the last to leave. We left early in the morning and lost all our belongings, only taking with us dance dresses, (as I said), and a stork made out of buffalo horn from India and a couple of embroidered pillow cases. We never returned
We were told we were on the last ship. We arrived at the Docks very early in the morning but were unable to leave until about 2.0 pm because of the heavy bombing. The Japs bombed the ship in front and behind. Every time they flew over dropping bombs we would all go below,. My father, however, stayed put on the dockside waiting for us to leave. He was very weak but remained standing all the time we were on the deck. An ice-cream man on his cycle stopped, and my father bought all the choc ices (Eskimo pies we called them), and threw them up on to the deck. Because he was so weak many fell into the water, but we children were so excited and swooped on them when he did manage to throw them accurately. At last we sailed and I waved and waved to him until he became a dot on the horizon. I never saw him again for three and a half years.
We had a precarious voyage, sleeping on the tables and floor in the sailors' canteen, passing the Dutch East Indies with oil refineries on fire. I believe we were hit - a passing shot by a torpedo. The ship moved swiftly and we arrived safely at Freemantle, Perth. I would like to know the name of the ship and whether anyone else remembers catching ice creams on that extremely hot day.
After reaching Freemantle we went to so many lodging houses (staying
with families, living in one room), I lost count. I remember my mother
working and collapsing with a perforated duodenal ulcer. I went to so
many schools that in the end I used to enrol myself, just saying "I'm
Catherine Munnoch and I've come to join". Looking back to those days
I realise how independent I became, travelling all over Perth to go to
school. Not having brothers or sisters meant I was quite lonely at times.
However, moving about such a lot didn't seem to have done me much harm,
except at the time I used to have terrible nightmares and walked in my
sleep.
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