Page 27 - Stories from our Grandparents

ritten here, is a his story is from my grand Mr Ahmad Yusoff Bin
recount of the uncle. It was a story told by Mahmood BORN 1948
experiences faced his parents when he was
Wby my mother’s Tstill young. His mother’s By Izyan Diyana Bte Md Somir Ali
Mr Ambrose s/o Rayappan
uncle, Mr Ambrose, during the family had a tough time during Millennia Institute
BORN 1941 Japanese occupation, which the Japanese Occupation. During
By Mary Francesca L. Mike
Millennia Institute lasted from 1942-1945. Mr Ambrose the war, there was inflation.
was only 12 years old when the
Japanese invaded Singapore. His father’s low wages did not help them. Their family survived on
tapioca almost every day. This is one of the reasons why my grand
He described how his family greatly feared the Kempeitai, also known as uncle was raised with the practice of not wasting food. Every single
the Japanese military, not knowing how to react to them, as they were grain of rice was precious to his mother. His mother told him that she
completely different from them. He also recalled frequently seeing Japanese can’t stand looking at people wasting food easily.
military planes flying about in the sky above them.
During World War II, my granduncle’s mother
As a 12-year-old boy back then, he mostly stayed at home and tried to mind
his own business. At the time, one needed a purple-ink ‘chop’ on his or her also suffered as a little girl. She was forced
hand to be able to move about in public, showing the immense importance by her mother to cut her hair short like a boy
of it. Whenever Mr Ambrose walked past a Japanese sentry he always just when she wanted to keep her long hair.
bowed as a sign of respect as not doing so could get him beaten to death. She was crying while her mother was cutting

Mr Ambrose also recounted One had to be frugal to survive her hair short. She also had to borrow her
how his mother turned such tumultuous times. Mr Ambrose brother’s clothes to disguise as a boy.
their garden into a plot for said that when he raised his family A few nights after that, her family was at home when they heard
after the war, he taught them the
growing sweet potato value of gratitude and ensured that a loud bang on their door. Her mother hugged her tight and
and tapioca as no one would waste food at the her father held her brother tightly. A few Japanese soldiers
sources of food dinner table. entered their house and took a glance at them. Thankfully, she
was disguised as a boy while her mother purposely made herself
for themselves Though these events were filled look messy and unattractive. The soldiers left their house without
as during the with much pain and suffering, Mr harming them. However, they found out that the soldiers had
war, prices of Ambrose said that he was grateful raped a woman just nearby their home, on that same night. She
food hiked up to have lived through such crisis, was very thankful that her mother had forced her to cut her hair
drastically, and living with $2 as they helped shape him into and disguise as a boy.
a mentally and physically strong
a day, made it unaffordable individual. He hopes that stories of From this incident, my granduncle reminded me to appreciate everything
for his family to source out the past, just like his, will be shared around me. Singapore has progressively been improving since the Japanese
for food. throughout generations and be a Occupation and we should appreciate the growth.
source of inspiration and reflection
for them.
26 Grandpa Stories Grandpa Stories 27