Page 28 - Stories from our Grandparents

orld War II began in Europe 1937
when it slipped its way into Southeast
Asia in 1939. Singapore, which was
Wthen known as Syonan-to, was
occupied by the Japanese troops, who sought land Singapore was renamed
and resources. The locals then, mostly spoke in to Syonan-to
Bahasa Melayu as well as their respective mother (Light of the South)
tongues due to the lack of Western education. from 1942 to 1945
My grandfather, Mr Ismail, however,
was English-educated and could
converse in various languages Mr Ismail Bin Hj. Ali BORN 19xx
including some Japanese. Being
the most suitable for the job, he By Nur Shayiqah Binte Mohd Eusoff
Millennia Institute
was given the task of representing
and attending to the needs of the
fellow locals on behalf of the Japanese occupants. His duties included
translating for the Japanese men and keeping track of the distribution of
rations to the people.
Moreover, my grandfather was well-compensated for his cooperation with the
Japanese. If not for his education, my grandfather would have been forced to
be a labour worker. My father, Mr Eusoff, recalls memories of my grandfather
talking about how the Japanese troops would force Muslims to pray towards
the direction of Japan, instead of Mecca, to show gratitude and respect towards
their supposed “saviours”. Locals resorted to just staying at home in order to
pray facing the Mecca to avoid being caught by the Japanese troops. In order to
discourage Western influence, the Japanese set up schools and forced people
to learn their language. Textbooks were printed in Japanese.
Every morning, children had to stand facing the direction
of Japan and sing the Japanese national anthem, which was
called Kimigayo.
Despite the harsh and bizarre circumstances, he
experienced, my grandfather managed to live through
the war unscathed. Learning about my grandfather’s
experiences during the war has taught me many
things such as to never take my education for granted
and to always use my knowledge to the best of my
28 Grandpa Stories abilities and also to my advantage.
y name is Edward Yong.
Mr Edward Yong Men Win I have served in the SAF
for 35 years, attaining
By Yong Yi-Tze Elliot BORN 1940
NCC ACSI Mcolonel as my highest
rank. As a pioneer contributor
to Singapore, this is my story.
I was born on September 18, 1940, right after World War 2 started. After the
Japanese invasion two years later, my family was forced to flee to the outskirts
of Malaysia in a village called ‘Ampang’ to avoid contact with the Japanese.
We stayed in a house my father and uncle had built, using a small piece of
land to grow crops, while my father returned to Singapore to work. Due to our
poverty and lack of medical supplies, my eldest sister passed away.
In October 1964, as a young lieutenant, I was informed about our
deployment to Sabah due to the conflict between Malaysia and
Indonesia known as the Konfrontasi. We were stationed at camps
scattered around the border between Sabah and Indonesia to
defend the border and ensure that there were no incursions by
the Indonesian armies. I served as an intelligence officer, working
to gather intelligence about the enemy through information from
combat reports and reconnaissance patrols.
Being out in the field during an actual war was a tense and
stressful experience, especially when I knew that the security
of our country was at stake. Yet, it was exhilarating as I finally
got to put what I learnt in training to use.
We are fortunate that Singapore today is not in a constant state of
war and has increased its preparedness for any external threat. I
am proud that we have progressed this far and I feel that the most
important things in my days were the good values that I learnt. I hope
that future generations will also experience a fulfilling
life by pursuing a career they enjoy, as I feel that
if you enjoy what you do, you will do it well with
integrity and honesty.
Grandpa Stories 29