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8/12/2019 The Battle of Pasir Panjang Revisited
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-battle-of-pasir-panjang-revisited 1/10
The Battle of Pasir Panjang Revisited
by Mr Lim Choo Hoon
On 15 February 2002, the long awaited orld ar !! !nter"retative #entre
at Pe"ys Road was o"ened to the "ubli$%1 The centre is located in a pre-war
building where the last battles of Singapore at the Pasir Panjang Ridge
were fought 60 years ago. In these battles units of the !alay Regi"ent
defended Point ##6 gallantly against the $apanese 1%th &i'ision troops(
attac). The opening of the e*hibition centre was ti"ed to co""e"orate the
60th anniversary of the fall of &inga"ore on 15 February 1'(2%
The )uestion of the i*"ortan$e of the Battle of Pasir Panjang and the +alay
Regi*ent has been a $ontroversial one% British *ilitary histories "rovide
very little details about this battle% ven the offi$ial British historian
oodburn -irby has only a s$ant des$ri"tion of the battle%2
The only Britishoffi$ial who $o**ented favorably on the battle and the +alay Regi*ent
was .eneral /% % Per$ival, the #o**anderin#hief of the +alayan
#o**and% #o**enting after the war, Per$ival re*ared
3hen war broe out in the Far ast, the 4+alay Regi*ent was in "ro$ess
of e6"ansion lie *any other units of our !*"erial For$e, 4it was not fully
"re"ared for the ordeal whi$h it was to fa$e% 7evertheless, these young and
untried soldiers a$)uitted the*selves in a way, whi$h bore $o*"arison with
the very best troo"s in +alaya% !n "arti$ular, by their stubborn defen$e of the
Pasir Panjang Ridge at the height of the Battle of &inga"ore, they set ane6a*"le of steadfastness and enduran$e whi$h will be$o*e a great tradition
in the Regi*ent and an ins"iration for the future generations%38
ven for the 9a"anese, *ost a$$ounts of the +alayan #a*"aign in orld
ar !! have ignored the Battle of Pasir Panjang $o*"letely%(
:istorians in this region, on the other hand, treated the +alay Regi*ent and
the Battle of Pasir Panjang )uite differently fro* their western and 9a"anese
$ounter"arts% They felt that it was one of the fier$est battles fought before
&inga"ore fell and the great sa$rifi$es by offi$ers and *en of the +alay
Regi*ent to fight to the last *ared the highest for* of 3honour, duty, and
$ourage3 for the "rofessional ar*ed for$es%+
ho were these +alay Regi*ent units; :ow i*"ortant was this battle to the
British; as the +alay Regi*ent, one of the s*allest units of the British
for$es, deserving of su$h attention in this battle; /nd, in what ways $an we
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justify that the event and the battle site are worth re*e*bering and
"ubli$ising; This arti$le ho"es to loo at these )uestions%
The Malay Regiment Prior to 1941
The +alay Regi*ent was the only lo$al regular unit *aintained andfinan$ed by the govern*ent of the Federated +alay &tates before orld
ar !!% hen the for*ation of the +alay Regi*ent was first announ$ed on
1 +ar$h 1'88, its *ain ai* was to re"la$e the !ndian battalion lo$ated at
Tai"ing with lo$ally trained +alay troo"s% This had been a longter* desire
of the &ultans in the Federated +alay &tates, i%e% to use lo$al troo"s for the
defen$e of the ho*eland%
/lthough the British had been re$ruiting +alays sin$e 1<=( as "oli$e*en
and volunteers, the establish*ent of a regular +alay *ilitary unit too the*a long while to de$ide% The British $olonial ad*inistrators were relu$tant
and $autious about ar*ing and training lo$al +alays for regular units% Their
a""rehension was "artly due to the belief that the +alays, with their
leisurely te*"era*ent and la$ of *ilitary traditions other than those of
guerrilla warfare, were unsuitable for stri$t *ilitary dis$i"line% But *ore
i*"ortantly, the British were worried that the welltrained and wellar*ed
+alays *ight be involved in rivalries a*ong +alay $hiefs for "ower and
$ontrol of the lu$rative tin*ining areas, whi$h were wides"read in the
+alay states% !t was only in 1'88 that the British finally $hanged their *inds
*ainly be$ause of the high $osts of hiring the Bur*a Rifles fro* !ndia%:en$e, the Federal #oun$il of Federated +alay &tates eventually "assed the
+alay Regi*ent Bill on 28 9anuary 1'88%>
?nder the +alay Regi*ent@s "ro"osal announ$ed on 1 +ar$h 1'88, the total
nu*ber of the first bat$h of re$ruits was only 25% This was su""osed to be a
36"eri*ental #o*"any3 $reated to find out how the +alays would rea$t to
*ilitary dis$i"line and if they $ould be *ade into good regular soldiers% The
first 25 re$ruits of the +alay Regi*ent were *en $arefully sele$ted fro*
over a thousand a""li$ations% The subse)uent re$ruit*ent e6er$ise was
$arried out by the distri$t offi$ers with the assistan$e of the lo$al head*en%
The final $hoi$e was *ade by the Regi*ent &ele$tion Board $o*"rising the
#o**anding Offi$er, a$$o*"anied by one other offi$er, a "ro*inent +alay
of the state and the regi*ental do$tor%
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nlist*ent was at first restri$ted to the four Federated +alay &tates whi$h
bore the $ost of the e6"enditure for the +alay Regi*ent% But it was soon
e6tended to all the states e6$e"t 9ohore 4whi$h had its own *ilitary units to
"roje$t a +alayan $o*"osition% Re$ruits fro* non+alay states, however,
were not to e6$eed 20A of the for$e%=
The British a""ointed +/9 .% +$! &% Bru$e to be the first #o**anding
Offi$er% +/9 Bru$e was a wise and liberal offi$er% /lthough all *ilitary
$o**ands were in nglish, +alay was used widely for instru$tions% Bru$e
realied that this arrange*ent would assist *any nonnglish edu$ated
+alays in their learning and it $ould thus train as *any non$o**issioned
+alay offi$ers to staff the new regi*ent as "ossible% British offi$ers fro*
the #o**anding Offi$er downwards were e6"e$ted to learn +alay and
subse)uently to now so*ething about +alay $usto*s and the +usli*
religion% +/9 Bru$e, for instan$e, too a short +alay language $ourse% !naddition, there was also the a""oint*ent of a regi*ental religious tea$her in
the unit%<
#o*"etitions were held fre)uently to get the best out of the *en on "arade
and in the field% The instru$tors also ai*ed at develo"ing in the +alay
soldiers a sense of "atriotis*, a love for their $ountry and loyalty to their
rulers% &"e$ial attention was "aid to food, so$ial re$reation and the general
welfare of the soldiers%
!n ee"ing the na*e 3+alay Regi*ent3, efforts were *ade to retain thedistin$tive +alay $hara$ter% +/9 Bru$e $on$eived the idea of a Regi*ental
*ufti e*bodying the +alay national dress% :e argued that for es"rit de
$or"s, British "ersonnel serving in the regi*ent had to wear the +alay
Regi*ent unifor*, whi$h would identify the* fro* the onset with the
+alay Regi*ent rather than with their own British units% / regi*ental
badge was $reated $ontaining the *otto 3Ta@at dan &etia3 4loyal and true%'
Three regi*ental $olours were $hosen for the regi*ent% They were green
re"resenting !sla*, yellow for +alay royalty, and red for British ar*y%
These uni)ue unifor*, *otto and regi*ental $olours were well a$$e"ted by*e*bers of the unit% /s e6"e$ted, the +alay soldiers res"onded 3e6tre*ely
well3 and serious brea$hes of dis$i"line were rare, a$$ording to its
#o**anding Offi$er% The high standard of training, sensitive and *atured
*anage*ent *ust have $ontributed greatly to its s"e$ial )uality%10
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The basi$ regi*ental training was $ondu$ted at Port Ci$inson base and in
other +alay states% !t was only in 1'8= that the regi*ent $a*e down to
&inga"ore for advan$ed training, and too "art in one of the biggest inter
servi$e $o*bined o"erations%11 The "erfor*an$e of the +alay Regi*ent was
so i*"ressive that there was a $all by the lo$als to establish a si*ilar regular
regi*ent in &inga"ore%12
!n 9anuary and February 1'8<, the +alay Regi*ent on$e again $a*e to
&inga"ore to $ondu$t battalion and advan$ed training% !n addition, a
$ontingent of fifty *en attended the o"ening of -ing .eorge D!@s .raving
Co$ at the &inga"ore 7aval Base%18
The 36"eri*ental #o*"any3 was thus a su$$ess% On 1 9anuary 1'85, it
offi$ially assu*ed the title of the +alay #o*"any with a strength of 150
*en% Fro* there, the strength of the +alay Regi*ent in$reased ra"idly% ByO$tober 1'8<, it started to for* a battalion $o*"rising three rifle $oys with
one *a$hinegun su""ort $oy and a battalion head)uarters% On 1st Ce$e*ber
1'(1, the se$ond battalion of the +alay Regi*ent was for*ed but this
ha""ened only about si6 days before the 9a"anese for$es landed at &ingora,
Pattani and -ota Bharu% Thus, the se$ond battalion *ight not have enjoyed
the )uality and $ohesiveness of the first%
Curing the +alayan #a*"aign, units of the +alay Regi*ent were de"loyed
in various "arts of the +alay Peninsula% :owever, it was in the Battle of
&inga"ore, and in the defen$e of Pasir Panjang Ridge, that the +alayRegi*ents $onfronted the 9a"anese troo"s headon% !t was in this battle that
its units fought *agnifi$ently but suffered heavy $asualties%
Battle of Pasir Panjang Ridge
!n the Battle of Pasir Panjang, one na*e ee"s $ro""ing u" that has sin$e
$o*e to "ersonify the *eaning of "atriotis* and dying for one@s $ountry%
The young 2ET that led one the "latoons of the # #oy in the 1 st +alay
Regi*ent against the 9a"anese troo"s was 2ET /dnan &aidi%
2ET &aidi was born in 1'15 in -ajang, &elangor% :e re$eived his edu$ation
in Pean &unei Ra*al in nglish% ?"on graduation, /dnan was $hosen to be
a trainee tea$her and taught at Pean &unei Ra*al for a year% !n 1'88, when
he was 1< years old, he joined the +alay Regi*ent% :e was the best re$ruit
for the intae% !n 1'8>, he was "ro*oted to the ran of sergeant% !n the
following year, he was $hosen to re"resent his "latoon in a *ilitary "arade in
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Eondon to honour the as$ension of -ing .eorge D! to the throne% &hortly
thereafter, /dnan &aidi was "ro*oted yet again to $oysergeant*ajor and
headed for &inga"ore for an offi$er $onversion $ourse% ?"on graduation as a
2nd lieutenant, he be$a*e the $o**ander of = th Platoon, # #oy of the 1st
+alay Regi*ent%
Following the su$$essful $rossing of the &traits of 9ohore, for$es of the
9a"anese 25th Civision *oved ra"idly towards the $entral and southern
$oastal area of &inga"ore% By 18 February 1'(2, two days before the British
surrendered to the 9a"anese, Per$ival ordered the establish*ent of a new $ity
"eri*eter 4see +a" 1 overleaf1(% The final line stret$hed fro* -allang,
through oodleigh, then Tho*son Dillage, +a$Rit$hie Reservoir, /da*
Road, Tanglin :alt, and fro* there to Pasir Panjang% The new defen$e
"eri*eter $ut the su""ly of rations down to a wee and redu$ed sto$s of
*ortar and artillery a**unition to dangerously low levels% ater su""lywas also a grave "roble*% The whole $ity was now within easy range of
ene*y guns, and the water distribution syste* started to $olla"se%
/n even greater sour$e of $on$ern was the *orale of the British soldiers%
+ost of the units had by now gras"ed how $lose they were to disaster% +.
Bennett, who was $o**anding the /ustralian for$es, de$ided on his own to
for* his division into an allround "eri*eter to guard its own flans and rear
for a final battle% But the /ustralian units had been badly ro$ed, "ro*"ting
real $on$ern over how *any *en re*ained under $o**and%15 &u$h
$on$erns were rising over the !ndian and British troo"s as well%
The 1st +alay Bde $o*"rised two +alay Regi*ents, and was reinfor$ed by
5th Bedfordshire and :ertfordshire 4less two $oys fro* 1< th Civision as well
as an engineer battalion for*ed fro* British and !ndian engineer units% !t
for*ed "art of defen$e "eri*eter along the jun$tion of est #oast Road and
Pasir Panjang Road%
The first battle between the +alay Regi*ent and 9a"anese soldiers o$$urred
on 18 February at around 1(00 hrs%1> The 9a"anese 1<th Civision started to
atta$ the southwestern $oast along the Pasir Panjang ridge and astride of
Raja Road% The 9a"anese 5>th !nfantry Regi*ent, su""orted by a
$onsiderable for$e of artillery, atta$ed the ridge during the *orning% One of
the units defending the line was the B #oy of the +alay Regi*ent% ?nder
the heavy fire of the 9a"anese troo"s su""orted by artillery and tans, the B
#oy was for$ed to retreat to the rear% But before all of the* $ould retreat, the
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9a"anese ar*y su$$eeded in breaing through B #oy@s "osition% !n the battle,
B #oy troo"s fought handtohand $o*bat using bayonets against the
9a"anese% / few fro* B #oy *anaged to save the*selves while others were
$aught as "risonersofwar% This "enetration led to the withdrawal after dar
of both ((th !ndian and 1st +alay Bde to the general line +ount $ho
4jun$tion of Raja and Ce"ot Road Buona Dista 4see +a" 2 overleaf%
Battle of Opium Hill
On 1(th February, the 9a"anese again laun$hed a heavy atta$ at 0<80 hours,
su""orted by intense *ortar and artillery fire, on the front held by the 1st
+alay Bde% The defenders beat off this and a nu*ber of other atta$s% The
fighting in$luded bitter handtohand $o*bat, and losses fro* both sides
were heavy% /t 1>00 hours an atta$ su""orted by tans eventually
su$$eeded in "enetrating the left, and the defenders on this flan were for$ed ba$ to a line fro* the jun$tion of the /yer Rajar and Ce"ot Road through
the Bri$ ors and along the $anal to Buit #her*in% Owing to the failure
of units on both its flans to hold their ground, the 1 st +alay Bde withdrew
at 1(80 hours% !t was at this "oint that # #oy of the +alay Regi*ent
re$eived instru$tions to *ove to a new defen$e "osition Pt% 22>, O"iu* :ill%
O"iu* :ill or Buit #handu in +alay was na*ed after an o"iu*"ro$essing
fa$tory lo$ated at the foot of the hill% This was also where # #oy of the
+alay Regi*ent *ade their final stand against the 9a"anese atta$% O"iu*
:ill was a ey defen$e "osition for two i*"ortant reasons% !t was situated onhigh ground overlooing the island to the north and se$ondly, if the
9a"anese gained $ontrol of the ridge, it gave the* dire$t "assage to the
/le6andra area% The British ar*y had its *ain a**unition and su""ly
de"ots, *ilitary hos"ital and other ey installations lo$ated in the /le6andra
area%
# #oy@s "osition was se"arated fro* C #oy by a big $anal% Oil was burning
in the $anal, whi$h flowed fro* 7or*anton Ce"ot% The burning oil
"revented # #oy soldiers fro* retreating further south% # #oy was under the
$o**and of #PT Ri6, a brave and daring British offi$er% #PT Ri6
en$ouraged the soldiers to defend O"iu* :ill down to the last soldier% :is
bravery was e6e*"lified in the battle and he was illed together with *any
of his +alay Regi*ent soldiers in the last defen$e battle at Pasir Panjang%
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re"eatedly% ven after the battle, no one was allowed to bring his body for
burial% 7o one dared%
/nother eyewitness, Burhan +usli*, who had lived along Buit #handu,
re$alled going u" the hill with his $ousin a few days after the battle% !n one
of the white bungalows that stood on the hill at Pe"ys Eane, he saw the
dis*e*bered bodies of +alay soldiers everywhere% !n one of the roo*s laid
the body of a +alay soldier% :is throat had been slit several ti*es% :is
unifor* was soaed with blood% 9udging fro* the badges he had on his
unifor*, Burhan believed that he was an offi$er% :e felt that the body $ould
have been that of 2ET /dnan &aidi%1=
For the entire +alayan #a*"aign, but largely on 12, 18 and 1( February
1'(2 in &inga"ore, the +alay Regi*ent suffered a total of 15' illed 4si6
British offi$ers, seven +alay offi$ers, and 1(> other rans and a large butuns"e$ified nu*ber wounded%1<
Conclusion
Fro* a "urely *ilitary o"erational "ers"e$tive, the Battle of Pasir Panjang
had little signifi$an$e% The battle $ould not $hange the out$o*e of the fate of
&inga"ore and it was a *atter of ti*e before the British would surrender to
the 9a"anese 25th /r*y% Those who loo at only the ta$ti$al signifi$an$e,
however, will *iss a very i*"ortant lesson% The Battle of Pasir Panjang, and
the Battle of O"iu* :ill in "arti$ular, *anifested the a$*e of the fightings"irit in battle% !n the words of 7oel Barber, the author of &inister Twilight,
the +alay Regi*ent was des$ribed thus
3/ regular, lo$ally raised unit, $o**anded by +alays"eaing British
offi$ers, it was a living and dying illustration of the folly of not having
raised *ore su$h lo$al for$es before the war in whi$h *en $ould defend
what was their ho*eland%31'
/nd as Per$ival noted, the +alay Regi*ent
3&howed what es"rit de $or"s and dis$i"line $an a$hieve% .arrisons of "osts
held their ground and *any of the* were wi"ed out al*ost to a *an%320
The (<hour Battle of Pasir Panjang "ut u" by *en and offi$ers of the +alay
Regi*ent e6e*"lified the highest for* of 3duty, honour and $ountry3 that
soldiers $an show in war% The $ourage, bravery, and sa$rifi$e to defend
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&inga"ore island des"ite the foregone defeat of British for$es will always
re*ain one of the highlights in the story of the Battle of &inga"ore%
ndnotes
1 !oh Chin "ian# $%tories of &uty# Honour# Courage$# The %traitsTimes# '( &ec '))1 and ( *e+ruary '))',
' -ood+urn %, .ir+y# %ingapore/ The Chain of &isaster# "ondon/
Cassell# 19(1# p, '440 and -ar gainst 2apan# 3ol, 1# Chapter 53# p,
414,
6 M, C, %heppard# The Malay Regiment# 196(7194(# .uala "umpur#
194(# preface0 &ol Ramli# $History of Malay Regiment# 196674'$#
cademic 8ercise# &epartment of History# ni:ersity of %ingapore#
19;;# p, 1)4,
4 %ee for e8ample# Masano+u Tsuji# 2apan<s !reat 3ictory# Britain<s
-orst &efeat# =e> ?or@/ %arpedon# 19960
; %ee# for e8ample# M,C, %heppard# op cit,0 &ol Ramli# $History of
Malay Regiment# 196674'$0 -an Hashim Haji -an Teh# Perang &unia
.edua/ Peranan s@ar Melayu# .uala "umpur/ &e>an Bahasa dan
Pusta@a# .ementerian Pendidi@an# Malaysia# 1996,
A &ol Ramli# op,cit,# p,19,
( Malay Regiment -ar &iary# p, 1, Cited in &ol Rmli# p, '4,
5+id# p, '(,
9 %heppard# op, cit,# p, A,
1) 5+id# p,',
11 The %traits Times# 16 2anuary 196(# cited in &ol Ramli# p, 41,
1' letter +y a urasian appeared in The %trait Times suggesting the
Colonial !o:ernment set up a urasian Regiment in %ingapore, The
%trait Times# '6 2anuary 196(,
16 &ol Ramli# op,cit,# p, 4',
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14 %ee .r+y# The -ar gainst 2apan# 3ol, 5# pp, 4))741;,
1; %ee for e8ample# Peter lphic@# The Pregna+le *ortress/ %tudy in
&eception# &iscord and &esertion# !reat Britian/ Hodder and
%toughton# 199;,
1A 8tracted from -an Hashim Haji -an Teh# Perang &unia .edua/
Peranan s@ar Melayu# .uala "umpur/ &e>an Bahasa dan Pusta@a#
.ementerian Pendidi@an# Malaysia# 1996# pp,1)(7116, 5 >ould li@e to
than@ Ms Roita of %*T5 "i+rary for her assistance in translating
some of the Malay te8t,
1( ccount came from one of C Coy mem+ers CPT &in >ho >itnessed
the incident, "ater they >ere sta++ed +y +ayonets and left +ehind for
dead, %ee -an Hashim Haji -an Teh# Perang &unia .edua/ Peranans@ar Melayu# pp, 11176,
1 &ol Ramli# $History of Malay Regiment# 196674'$# pp, 1)47;,
19 =oel Bar+er# %inister T>ilight/ The *all of %ingapore# !reat Britain/
-illiam Collins %ons D Co# 19A# p, 6)6,
') ,, Perci:al# The -ar in Malaya# =e> &elhi/ %agar Pu+lications#
19(1# p, '91,
+r Ei* #hoo :oon is a le$turer in +ilitary :istory Bran$h, &/FT! +ilitary
!nstitute% :e tea$hes +ilitary :istory in the #o**and and &taff #ourse,
Triservi$e #ourse and Offi$er #adet #ourse% :is $urrent resear$h interest is
on ast /sian *ilitary history% :e holds a +/ in ar &tudies fro* -ing@s#ollege, Eondon, and a Ph%C% in ast /sian :istory fro* the Resear$h
&$hool of Pa$ifi$ H /sian &tudies, the /ustralian 7ational ?niversity%