'Glimpses of Malaya' in "Thumbs Up", a magazine of the 2/20 Battalion AIF in 1941

The War Diary of the 2/20 Battalion reported on the publication of their own magazine "Thumbs Up" saying 'very much credit was due to NX53925, Pte F W Wilson for his untiring efforts in connection with this most popular publication.'

'Glimpses of Malaya'  by PIC  from "Thumbs Up", Volume 1, Number 1, May 1941.

·         The quaint bullock-waggons with their pairs of humpy-necked zebus patiently plodding along with their loads of wood. Sometimes a Burmese covered waggon with its sweeping roofs that covered and shaded the beasts as well as the driver.

·         The native shops, dirty and crowded, with their goods one jumbled mass of mixed up articles, and usually a group of stolid faced Chinamen lounging about them.

·         The humble Malayan homes with children and chickens in equal numbers.

·         How we trekked through rubber plantation every tree with its cuts and cup that make the collection of latex possible.

·         The shy and gaily dressed women and the chattering children whose thumbs were always up in friendly greeting as we passed.

·         The beach, the swimming enclosure, and the native fishing boats that seemed to sit on the horizon.

·         The temples of worship that were found in each hamlet.

·         The jungle that we hacked our way through with parang and bill-hook.

·         Mahomet Sutan (who sold papers in the barracks) with his sunny smile and picturesque costume.

·         The blackouts when the canteen was closed and the night seemed twice as hot.

·         The natives washing themselves and their clothes at a wayside water tap.  

·         The attap huts with their palm-leaf walls and roofs and their dirt floors.

·         The lovely two-storied homes along the beach front that had such homely names as "Clovelly" and "Palm Beach".

·         The dhobies who collected our washing and the barbers who cut our hair.

·         The coconut palms and the paddi-fields we saw from the road.

·         The headaches we got at first trying to work out the value of 15 cents when a dollar was worth 2/11.

And those sunsets.

'Pounding Along to Singapore', the 2/20 Battalion AIF in Singapore and Malaya in May 1941.

'Pounding Along to Singapore' is the book I wrote about the 2/20 Battalion Australian Imperial Force (AIF) who were sent to Singapore and Malaya in 1941 as part of the 8th Division. Captain Bill Gaden's letters to and from the family provide the timeline along which the story of the 2/20 Bn is woven, from inception in June 1940 to the end of the Second World War. Other  threads come from the 2/20 Battalion's War Diary and Routine Orders (available from the Australian War Memorial) newspapers and magazines of the day, interviews with some of the men who survived the eventual POW years and came home and other reports from the time. (The book is available from me at cagaden@iprimus.com.au)

4 May 1941

Unit moved tactically by M.T. from Seremban to Port Dickson and took over lines vacated by 2/18 Bn who moved into Seremban. The move was carried out very quickly and without any delay.  Several officers were reported as being in hospital. The next day the unit and Company HQ took part in an exercise in preparation for a whole unit exercise in a couple of days time. Unfamiliarity with the area caused many difficulties  but it raised many points of interest and ideas.

6 May 1941

The 2/20 settled into their new quarters and made preparation for the exercise to be held the next day. This exercise covered movement through jungle, attack, organisation of HQ and the exercising generally of all Companys. The War Diary reported it was the best 'all day' exercise so far. It was  umpired and organised by the Brigade to produce situations  and events in such a manner as to thoroughly exercise all personnel  in their duties and coordinate all branches of the unit. As a result of these lessons the troops themselves became more interested in tactical training.

8 May 1941

Unit out training all morning in jungle on Movement on Compass bearings. Unit B Echelon Recce. Op. on receipt of message from Brigade moved out on a Recce in connection with Div. exercise the next day. Ptes Sym, Storey and Serong were selected to play for Negri Sembilan in the inter-State soccer match versus Selangor on Saturday 10 May and Pte Quinn was selected as referee. (Sadly two of these men were destined to die as POWs, Daniel Quinn (15 November 1943, Naoetsu) and Gordon James Storey (8 April 1945, Sandakan). Lest we forget.

9 May 1941

Several NCOs marched out on a 15 week course at an OCTU (Officer Cadet Training Unit).

10 May 1941

Bill Gaden wrote to his mother that "Our batmen ....are  becoming expert gardeners and ... tomorrow, Mother’s Day, they will decorate the place with white flowers in jam tins. Our white flowers are frangipani, petunias and some small ones I have no name for."

 Mother's Day was obviously important for the troops. In my history of the 2/20, "Pounding Along to Singapore", there is a transcription of an interview given by four released POWs to ABC reporter Fred Simpson whilst waiting in Thailand for repatriation. Padre Harry Thorpe ('D' Force) told listeners "Each year we observed Mother's Day in our jungle area. It was moving to see a thousand men going to work with white paper flowers in their mixed kinds of headgear." Alick Davis ('A' Force) asked "Where did you get the paper?  We used all our paper for cigarettes!" and was laughingly admonished for being a "heathen" by Bill Gaden ('D' Force).

11 May 1941

Major Robertson, in command of unit during the absence of the CO, and the Adjutant, went to Malacca to visit the CO and discuss several administrative matters. They found Lt Col Jeater to be greatly improved and he was to shortly rejoin the unit.

12 May 1941

The guard left for duty in Kuala Lumpur, several men went on leave to Singapore.

14 May 1941

22nd Brigade held a Sports Day meeting at the Malay Regiment's Sports Ground (they also competed). The 2/20 did 'quite well' but the 2/19 finished a long way ahead. The Adjutant commented that the meeting was very well enjoyed by the troops who need such distractions to keep them in good spirits.

16 May 1941

The Unit was carrying out the syllabus in the camp area to help with the prickly heat.

Syllabus of Training

A Syllabus of Training for a week in May 1941 showed how the troops were kept busy.  Squads used a "Bull Ring" within each Company  to rotate  all troops so they learned how to use the equipment. Every day they spent an hour on each of their weapons, using the Bren LMG (Light Machine Gun), the Thompson SMG (Sub Machine Gun) and the Anti-tank Rifle. They also did rifle exercises, Smartening Drill, had Brigade Sports on Wednesday afternoon and on Saturday morning did a 3½ hour Route March.

19 May 1941

A check of personnel admitted to hospital with VD complaints showed very small figure of 2.55% of Unit active strength since arrival of unit in Malaya. A slight unrest amongst the more difficult of the Unit's trouble makers has again appeared and a number of minor but annoying cases of ill behaviour have occurred in the last few days. These cases seem  to be due to the fact that this type of man is not used to discipline and does not wish to remain so far from "action". Apart from these few cases, the Unit discipline has been really splendid.

20 May 1941

A couple of men were detached to the Port Swettenham Detention Barracks.

21 May 1941

The Battalion's War diary reported that a Divisional Conference was held in the Officers Mess to discuss the exercise held on 9 May 41. The G.O.C. considered that the exercise showed distinct improvement in all phases to that held in April. The Battalion had a rest day on Sirusa Beach (about 7km from Port Dickson near the Alor Gajah peninsula). Boats were hired and all appeared to have benefitted from the day. Bill Gaden wrote to tell his family of his visit to Malacca, a town full of historical buildings which captured his interest, for example the old Gate and the fort, both built by the Portuguese in 1511.

28 May 1941

Lt-Col Jeater was still suffering from a severe skin rash but he remained with the unit.  This day the first issue of the unit's magazine 'Thumbs Up' was published and it appears that it was the only issue as no others have been located. The unit was on the range getting used to the Bren Gun.  

31 May 1941

Several officers either left the unit to go to an Indian exercise, or rejoined the unit from Convalescent leave. The Officers organised a dance in their Mess and invited the nursing sisters to come from Malacca and Port Dickson, an evening which proved 'most enjoyable'.

Response to Adele Shelton Smith's article in the Australian's Women's Weekly 1941

Adele Shelton Smith was the first accredited female correspondent from Australia to be sent to Malaya, and filed reports for the Australian Women's Weekly designed to reassure wives and mothers that their boys were in fine shape with high morale. In the event, some criticised her writing (and Bill Brindle's photographs - particularly one of a smiling taxi dancer wearing a Digger's hat) for making it look as if the boys were having far too good a time. Shelton Smith was deeply upset by this interpretation of her journalism. (http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-634568). However her regular section, Letters From Our Boys, gained enormous popularity throughout the war.

Following the reports in the Australian Women's Weekly several of the troops obviously received letters from home suggesting they were on holiday. Naturally this did not go down well at all and the  2/20th Battalion's Weekly Bulletin (issue 2, 21 June 1941) contained a cartoon series with the words "If I could get my hands on the woman journalist who said soldiering in Malaya was a round of dinners and dances, I'd wring her !!*! neck WOULDN'T IT?

OUR PICNIC

The Sixth are getting battered; the Seventh copping hell.

The Ninth are on no picnic, they’re getting theirs as well.

While in the distant jungle, many thousand miles away,

The Eighth are on a “rest cure”, all we do is play.

Because there are no shells here, no bullets flying thick,

We have the name of “Glamour Boys” and that will always stick.

Every time we take a step the sweat falls from our brow,

And if they only knew it, we have B.O. – and how

Ploughing through the jungle with mud up round our waist

With every step a mouthful, it has a putrid taste

Fighting ‘mozzies’ by the score and cobras by the ton

It’s no use denying, we’re having lots of FUN.

If you don’t believe me when I say it’s bloody hot,

I’ll now state a Native custom to show just what is what.

Every man is buried with his overcoat as well

Just because he’ll need it in case he goes to Hell.

Give the Japs malaria, it isn’t worth a zac.

They won’t keep it very long before they give it back.

Although we need the rubber and find uses for the tin

If we stay here any longer, we’ll soon be mighty thin.

Take us to the Middle East, where it’s cold at night

So we can join the others and help to win the fight.

If they grant us this favour Miss Adele Smith may say,

“Those Eighth Division ‘Glamour Boys’ are on no holiday”.

The Australian Women's Weekly articles from Singapore and Malaya written by Adele Shelton Smith in 1941.

In the Australian Women’s Weekly published on 29 March 1941, reporter Adele (Tilly) Shelton Smith excitedly told her readers she had been given the most thrilling assignment of all her years in newspaper work. She and photographer Wilfred (Bill) Brindle had been sent to Singapore and Malaya as “Special Correspondents”. She wrote that she was going to see the A.I.F. training and find out what the women back home wanted to know most… what the camps were like, the accommodation, the food, the recreation time and what the troops do on leave. She looked forward to seeing the familiar slouch hat and khaki against a background of native colour. In particular she wanted to send a first-hand account to the women of what their husbands and sons were doing to “preserve the common ideals of which that (pre-war) friendliness is the outward sign”.

Adele Shelton Smith’s first 'Women’s Weekly' article from Malaya (on 5 April 1941) was headlined “Gee it’s good to see someone from home”. She had spent a weekend at a “colourful coastal town” and had met troops swimming in a millionaire’s pool, singing and dancing with the taxi-girls at a cabaret and sightseeing. They had been invited to the homes of several Chinese hosts. She also went sightseeing and saw the troops “out in droves with their cameras” and holding rickshaw races, followed by admiring children calling “Hello Jo” to all the Aussie troops.  

The second posting from Malaya was published in the 'Women's Weekly' on 12 April 1941, Easter Saturday. She had lunched with Major-General Gordon Bennett, commander of the 8th Division, in the bungalow he shared with senior officers. He assured her that the troops were behaving very well, in fact better than when at home. Mail was arriving regularly but newspapers from home were needed. Showing some of the prevailing attitudes of the time she reported that ex-patriot white women were running a club for the troops, providing food, cool drinks and a place to chat about home. The troops were training hard and on their return to camp were able to have showers behind nipah palm shelters. They slept on their stretchers on the school verandahs with sheets changed weekly and mosquito nets to keep out the small lizards. ‘Smithy’ reported that the boys were becoming naturalists and told her about the beautiful orchids and huge snails and scorpions. There were monkeys, orang-utans, panthers, tigers to see… and avoid. The country was criss-crossed with drainage ditches. The officers held a cocktail party, complete with band, for European guests to try to repay some of the hospitality they had received.

The same magazine had a photograph of a soldier becoming acquainted with a “Dutch wife”, a long bolster used to absorb perspiration when sleeping. A third page of information told the womenfolk that the Australians were known as the “tid apa” boys, very appropriate as “tid apa” means “why bother” or “why worry”. The local rickshaw boys were making a fortune with the frequent rickshaw races, just as often with the owner getting a ride whilst he was pulled along by the troops. They also had an open invitation to the beachside home of a Chinese business man and were able to swim in his pool and have races along the beach. Smithy’s message to the womenfolk back home was “Don’t worry. They are as happy as sand-boys!” and from the many accompanying photographs of them dancing and singing, swimming and climbing trees, rickshaw racing and bargaining for purchases, the troops were having a lot of fun. There was no mention of their hard work or training.            

In the third 'Woman’s Weekly' article, published on 19 April 1941, Adele Shelton Smith finally had some photographs of the troops in uniform and training hard, but no details were given for censorship and security reasons. In her article she reported on a sumptuous Singalese meal given by a wealthy Indian businessman in honour of the troops. Several different kinds of curry were served as well as chutney, pickles and fruit. The local Malay Police band was in attendance and the Aussies sang ‘Advance Australia Fair’ with great gusto. She also reported on the social life in Singapore itself, advising that no night club was permitted to stay open after midnight and the strict rules about evening dress had been relaxed to only one formal dress night in the week at Raffles. She advised that there were more men than women in each party so the girls were treated like “pampered princesses surrounded by courtiers”.  Imagine how that was received by the womenfolk struggling alone back home!            

In her fourth Women’s Weekly article of 26 May 1941, Adele Shelton Smith reported on the more hum-drum aspects of life in the tropics. The headline was ‘Tip-Top Tucker in the Tropics’ and she reported that the Army seemed to have the same formula as every woman – ‘feed the brute’. The men didn’t like the sweet flavour of the local bread, so they now had an Australian bakery. There had been Hot Cross Buns for Easter. Bacon was from Queensland, meat from Argentina, potatoes, carrots and turnips from England, butter and frozen meat from Australia and jams and tinned fruit from Canada and Australia. Fresh vegetables were hard to obtain locally and the Army cooks had to become familiar with them and learn the best method of cooking. Indian and Chinese dhobis were contracted to wash 30 pieces of laundry per week per man, the dirt literally being thrashed out of the clothes by bashing them onto stones.  

The fifth and final article written by Adele Shelton Smith was published in the Australian Women’s Weekly on 3 May 1941. She wrote of the Australian nurses who told her the locals treated them like film stars, giving them orchids and fruit and plenty of invitations to social and sporting events. She said the girls all looked well in their crisp, grey uniforms and red capes. The quarters were plain but comfortable, some rooms with beautiful views. The girls had plenty of family photographs on display. All rooms contained the nurses’ battledress with tin hats and respirators as compulsory equipment.