BATANG MELAKA CORPS – What lovely memories!

 

Time flies!  Age is catching up with me. Physical health is not that good, but mentally fairly alert. I have so much to write about the past and it is unlikely I’ll have the time to complete sharing my recollections. Lots of things I want to say will be left unsaid when the Lord calls me home. Never mind when we get to heaven we have eternity to share our experiences on earth.

Let me recall the days when I  spent in Malacca (that’s the spelling then. Later it was changed to Melaka)  Singapore, Malacca and Penang formed the Straits Settlements, each under the rule of a British Governor. The rest were British Protected States ruled by Sultans.   

After commissioning in 1954 as a Probationary Lieutenant at the age of 22, I was appointed to succeed Lieutenant Douglas Kiff as the pastor who after his marriage to Lieutenant Doris (Jean) Milton were appointed to Penang Corps. In 1952 I had served as a Candidate Helper to Lieutenant Kiff.          

The emergency was on!   Malaya with the help of British forces was fighting the communists.   Many innocent people were killed including British soldiers. The communists would come out from their jungle hide-outs, killed and maimed those whom they suspected to be pro Government.  Failure to cooperate with the communists would mean death.   The villagers were cowed and compelled to supply food and medicine to these terrorists.

Sir Henry Gurney, the British High Commissioner, was ambushed and killed by the communists in 1951.   Sir Gerald Templer was then appointed as his successor.  He was tough and was determined to eradicate the communists. He introduced some harsh measures.  One strategy Sir Gerald used, was to move whole villages near communist infested jungle hideouts into new areas.   These “New Villages” as they were called, were surrounded by barbed wire and security was tight.   In this way he succeeded in cutting off the supply lines of food, medicine and other essentials to the terrorists.

It was at this time, when churches and charitable organizations were encouraged to open clinics and provide relief to the new villagers. Missionaries from organizations like the Overseas Missionary Fellowship (formerly China Inland Mission) went into the new villages, learned the dialect of the particular area and began their ministry of meeting the social and spiritual needs of the people.

The Salvation Army was offered two places to commence clinics – one in the north near Butterworth, the other in the State of Malacca. 

On one of my visits to Singapore, (six hours by bus and crossing two ferries) the Officer Commanding, Lieut-Colonel Frederick Harvey, called me into his office and unveiled his plan to open a clinic and corps in one of the New Villages near Melaka.   I was to scout around for a place for a clinic in the State of Malacca.

Back in Malacca, I contacted the pastor of the Chinese Methodist church, Rev. Lim Kiam Sam.   (I used to attend his services to improve my Hokkien. My own dialect is Teochew)  As the new villagers were mainly Chinese educated, work had to be in Chinese.   Rev. Lim gave some very good advice and suggestions regarding place and type of ministry.   I told him the Army would try not to duplicate what other churches were doing.

The day came when Lieut-Colonel Harvey drove up to Melaka and together with Rev. Lim Kiam Sam, we toured the state of Malacca and identified a few villages.   Representations were then made to the Government for assistance.   The Resident of Melaka, Mr Bennett, was very helpful, and referred us to District Officer at Jasin.    We also contacted the Chief Medical Officer of Melaka, Dr. McMahon who gave assurance of free medical supplies from the Government.

The Army wanted to start a clinic at Machap Baru, but we were told the need at Batang Melaka on the Malaca/Negri Sembilan border was greater although this was not a new village.   It was quite multi-racial, as there were Indians and Malays who needed help.   The District Officer made arrangements for a wooden kampong Malay house on the main road to accommodate the officers.   We started the clinic in a Chinese school inside the kampong (village).

In 1955 Lieutenant Irene Holden, a nurse cum midwife, and Lieutenant Norina Staples were appointed to pioneer the work.  Straight from England they could not speak Malay, Chinese or Tamil.  The date of their arrival was given me, so one day Ng Kim Loh, one of my young people from Malacca Corps, and I went to Batang, a journey of twenty-seven miles.  Just the two of us, scrubbed, cleaned and painted the quarters.   At the instruction of Headquarters, two folding camp beds were purchased, the rest of the furnishings would be provided from the Jumble Store in Singapore!   Lieut-Colonel Grey, the Social Secretary, felt it was not necessary to buy new furniture or utensils.  (In Singapore she herself did not have a kitchen.   She had a kerosene stove under the eaves near the back door of Command Headquarters.   No cooking was done when it rained!)

The two ladies shared one room.  In the day time, the camp beds were folded up to provide space for a living room.  Near the kitchen, we got the local carpenter to put up a screen for a bathroom.   It was too costly to put a door and to quote Lieut-Colonel Bertha Grey, “Why do they need a door, when both of them are ladies?   Anyway, if they did not like the ‘bathroom’ they could always wear sarongs and go to the village well to have their bath!” And that’s how Lieut Colonel Grey spoke! I must add she was a very kind and gracious lady.   The toilet – well, it was up the slope of a hill and a bucket was all they had!    There was no electricity so they had to make do with a kerosene lamp.

I used to go there once a week to translate or conduct children’s meetings.   At other times, the two ladies just had to depend on whoever they could get.   Later, a girl from the Home in Singapore, Evelyn Tan, was appointed to assist the two Lieutenants with the interpreting.   The corps and clinic were in what was termed a “black area”.   This meant curfew was imposed from 7:00 pm till the next morning.   However, the nurse was given exemption to go out as babies defied emergency regulations and often arrived during curfew time, in the middle of the night!

The work grew in spite of  limitations.   Later, when the room next door became vacant, the District Officer assigned that to the Army.   The Army was able to use this facility as a clinic till a store on the Negri Sembilan side of the border became available.   The authorities and the villagers were very kind and gave good support to the Army and more and more space was made available.

The government leased land for us to have a purpose-built clinic, church and quarters.    The emergency was over in 1960, but the Army continued with our medical work till recent years when facilities had improved considerably.   It was also easy for the people to travel to Malacca town to get medical help.

Just in passing let me recall a memorable visit to Batang Melaka. I was the General Secretary in the 1970’s.  My wife and in one of our visits to Batang Melaka were met with a big surprise. Captains Betty Barnum (now retired in Canada) and Lieutenant Cherry Parker (now Mrs. John Umasanthiram living in retirement in Cirencester UK) prepared a lovely lunch and  Cake to celebrate our wedding anniversary! What a pleasant surprise!! How did they know it was our wedding anniversary? Memories O how they linger..!