LEST WE FORGET: POWG (RTD) SARKAWI BIN BUJANG

 POWG (Rtd) SARKAWI BIN BUJANG

• MN No.: 906
• Started service with the Malay Navy on January 14, 1941
• Served on Ships: HMS Vyner Brooke, HMS Fastnest during World War II.
• He was the first to report when the Malayan Naval Force was established on January 10, 1949 (after the war, the Malay Navy was disbanded).
• He received the official number MNF 800001.
• He retired on October 25, 1963, with the rank of POWG.
• Sarkawi bin Bujang was officially the very first personnel to enlist in the newly re-established Malayan Naval Force (MNF) on January 10, 1949, earning him the historic service serial number MNF 800001.

Key facts regarding this milestone:

• The Pioneer: After the wartime Royal Navy Malay Section was disbanded, he became the first local veteran to report for duty under the new colonial-era regulation.
• The Serial Prefix: The "MNF" in his service number explicitly stands for Malayan Naval Force.
• Historical Evolution: This force later received royal assent from Queen Elizabeth II in 1952 to become the Royal Malayan Navy, which eventually evolved into today's Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM).

HMS Vyner Brooke and HMS Fastnest were auxiliary vessels utilized by the British Royal Navy's Malay Section during the chaotic Malayan Campaign and the subsequent evacuation of Singapore in World War II.

• HMS Vyner Brooke: Originally a armed luxury steam trader named after the Rajah of Sarawak, it was requisitioned by the Royal Navy, armed with a 4-inch gun, and crewed largely by local Malay sailors. It became historically famous after it was bombed and sunk by Japanese aircraft on February 14, 1942, while evacuating civilians and Australian nurses from Singapore—leading to the tragic Bangka Island Massacre.
• HMS Fastnest: Operating alongside vessels like the Vyner Brooke, this was an auxiliary coastal boat staffed by local personnel to provide local defense, harbor patrols, and logistical support during the frantic defensive retreat through the waters of Malaya.

FEBRUARY 1942 : EVACUATION OF SINGAPORE

The naval evacuation of Singapore between February 11 and 14, 1942, was a chaotic and tragic maritime exodus often described as Singapore's "Dunkirk". As Japanese forces breached the island's defenses, the British command ordered all remaining vessels to clear Singapore Harbour.

Key historical aspects of this harrowing event include:

• The Mosquito Fleet: Over 40 makeshift and auxiliary vessels—including yachts, local tugs, river gunboats, and requisitioned steamers like HMS Vyner Brooke—scrambled to rescue thousands of fleeing civilians, wounded personnel, and military technicians.
• The Deadly Gauntlet: Lacking adequate air cover, the slow-moving flotilla had to navigate a deadly gauntlet through the Bangka Strait and Riau Archipelago. Japanese bombers systematically hunted the ships down from the air, sinking the majority of them.
• Tragic Aftermath: Thousands of survivors who managed to swim ashore or use lifeboats were either captured by the Japanese, left stranded on remote islands, or killed in war crimes such as the Bangka Island Massacre.
• Of the 181 passengers and crew on board the HMS Vyner Brooke, approximately 150 survived the initial bombing and made it to Bangka Island. Their subsequent fates were divided into three stark groups:
• The Initial Casualties: 12 Australian Army nurses and several crew members drowned or died of wounds during the air attack.

The Radji Beach Massacre: A group of survivors—including 22 Australian nurses, wounded soldiers, and civilians—gathered on Radji Beach to surrender. Japanese soldiers massacred the men first, then ordered the nurses into the sea and machine-gunned them from behind. Only four people on the beach survived the massacre: 

1. nurse Sister Vivian Bullwinkel (who feigned death),
2. a British sailor,
3. an American civilian
4. a British soldier.

The Prisoners of War (POWs): The remaining survivors scattered across the island were captured and spent over three years in brutal Japanese internee camps. Out of the 65 original nurses on board, only 24 survived the entire ordeal to return home to Australia.

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

28 Juyly 2026: 1.22 a.m