HMS Giang BeeCOFEPOWWord格式文档下载.docx

HMS Giang BeeCOFEPOWWord格式文档下载.docx

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[Version1.2.0;

March2010]

The“HMSGiangBee”,aChinese-ownedcoastalsteamerrequisitionedandusedasapatrolvessel,leftSingaporeHarbour–accordingtoastatementmadebyanumberofthosewhowereonboard–at10p.m.onThursday12thFebruary1942.AlthoughCaptainLancaster,incommandoftheship,initiallyrefusedtotakecivilianpassengersbecausehesawthedangersattachedtoashipdesignatedasawarship,shewasloadedwithupto300refugees（onesurvivor,GordonReisbelievedtheretobe350peopleonboard）whoweremostlywomen,childrenandtheelderly.AllherMalaycrewhadbeenorderedashoreinSingaporebeforesheleft,sothatthecrewconsistedofahandfulofRNVRpersonnelandsomepassengerswhovolunteeredtobestokersetc.

Shewasbombedandsuffereddamageduringthedayof13thFebruary,andintheevening,afteralongstand-offwithaJapanesedestroyer,shewasshelledandsunkintheBankaStrait.Therehadneverbeenenoughlifeboatsforthoseonboard,andtwoofthemhadbeenseriouslydamagedbytheday’sbombing.Duetothisandthespeedwithwhichtheshipsank,alargenumberofliveswerelost.

WhilstthereappearstohaveinitiallybeenanattemptbytheJapanesetohandlethesurrenderoftheshipinasomewhatcivilisedmanner,inthefinaleventtheJapanesewarshipsshowednohumanityordecencywhentheywereinfullknowledgethattheshipcontainedciviliansandahugenumberofwomenandchildren.Inawartimesituationatseaitmaybeunderstandabletheydidnotstopandpickupsurvivors,buttoleavewithoutevenjettisoningflotationdevicesforthewomenandchildrenshowsacompletelackofhumanvalues.

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The“GiangBee”（1646tonnes）hadbeenbuiltinRotterdamin1908andwasoriginallynamedthe“Reijnierz”.In1939shehadbeensoldtotheHeapEngMohSSCoandrenamed“GiangBee”.Shehadfourlifeboats–eachcouldcarry32people.Throughoutthisdocumentshewillbenotedasthe“GB”.InApril1941theshewasrequisitionedintonavalservice.Shecarriedafourinchgunanddepthcharges（ST）.

TheGiangBeehadbeenbusyinthefewweeksbeforeherfinaldeparturefromSingapore.Onthe29thJanuarysherescuedeightsurvivorsformtheH.M.S.Thanet,adestroyerwhichhadbeensunkthreedayspreviouslywhenattackedbyaJapaneselightcruiser,threedestroyersandaminesweeper.Thefollowingday,shepickedupamixedpartyof56Britishtroops:

fifty-fourfromtheThanetandtwoR.A.F.pilotswhohadbeenpickedupbytheThanet’sboat.

Whilstmanyofthepeoplewhoboardedtheshiponthatnightofthe12thFebruaryweresimplyindividualsdesperatetoleaveabombed,burningandshatteredSingapore,therewerestrongsocialdynamicsatworkamongstthefloodofpeoplewhohadcrowdedintoSingaporeinthepreviousmonth.Thishadresultedingroupsoffriends,extendedfamiliesandcompanyemployeesworkingtogethertosurviveandescapebymeansofstayingingroupstheytrustedandloved.

Amongstthoseonthe“GB’wereseverallargeextendedfamilygroups,mostnotablytheBoswells,Schoolings,Dumbletons,Collins,vanBurensandvanGeysels;

seniorwomenfromtheMalayaYWCAandtheSingaporeYWCA;

peoplewhokneweachotherthroughtheSingaporeRecreationClub;

agroupofprofessionaljockeysandtrainersfromtheSingaporeTurfClubandMalayanracecourses,tenemployeesoftheMinistryofInformationandtheremaining‘skeleton’staffoftheMalayanBroadcastingCorporationandanumberofnewspapermen.StafffromWilliamJacks&

Co.（Malaya）Ltd.andseveralpartnersfromthePenanglawfirmLean&

Co.Manyplantersandminerswereaboard.

Forreasonsyettobeansweredinthisresearch,itisnoticeablethatseveraltheverylastfewshipstoleaveSingaporehadaverylargeproportionofEurasiansamongsttheircivilianpassengers.ThequestionhastobeaskedwhetherEurasianswerehavingevenmoretroublethantheBritishfamiliesduringJanuaryandFebruary1942gettingtheelusive‘tickets’fromtheP&

Orepresentativeorthefewthousandofficialpassesissuedbythemilitary/governmentauthoritiesinthelastfewdays.

The“GB”wasoneofabout44shipsthatleftSingaporeinlooseconvoyformationduringthe12thand13thofFebruary–tragicallythe“GB”wastobeoneofthe40orsooftheselittleshipswhichnevermadeittosafety.ItseemsthatonlythreeoffourshipssuccessfullymadeportinBataviaafewdayslater.

Theexcellentbooks“SinisterTwilight”byNoelBarberand“Singapore’sDunkirk”byGeoffreyBrookegivegoodaccountsofthelasthoursoftheGBandtheyhavebeenusedtocreatemuchofthefollowingsummary.

Afterrepeatedairattacksduringthedayofthe13thFebruary1942andwhenabout170milessouthofSingaporeJapanesewarshipssuddenlyappearedoverthehorizon;

CaptainLancaster（mostsensiblyintheeyesofthisresearcher）orderedtheWhiteEnsigntobeloweredandalsothatallwomenandchildrenshouldshowthemselvesondeck.

TwoJapanesedestroyersapproachedtheGBathighspeed,oneofthemsignallinginincomprehensibleMorsecode,andstoppedwithinhalfamileoftheGBwhenoneofthemsentalaunchtowardstheGB.ItwaswithinahundredandfiftyyardsoftheGBwhenanRAForDutchbomber（GordonReisinhisdiarystatesthereweretwobombers）fromSumatrasuddenlyappearedandbegancirclingoverhead;

theJapanesedestroyersopenedfire,thebomberflewoff,andtheJapaneserecalledtheirlaunch.

Thenfollowedalonguneasywaitthatcontinuedthroughthedayintoduskandnight,whenthedestroyersthentrainedtheirsearchlightsontheGB.

Atabout7.30pmCaptainLancaster（itappearsafteraninstructionsignalledbytheJapanesefortheshiptobeabandoned）orderedallwomenandchildrentotaketothelifeboats–50orsoineachboat–andastrongtidalcurrentsoonsweptthelifeboatsasternoftheGB.Itwasduringthispartoftheeventsthatearlierairraiddamagewasrevealed–damagedloweringropesononelifeboatpartedasitwasbeingloweredintotheseaanditspilleditspassengersintothedarknessoftheocean;

thesecondlifeboatwasloweredintotheseabutithadbeenholedbybombsplintersandsoonbegantakingwaterandsank.

Thiswaswhereitappearsthatatleasthalfofthewomen,childrenandmenmissingfromthe“GiangBee”losttheirlivesandtwosurvivorsrecordedinanguishthemomentasoneofhorror–firstlyMr.M.J.V.Millerinhisdiary（IWM88/62/1）recalled“…IshallneverforgetthataslongasIlive,andthesoundoflittlechildrencallingoutfortheirmotherswillbeforeverinmyears,itwassimplyheartrending…”andalsointhediaryofGordonReis“…whenIgotintoourlifeboatthescreamsforhelpwereappalling–mostlywomen’svoices–obviouslyfromthedamagedlifeboatsandnowstrugglinginthesea…”.Whenresearchingthisdocumentitbecameapparentthatthevastmajorityofthewomenandchildrenlistedinthefollowingpagesaslostinthisawfulattackonthe“GB”wouldhavebeenthefirstpeopleorderedontothefirsttwolifeboatsandwouldhavedrownedthatnightinthesea.Someotherwomenrefusedtoleavetheirwoundedhusbandsbehindonboardtheshipandwouldhavelosttheirlivesinthesinking.

Twofurtherlifeboatssuccessfullylaunchedwithabout100peopleinthemcombined.

Whenthelastlifeboathadbeencastofftherewerestillabout100peopleonboard,sotheCaptainsentthe13footharbourdinghywithRobScottandthreeotherstotryandmakecontactwiththedestroyers.

Regrettablythedestroyerskeptmanoeuvringawayfromthedinghysothiseffortfailed.

Oneofthedestroyersthenapparentlysignalledforthe‘GB’tobeabandonedbecausetheywereintendingtosinkher.

Ataboutthispointmanyofthosestillonboardtooktothesea（GBIR）.

Thenabout21.30pmonedestroyerfiredsixshellsintotheGBwhichcaughtfire,glowedredfromstemtosternandsankwithinafewminutes.“…Terrifiedfigurescouldbeseenjumpingfromthetarget’sdeck,soonablazefromendtoend…”（SDGB）.

Thedestroyersthenleftwithseveralhundredwomen,childrenandmenstrugglinganddrowninginthesea.

Itseemsthatmosttheofficersandcrewdiedeitheronboardastheshipwentdownoraftertakingtotheseainthedarknesswithoutaboatorraft.Withthemwentanumberofwoundedmenonthedecksorshelteringinthecabinsandbunkers.

“…Inonelifeboat[thatsuccessfullylaunched]56personsreachedlandatDjaboes,BangkaIsland,whilstthesecondlifeboatwith42personsreachedthecoastofSumatra.FifteenoccupantsofthelatterboatwerebroughttoMuntokin“HMSTapah”,sevenmadetheirwaytoPalembang,andfiveChinesewhosenamesarenotknown…”（NIRC）.”…FifteensurvivorstriedtoreachJavainashipslifeboatincludingHughMorton,incharge,secondengineer“HMSLipis”,Rae,navalrating;

V.R.Tretchikoff,WarrenPublicityCo.,Singapore;

MissHicksW.YWCAworker;

MissBrickman（sic）YWCAworker…“（RecordcompiledbytheNetherlandsIndiesRedCross）.

RobScott’sdinghypickedupafewsurvivorsand,afterfivedaysatsea,finallyreachedthecoastofSumatra–hewasinternedandlatersentbacktoSingaporetobeinterrogatedandtortured.LatertobeknightedasSirRobertScottand,postwar,aPermanentSecretaryoftheMinistryofDefencehewroteadetailedaccountofthiswholeordeal.

Almostallthesurvivorsendedupineitherthemen’sinternmentcamporthewomen’sinternmentcampatPalembang–onerecordstates23menwereinternedinthemen’scampatPalembangand47womenandchildreninthewomen’scamp.AccordingtotheStraitsTimesof24.6.45,thedeathrateforthemigrat