1st btn FMSVF And Cadet Corps

Military link

SMI has had a long link with the military.

During the 2nd World War, one teacher, Mr Ernest Fitzpatrick was called up for war service. He was a member of the 1st Battalion (Perak) Federated Malay States Volunteer Force (1st Btn (Pk) FMSVF).

Mr Fitzpatrick was also active in the school's cadet corps with another FMSVF volunteer, Mr Teh Swee Kang, a teacher at SMI.

Sometime in late 1939 or 1940 when WW2 was raging in Europe, the Governor in Singapore, Sir Shenton Thomas, ordered all European volunteers to report for active duty. The Asian volunteers were exempted.

At that time in the 1st Btn FMSVF there were about 30 officers and 200 other ranks among the Europeans. There was a total of about 900 in the battalion, including Asians, in 1939.

Mr Fitzpatrick was a Pvt in the 1st Btn FMSVF and was detailed as machine-gunner. Very little infomation is available on the FMSVF exploits. What little there is, is from surviving members still living and documents in private hands. One such detailed list of Asian and European volunteer is being compiled by a researcher who is the son of a volunteer in the 2nd Btn FMSVF (Selangor).

It is known that that there were two platoons of 1st Btn FMSVF machine-gunners during the Battle of Kampar. One of them comprised of machine-gunners from Ipoh under the command of 2nd Lieutenant Bill Greetham. It is fairly certain that Mr Fitzpatrick was with this platoon.

2nd Lt. Greetham died of malaria as a POW in Changi prison. All records of his platoon were lost and non has surfaced since.

(We are trying to get info from the other MG platoon commander, Captain John Mackie, who is in his 90's and currently residing in NZ.)

Contrary to popular belief that Mr Fitzpatrick was killed in Kampar, it has been established that Mr Fitzpatrick survived the Kampar battle and was in the defence of Singapore right up to the surrender on February 15th 1942.

A contact of mine, Jonathan Moffatt, has been able to provide me with invaluable information that Mr Fitzpatrick was in a group of about 60 men remaining from the 1st Btn FMSVF fighting withdrawal. In February 1942, these soldiers were manning machine guns on Pulau Blakang Mati (Sentosa Island), guarding Keppel Harbour approaches. They were mixed with another 70 from the Selangor 2nd Btn FMSVF machine-gunners.

At least nine 1st FMSVF members made a successful escape from Singapore after the surrender.

It is believed that Mr Fitzpatrick and about 50 others from different services made their escape from Pulau Blakang Mati to Pulau Bintan in Indonesia. There, they were caught by the Japanese and massacred.

The massacre is well documented but not the names of those who died. Mr Fitzpatrick is believed to be one of those who perished. A number of them are recorded in the commonwealth war graves commission registry as killed, 15-2-1942, NKG (no known grave).

As there was a lot of confusion during February 1942, It must be stated that there is no certainty that Mr Fitzpatrick died on Pulau Bintan. He may have perished aboard the number of ships that left Singapore but were bombed by the Japanese with almost no survivors.

There is another account that claims Mr. Fitzpatrick was killed by japanese sniper fire on the 14th of February 1942.

Although there no one who is able to state with any certainty, which is the correct version, one thing is definite. Mr Fitzpatrick was killed in action and is recorded as such on the Kranji War Memorial. There is no known grave for him.

The name, Pvt Ernest Edward Fitzpatrick 1st Bn FMSVF, is recorded on column 392 at the Kranji War Memorial, Singapore.