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Pilot Officer R G Young
Evacuation Ship, Tien Kwang (Chinese Coastal Patrol), boat 200-300 tons
Prisoner of War Camp, Mulo School, Palembang, Sumatra
At 1100 hrs 13 Feb 1942 the A.O.C came to Raffles Library and ordered us to Batavia, Java.
We did this and embarked at 1600 hrs 13th Feb on the Tien Kuang and sailed at 1800 hrs. P/O Farwell was detailed to take our AHQ Unit. There were about 300 Passengers on our ship, Army and RAF. The Latter included 307 and 250 Squadrons amongst whom were the following officers, Acting Sqdn Leader Farwell, F/Lts Ben Dickson, Cocks, Dykes, P/O Jackson, Chester, Knowles and myself.
At about 0500 hrs 14th Feb we anchored off Pom pom Island in the company with the ship Kuala. At daylight we saw the ship Kung Wo at anchor in open sea, she had been attacked by bombers the evening before, but no hits had been registered and personnel had abandoned ship. At about 1100 hrs 14 Feb Japanese bombers attacked and sank her and then turned round and headed in our direction. The Kuala was Attacked first and several hits were registered, she was set on fire and all on board who were able to do so abandoned ship. We in the Tien Kuang were ordered to do the same. In the interval between abandoning ship and getting ashore, the bomber attacked the Tien Kuang but no hits were made and the ship was afloat when darkness came. An attempt was made by Captain Briggs and his staff to get the Tien Kuang under way but she had been holed in the bows and was making more water than the pumps could cope with, therefore the rations were moved to the island and the ship was scuttled.
On the 17th Feb a motor barge was despatched to Pom pom from Sinjkep and about 60 bomb casualties were sent to Ringet. Subsequently three more motor transports arrived and about 200 personnel were also taken to Ringet for Padang. The remaining 250 personnel on Pom pom Island were taken to Kuala Raja in three Chinese Tonkings on the 20th Feb arriving at Kuala Raja on the 21st Feb. From Sinjkep all service personnel were transported to the Indragiri River on route for Padang.
F/Lt Connell obtained permission for a party including myself and Cpl McGahen to make their own way to Batvia. We left at 1200 hrs on the 25th Feb in a Malay boat and were five weeks at sea before we met a Malay in a fishing village and learnt from him of the fall of Java. This Malay had previously assisted several similar parties en route to Java. He told us that our route further south was overrun with Japanese patrols and we followed his suggestion to hide out at his village, named Kutupak, some 50 miles from the sea on the Sungei Lumphr. We arrived there on the 4th of April.
A Malay named Ahamed who was in the pay of the Japanese came and advised us to go with him to Palembang. We arrived at Palembang at about 1500 hrs on the 8th of April and were taken to a Japanese officers mess and from there to the Prisoner of War camp at Mulo School.
P/O Tongue was killed on the 14th Feb 1942.
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