A Day of Infamy - 65 Years On

[Dave Homewood]

On the 7th of December 1941, Japan attacked British and Empire interests in Malaya and Singapore, drawng New Zealand into a new front of the war. The RNZAF was in the thick of fighting for the next few weeks with No. 488 Squadron, RAF, and many more men in other RAF squadrons in defence of those countries, plus No. 1 Aerodrome Construction Squadron who were forced to evacuate.

Of course in reality here in NZ it was the 8th of December, as the date rememebred is US time when the Japanese simultaneously attacked Hawaii's Pearl Harbor, creating one of the great surprise attacks in history (and eventuallly one of the worst films!).

For the next four years the Allies would have to defend our own and other countries, and huge sacrifices were made by all three of our NZ Armed Services before victory was acheived.

Lest We Forget

[phil82]

But you're not infamous are you? Are you?

Happy Birthday Dave!

[phil82]

I have a direct link to the landing of Japanese troops in Kedah State of east Malaya.

The reason they were there was because the water shoals very gently and it provides very easy access for troops, which the Japanese knew of course. There were defences, like pill-boxes, but they were overrun very quickly, and the Japs nipped off down the Malay peninsula smartly. The pillboxes were left where they were, and are still there.

My connection? Well, the Japs also built an airfield a few miles from the beach, called Gong Kedah, which the Brits later sealed, and which, during Confrontation, various squadrons used for exercises away from Tengah. I was on one such exercise with 14 Sqn, and once we were delivered by trusty Beverley courtesy of the RAF, we set about the usual essentials, filling drums with ice to keep the beer cool etc, and a quick trip to the beach to cool off. Now the beach, as I said, was very gently shelved, so you could be a long way out and still be only up to your waist. I was in such a position when I stood on something which wriggled underfoot, and you get and instant replay in you mind of everything that can bite or kill you and lives in the sea, and I set off for the beach; across the top of the water, at a zillion miles an hour. I hit the beach in a huge cloud of spray from my flailing feet, and ran straight into a submerged piece of pill box, and broke my big toe.

I still can't bend it fully!