When There were Tigers in Singapore

M. Schirmer Edmund

Description

Japan invades and captures the British colony of Singapore in 1942. All Europeans on the island are being interned. Edward Schirmer, the author's grandfather, faces a dilemma - he is German but born as a British subject. In a strange stroke of fortune, he finds himself friends with General Tomoyuki Yamashita, the famed 'Tiger of Malaya'. Seeing the fate of the other Europeans, Edward reluctantly lets the Japanese assume he is a friendly German national - only Yamashita knows otherwise. The secret of his true identity remains between the two men only but when politics removes the protective Yamashita from the picture, betrayal ensues and Edward finds himself in prison, his family scattered. The autobiography then moves on to the true-life account of Edward's son and the author's father, Hans Schirmer - a hellish tale of a six year-old boy's quest for survival, alone on the streets of a war-torn vanquished nation, where everyone is hungry and racial tension is rife, where martial law allows the occupiers to summarily execute at will. Amid the horrors of the post-war years, a young boy learns to live, while witnessing an epic moment in history.

Sujets

• Histoire
• World War II
• Singapore
• History of Asia
• Japan
• Singapour

Informations

• Publié par: MarshallCavendishM
• Date de parution: 01 juin 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789814408844
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Read this for yourself!
...Schirmer is a naturally gifted storyteller, with an amazing account of how his family suffered through the WWII years in Singapore. The painful events are vivid and heartbreaking, and the celebration of courage, generosity and risk-taking is tremendously inspiring.
- Don Bosco;
Author of the Time Talisman series
A true page turner filled with romance, history and heroics!
A must read for enthusiasts of WWII and Singapore history. Schirmer has painstakingly unearthed the real faces of heroes from the West who settle down in the East. Based on true life accounts, we are taken on a journey from one man named Edward Schirmer, and then through the personal life of his son Hans Schirmer-amidst the ravages of Japanese occupation in a small growing nation in Southeast Asia-and his dedication to the people around him.
- Shawn Peter
Author of Perseverance-The Power Is Within You
I couldn t put this down!
What a fantastic book! This had me up nights. A great combination of history and humanity, and splendidly written... It really got me thinking about the characters, and I learned a lot about Singapore during WWII. It sure had me feeling like I was witnessing events for myself, and I was in tears several times. A very worthwhile read. Can hardly wait for the next one!
- Rachel Buck;
Language Teacher

2012 Edmund M. Schirmer
This edition published in 2012 by Marshall Cavendish Editions
An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International
1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196
Cover design by Cover Kitchen
Designed by Benson Tan
Photographs of the Schirmer family are from a private collection. All other photographs are reproduced courtesy of Creative Commons Licenses and the Public Domain. Original sources include: Wikipedia Commons, U.S. Army, Imperial War Museum (U.K.), Australian War Memorial, German Federal Archive, the Japanese Government, the People s Republic of China, Yesterday.sg and Flickr.com . The reproduction of these photographs or images does not imply endorsement by any of these entities.
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Request for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196. Tel: [phone], fax: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail] . Website: www.marshallcavendish.com/genref
The publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this book, and specifically disclaims any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose, and shall in no events be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
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Marshall Cavendish is a trademark of Times Publishing Limited
National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Schirmer, Edmund M.
When there were tigers in Singapore / Edmund M. Schirmer. - Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2012.
p. cm.
eISBN : 978-981-4408-84-4
Singapore - History - Japanese occupation, 1942-1945 -Biography. I. Title.
DS610.55
957.5703092 - dc23 OCN794026178
Printed by KWF Printing Pte Ltd
DEDICATION
For my father, Hans Schirmer
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
There is no way I could have written this book without the love, help and support of certain individuals. Simply saying the words Thank You seems to be such an insignificant gesture, in comparison to the gratitude I actually feel. Nevertheless, I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation.
To begin, Dad (without whom I would have nothing to write about!). For always being there for me...
Mom, for your love and patience, even when I drove you nuts all those years...
My sister Pat, for your critique and for being the Pooh to my Piglet...
My wife Corina, for too many reasons to list. Right there, reading and re-reading all the drafts, sharing Dad s history with me, pulling me back when I got lost. You could have run away screaming a long time ago. Glad that you didn t...
My sons Colton and Garret, for many reasons also, but most of all, for putting up with your old man. You are the future...
The Londons-Jim and Freda, Darrin and Tina. For all the encouragement over the years, for believing in me...
All my friends in Singapore, the Bedok Buddies (you know who you are!) but especially Choon, Colin and Chris Smith and your families. You guys have always been there when I really needed you...
The Sebana gang-Tim and Chris, Kevin and Winnie, and your wonderful families...
John and May Harding, for all the professional tips, support and encouragement throughout this process. Hans would have loved it...
Last but definitely not least, Chris Toh, Don Bosco, Mindy Pang, Lee Mei Lin and the good folks at Marshall Cavendish. For all your good ideas, your encouragement, your trust and your patience...
CONTENTS
Prologue
Author s Note
PART ONE: EDWARD
Chapter 1 - Singapore
Chapter 2 - The Mauritius Islands
Chapter 3 - Finding Home Again
Chapter 4 - When There Were Tigers In Singapore
Chapter 5 - Florence Chia
Chapter 6 - Courtship
Chapter 7 - Friends And Family
Chapter 8 - Florence Schirmer
Chapter 9 - Generations
Chapter 10 - Boys
Chapter 11 - Resentment
Chapter 12 - A Trip Downtown
PART TWO: LOSING PARADISE
Introduction
Winds Of War
The Battle Of Malaya
The Tiger Of Malaya
The Battle For Singapore
Chapter 1 - Calm Before The Storm
Chapter 2 - War In Paradise
Chapter 3 - Air Battles
Chapter 4 - Coming Under Fire
Chapter 5 - The Surrender
Chapter 6 - Meeting The Tiger
Chapter 7 - A Friend Of The Empire
Chapter 8 - Sook Ching
Chapter 9 - Farewell To The Tiger
Chapter 10 - Eng Guan
Chapter 11 - Betrayal
Chapter 12 - Everything Falls Apart
Chapter 13 - Where Do We Go From Here?
Chapter 14 - Where Is Everybody?
Chapter 15 - Carl And Eugene
Chapter 16 - The Journey Begins
Chapter 17 - Interrogation
Chapter 18 - The Outram Road Jail
Chapter 19 - Life On The Streets
Chapter 20 - I Will Always Be With You
PART THREE: HANS
Chapter 1 - Alone In The Crowd
Chapter 2 - The Cowboy And The Indian
Chapter 3 - Superfortress
Chapter 4 - The Americans
Chapter 5 - Back On The Streets
Chapter 6 - Operation Rimau
Chapter 7 - U-235 And Pu-239
Chapter 8 - Coming Down From Niitaka
Chapter 9 - The Relief
Chapter 10 - The Road To Recovery
Chapter 11 - Reunited
Chapter 12 - Aftermath
Epilogue
About The Author
PROLOGUE
December 8 th 1941, approximately 0415 hour (local time) Ubin Island-Located between Singapore and Malaya
Wake up, Hansel ... it s begun. You ll want to see this.
The tiger is back!
Three year-old Hans Felix Schirmer sat up in his bed. He was still in that drowsy sort of state where he could never be sure what he was hearing was real or only a dream.
Papa will get him this time! But why is it so dark, though? And why are there bees buzzing?
Edward Henry Schirmer picked up his tired son. We ll be safe enough here, he said in a reassuring voice. The Japanese have nothing to gain by bombing this island. If it is indeed the Japanese flying over-I don t quite know yet. But we must not turn on any lights, alright? Come and see, though. This is unbelievable!
Carrying the small boy, Edward walked through the dark house and out the front door. He put his son down. They stood together on the attap palm-frond covered porch and looked in the direction of southwest, toward the main island of Singapore.
I couldn t sleep, so I got up to walk around. Then I heard these aeroplanes, Edward said, motioning upwards.
A flight of Mitsubishi twin engine bombers droned loudly overhead, invisible in the cover of the cloudy tropical sky.
So that s what that sound was. Funny! They do sound like bees...
A warm glow filled the southern sky. Edward turned toward it and watched incredulously. The bloody fools! Why are all the street lights still on? Don t they know what they are doing?
Within minutes, they could see fiery orange balls rising into the sky in the direction of the Sembawang Naval Base, which was to the west of them. These were immediately followed by the sound of explosions. The balls of flame seemed somewhat tiny because of the distance, and to little Hans, the explosions sounded more like the fireworks on Chinese New Year. Yet-even to the three year-old-it was obvious that these things were not happening for fun. Intermittent pops from the anti-aircraft guns rang between the explosions, while searchlights clawed the night sky.
By now, Hans was fully awake-there was no longer any doubt in his mind that this was not a dream. He clutched his father. Although there was no real need to, he kept his voice to a whisper, caution compelled by instinct.
Papa, I m scared!
Don t worry, Son. We re safe here. They know they would only be wasting their bombs on some silly coconut trees if they drop them here. I feel sorry for the poor buggers on the main island, though. I need to go and check on the others. Do you want to stay here and watch?
Hans nodded, unable to take his eyes off the southern sky. Papa was always right, so he felt safe staying on the porch alone.
Edward went back in the house to find his young Chinese wife holding their two younger sons. Carl Johann was al