SINGAPORE MUTINY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2510, 10 July 1915, Page 13

SINGAPORE MUTINY

A GRUESOME BUSINESS

; GERMAN MONEY AT WORK

HEW ZEALANDERS MURDERED

.. lhere is at present visiting Wellington a gentleman, who happened to be m ouigapore at tlio time of the recent reT? 0 1 I na ' ;lvo troops, tho facts of wliich the cable messages told so little, and yet it was probably the most serious affair of its land since the Indian Mutiny, alia had it not boon nipped in the bud the streets and quays of Singapore would probably; have run red with blood. :

■ ''It. was the sth Regiment of Light Infantry (Sepoys) who made the trouble. Ihey- had heen set to guard about 400 interned Germans at the barracks, whore the Germans were kept in a compound surrounded by barbed wire entanglements, and it is supposed (states our informant) that during that time a scheme to revolt, murder all the English in Singapore, and liberate, the Germans was hatched. The actual outbreak occurred on Monday, February 15, but on the Saturday afternoon previous, owing to a whisper of trouble, the men of, the sth were relieved at the barracks by. volunteers. It was at about 3 p.m. on the Monday that the Sepoys broke out, seized- ammunition, shot two of then- officers dead (Lieutenant Elliott and another), and then took to the adjacent roads. • One party attacked Colonel Martin (officer commanding the regiment) in his'bungalow,' but did not' succeed in killing ,him. Another party took another road, and met a motorcar, which they held up and killed-Mr. Woolcombe (formerly of Timaru), as-, sjstant manager of the Eastern Extension Company at Singapore) and his wife. (nee_ Miss Michie, a daughter of Mr. Michie, formerly a well-known bank manager in New, 'Zealand) v ' An Heroic Act. "Another car full of Englishmen were also butchered remorsely by being shot at a range of three or four yards. Those who wer© killed were Mr. Geo.' Wald (formerly of Adelaide), Mr. C. L. Smith (of England), both of the Eastern Extension Co.'s staff, and Mr. T. A. Flett was seriously wounded. Flett's action' was particularly heroic. When the trouble commenced he forced Mrs. Wald to the bottom of the car,'and threw his legs over ;hor'. The native soldiers fired volleys in the car until satisfied that all the .occupants were dead. They even came back to take a final look, when Flett simulated death. No fewer than six bullets were taken out of Flett's legs after relief came,» and Mrs. Wald was unharmed." ■ .! "There was .little doubt that the whole devilish outrage was instigated by Germans, for as soon as the regiment broke barracks a section of them rushed to the Timglan barrack, where the Germans were interned,- shot six of the guard, and liberated the Germans." And how did the Germans behave? "They were very good. The.v took the bodies of the dead who had beenon guard inside, and attended to a'volunteer who was wounded. Sixteen of them got away —probably tho sixteen who wished to do so. • ~ Jack Tar to the Roscuo. "News of the trouble soon spread; The 'gunboat Cadmus happened to be in port,' and she landed about 70 men with two' Maxims, and went down the road to deal with the -mutineers who had killed Woolcombe' and his party. Tiioy gave a good account of thernonly lost-one man;., .In,the meantime every , able-bodied 1 Britisher was mobilised and given a rifle and ammunition. Tho English women and children were called'. in, «id. placed in; Government House and the three principal hotels, over which a guard was set, and the next day thoy vero R ll removed, to the transport Nile , and three of the Cable Co.'s steamers then in the harbour, in case the trouble continued; Wireless messages recalled the French warship Montcalm, which arrived on the tlurd day, and at onco landed a strong force. Good'shelter .was afforded tho mutineers by tlio thick jungle that came, close up to tho .road leading out of wm,. and for a couple' of ■ weeks afterwards there were sniping skirmishes between the disaffected soldiers and the naval forces and volunteers, but gradually the district was beaten clear ofi the mutineers in an increasing circle every day, and eventually it was considered safe for people to return to their homes-in the suburbs* Gorman Treachery. What appears to prove German complicity were three outstanding factors '■—many of the captured soldiers were found in the possession of sovereigns (an unwonted possession in the case of a sepoy), no attempt was made to shoot French or Dutch., residents, and that Mr. Doihan, the manager, for Ben Myors and Co., the. strongest trading company in Singapore, was among, those who escaped. He and ten others-got/ away together—six were recaptured, but Doihan is said to have reachcd Sumatra; ' : . : ' . '' ;' , "In all there were some fifty British casualties, forty of whom were shot dead. The Court-martial has been sitting for some time' dealing' with the mutineers as they were captured. Up to tho day I left 50 of them , had been shot. Five were shot on the day I left. Singapore—May 28. Many others had been given., sentences varying-from life to one year.. An Orgy of Blood. "It' was afterwards stated that the mutineers had a complete scheme worked out to seize Singapore. It was to. have' started at 9 p.m. on the Monday with . a simultaneous advance oil till© police stations; Government House, and the officers of the Regiment, and thereafter.'there was to have been an •orgy of blood. On. account: of England-' being at war the whole . matter was hushed up as far as possible, l and tho Singapore papers only 'had a para-, graphio reference tothe tragedy. Sine© then, : however, fairly full official reports of the affair have been published pi Singapore."