Our Man in Malaya by Margaret Shennan 2007
When the Japanese invaded Malaya in the Second World War, John Davis’s service in that country could have ended. Determined to help the land he had come to love, however, he transferred from the Federated Malay States – M16 – and then, in 1942, to the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
Escaping to India by fishing boat as Japan established its grip in the Far East, Davis set about planning the infiltration of Chinese intelligence agents and British officers into the Malayan peninsula. In 1943 he entered Occupied Malaya by submarine, as Mountbatten’s representative in charge of the Resistance mission, known as Force 136. After striking up a friendship with the youthful Chin Peng, Davis led negotiations at the end of 1943 with the Anti-Japanese Forces and the Malayan Community Party under the enigmatic Lai Tak. Their Agreement effectively enabled the British to return unopposed in 1945.
From 1947 Davis held key positions in the Malayan Civil Service, was Mentioned in Despatches, and was awarded two Malay honours for his contribution to Malaya’s security, to add to his British wartime CBE and DSO.
In the twelve-year Emergency Davis pitted his energy and know-how with increasing success in the jungle war against the Communist forces, in which Chin Peng, as General Secretary of the Malayan Communist Party, had become Britain’s Public Enemy No 1. However, memories of their wartime friendship survived. In 1955 the two met under a truce at Baling, and in 1998, the fiftieth anniversary of the Emergency, the Communist leader visited John at his home in England.
Radical, sometimes a maverick, and a man of strong convictions, John Davis was more than an extraordinarily courageous hero of the Second World War: he became an iconic figure in Malaya’s colonial history. Now his story can be told for the first time and is illustrated by photographs from his personal albums.
The book’s ISBN (Hardcover) is 978-0-7509-4710-7
Pretty nice post. I just came across your blog and wanted to say
that I’ve really enjoyed browsing your posts. Anyway
I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!
i agree with April. and i came to know this wbsite after reading ika’s message in exmilitarymates.com. i really enjoyed browsing this website. Well done!
and im looking for any information on sungai siput 1948-1960. please help me.
Hi Jeya, we do have some items about Sungei Siput during the Malaysian Emergency already on our database archive. They mostly relate to Communists and the Security Forces. What are you looking for exactly? If you let us know we might be able to assist.
im looking for any info on sungei siput such as the new villages, statistics,operations, the realtionship amongst the races etc.
Some of that is more difficult. Operation Ginger was centred on Sungei Siput and we have some stuff on that. We also have the book “Operation Ginger” by Dato’ Seri Yuen Yuet Leng in our library (search for ‘books’ and “ginger”. Perhaps we can discuss this more as I have just mailed you my phone number.
Ika,
i have the copy of the book. And I have some documents of sungei siput and photos from the archives. We can meet up to exchange views. I mailed my num. too
Jeya, I look forward to it. Thanks.
At the moment there is no stock of the book “Our Man in Malaya” in Malaysia, but it can be ordered from MPH at RM149.90. This is the hardback edition. A paperback edition is not available.
Hi Nicole, you can order the book from http://bookweb.kinokuniya.co.jp/indexohb.cgi?AREA=05. Just type in the title in the Search Box and it comes up. RM132.
I am suprised that while Sybil Kathigesu is mentioned, another one of the ten Malayan heros of Malaya, Gurcharan Singh, more popularly known as SINGA appears to have been forgotten.he single handedly organised rebelious and popular anti japanese publication, along with a few incidents of sabotaging and blwoing up Japanese lines of communications, trains and killing soldiers.He became part of the PMs Protection Squad and died in an accident in 1965.There was a popular book written by him about his exploits, but looks like it is out of print currently.
Not forgotten, indeed we have a photograph of him and his father but almost no information. The book is called, “Singa, the lion of Malaya” / being the memoirs of Gurchan Singh ; with an introduction by Gilbert Khoo, – but we only have a poor quality photocopy.
If you could provide us with some accurate information we wopuld be delighted to post it on this site with his photograph.
In the meantime, welcome to ipohWorld.
Hi Ika. I am actually looking for that book. His brother Tan Sri G.S Gill actually promised to mail me a copy but unfortunately, maybe due to his age, seems like he has forgotten about it.
highwaymaninnewfoundland@yahoo.com
I am actually researching him for my school archive project as Singa was from Methodist Boys’ School, Kuala Lumpur. He climbed Mount Everest with another Singaporean before WW1 and unfortunately the Singaporean fell to his death and his body could not be retrieved due to the narrow steep way on the mountain.
Hi Leong, if we can help you in any way do let us know. Education is our primary role.
Sorry for the late reply!
Ika, do you know where to get that Singa book? Looks likes its so hard to get an used copy, let alone NEW!!!
The book is out of print and there are no copies in the normal internet shops like Amazon. Therefore it is almost impossible to get one. So I am unable to help. I would also like a copy for our library.
Ika
When I was on operations in the Ipoh area we used trackes cut into the jungle by the Japanese to attack the resistance fighters.It was possible to get 1ton lorries down some of them for some distance.
They must have given the Japanese a lot of trouble.
Siu Mar was killed 1958 in the Ipoh area
Ika
The book is available from Amazon UK. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Man-Malaya-Post-war-Counter-insurgency/dp/0750947101
Hello,
Please call Singa’s son, Mr Kartar Singh at Kl no. 03-22834717 for more info.
Thank you