Graham Clayton - Last Stand in Singapore: The Story of 488 Squadron Rnzaf

1. 1 To Singapore the journey begins
   488 Squadron travels to its new posting
2. 2 An introduction to the East
   New experiences, sights and sounds
3. 3 The struggle to become operational
   Bad aircraft, no spares, limited training
4. 4 The arrival of the storm
   The Japanese invasion
5. 5 The beginning of the end
   A defensive collapse too little, too late
6. 6 The end draws near
   Obliteration of the airfields and aircraft, evacuating to Sumatra
7. 7 Flight from the storm
   An ignominious departure, evacuation on the Empire Star and escape from the Japanese
8. 8 In the eye of the storm
   Arrival in Batavia and setting up for a second line of defence
9. 9 Of those that were left behind
   The final stand six brave men POWs in Java
10. 10 Into calmer waters
    Escape again, reaching the relative safety of Australia
11. 11 Safe but still far from home
    A journey across the outback
12. 12 The aftermath
    Questions needing answers

The inimitable Flight Lieutenant John Hutcheson Hutch whose spirit said it all, seated in his Brewster Buffalo fighter aircraft at Kallang, Singapore in late November 1941.

Ministry of Information, Singapore

Imagine how badly off we would now be had we lost the Middle East instead of Malaya. Possibly had we diverted sufficient equipment to Malaya to hold it, the Japanese would not have attacked, which would mean that the entry of America, at that stage anyway, would have been very problematical. To make Singapore strong enough to make it obvious to the Japanese that it would be a very tough nut would have required that equipment and men intended for the Middle East should be diverted with a consequent weakening of Egypt and the whole Middle East. Remember also that war was very real in the Middle East but only a threat so far as the Far East was concerned. There was alwaysthechance that it might be avoided. Sir Robert Brooke-Popham has often been criticised because he said that Singapore could withstand any assault. What else could he say? Come and attack us, Japan? We could only offer feeble resistance. Certainly it was a bluff, but he had no choice.

Still, this is not a political argument. It is the story of Singapore as I, a fighter pilot, saw it. Certainly there was much that could be criticised, and many who did not do what they should have done, or did it badly. Generally, though, there is good reason to doubt that even if everyone had done their very best possible we could have held out much longer.

This is mainly the story of No. 488 (NZ) Fighter Squadron, a squadron with no experience and little training which was called upon to face up to odds greater than could reasonably have been expected. None of the pilots, with the exception of the commanding officer and his two flight commanders, had any experience of war. The rest of the pilots came straight from flying training schools in New Zealand, and against the standards of today had very few hours. Few if any of them had done more than twenty hours on Brewster Buffaloes at the outbreak of the Pacific War. Yet, in very inferior aircraft and with practically no training, they stood up without complaint to the best the Japanese could send.

Of the groundcrew personnel I cannot say enough. The social rules of the Far East debarred them from much of the society that they were accustomed to, for non-commissioned ranks rated equal with the native populace. They were not permitted to frequent the places that we commissioned officers could, and even we were not welcome. Before the war, to them (the local European population) service personnel were a dull and unnecessary bore.