Unloading The Guns In Singapore (November 1941)
November 1941 – Unloading the Guns in Singapore.
Pen and ink illustration for an intended commemoration book for the 88th Field Artillery Regiment (TA). We landed in Singapore – November 1941, and went straight up north, north of K.L.
Source: Des Bettany’s hand written notes
‘The 88th Field Regiment disembarked from the Empress of Canada at Singapore on 28th November 1941. The majority of the 88th now boarded a train for Mantin camp which lay 210 miles to the north. A party of 40 men stayed behind for the longer job of unloading stores and guns; and these would rejoin the main body by road, setting out on 6th December for a two stage hop to Mantin.’
Source: Lancashire Gunners at War by Stephen Bull, pg 49.
“Weapons.—Early in 1941 the scale of armament had been dangerously low. In particular all Indian formations and units arrived in Malaya with a very low scale of weapons. After March, however, a steady and increasing flow came in Malaya, but it was not until November that formations received the higher scale of weapons and were issued with 25-pounder guns for the artillery. Even then many units, i.e. Artillery, Signals, R.A.S.C., were below establishment in light automatics and rifles and there were never more than a few of these weapons in reserve. Requests for weapons from the Sarawak Rangers, the British North Borneo Volunteers and other units had to be refused either in whole or in part, while the lack of weapons also rendered the further expansion of local forces impossible.”
Source: http://www.britain-at-war.org.uk/WW2/London_Gazette/Malaya_Command/html/p3s57.htm
Quoting: A. E. Percival, Lieutenant-General, General Officer Commanding, Malaya. 1942.