Chinese Volunteers Perished in Captivity (Chinese Memorial at Kranji War Memorial)

In one corner of the Kranji War Memorial is  Plot 44 Column 44,  a section for Chinese Memorial.  A recent visit there was spurred by recent connections of 1 of the person listed there to his father who is buried in Bukit Brown. This got me thinking there might be more relations. I was greeted by a standalone wall which reads;  The men whose names are recorded on these panels perished in captivity in February 1942 and lie buried here in one grave with ten comrades whose names are not known.


Perished in captivity as Prisoners of War ? Were this soldiers murdered or mortally wounded and eventually died after the fall of Singapore ? I am not sure at the moment and hopefully one day will find out what really happened and how they died. Most of their death dates were listed as from 18th February to 23th February 1942. What i have done next is to list the names from this wall and map it with additional information (such as the name of their spouse, mother or father if available) that i can find from the Casualty list information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Names who are familiar, i will slowly link it to blog post or below this article who this people are.

Straits Settlement Volunteer Force
Regimental Quartermaster Serjeant Lim Yap Puan (son of Tan Siew Kiow, of Singapore)
Serjeant Chia Tiang Bee (husband of Dorothy Taye, of Singapore)
Serjeant Yap Ewe Hai (husband of Woon Gee Mui, of Singapore)

Lance Serjeant Wee Kwee Hai (son of Boey Siew Kuanz,of Singapore)
Corporal Goh Boo Lat (husband of Gaw Cheng Neo, of Singapore)
Corporal Khor Jiak Yeong (husband of Sim Boon Kim, of Singapore)
Corporal Wee Leong Fook (son of Wee Kim Seng, of Singapore)
Corporal Yeo Ah Lek (husband of Tan Mui Kai, of Singapore)

Lance Corporal Goh Chin Kee (husband of Lim Chui Fong, of Singapore)
Lance Corporal Koh Chwee Choo (husband of Maria Tan, of Singapore)
Lance Corporal Leong Sek Him (husband of Cheung Lai Mun, of Singapore)
Lance Corporal Ong Tiang Seng (husband of Betty Ong, of Singapore) son of Ong Peck Hock
Lance Corporal Quek Eng Wah

Signalman Anthony Chee (son of Chee Keng Koon, of Singapore)
Signalman Aw Dick San (husband of Siew Ah Choo, of Kuala Lumpur)
Signalman Goh Tuan Juay (son of Goh Puay Lam, of Singapore)
Signalman Lim Pitt Mun (husband of Tan Mong Wha, of Singapore)
Signalman Song Yong Nam (husband of Chong Kuen Chow, of Singapore)

Private Boey Kim Heng (son of Chan Pin Ooi, of Singapore)
Private Boey Teng Poh (son of Yeo Seck Tin, of Paddington London) son of Boey Lian Sang
Private Chan Fook Yean (husband of Tan Lam Pin, of Singapore)
Private Chin Koon Poh (son of Chia Kim Wah, of Singapore)
Private Chua Ah Tee (son of Chan Ah Lek, of Singapore)
Private Daniel Teo Yong Chong (son of Teh Ah Huay, of Singapore)
Private Goh Tiang Moh (husband of Chan Geok Choo, of Singapore)
Private Henry Khoo Peng Hai (son of Khoo Tiang Hong, of Singapore)
Private John Peter Tan (son of Tan Ko Keng, of Singapore)
Private Koh Hee Thiam (husband of Wong Lai Kheng, of Singapore)
Private Lee Ah Yew (husband of Cheng Wai Han, of Singapore)
Private Liao Boon Leong (husband of Leong Sock Ying, of Singapore)
Private Lim Bock Chuan (husband of Ho Lai Yew, of Singapore)
Private Lim Cheng San (son of Ho Ah Moey, of Singapore) son of Lim Teck Kim
Private Lim Chye Teck  (son of Lee Ah Kim, of Singapore)
Private Lim Foong Siong (son of Lim Jie Joong, of Singapore)
Private Seah Thye Guan  (grandson of Ang Whay Huay, of Singapore)
Private Song Fook Nam
Private Tan Hock Nam (son of Lim Swee Ngoh, of Singapore)
Private Tan Hooi Kwang (son of Yap Mui Luen, of Singapore)
Private Tan Neo Teck (son of Tay Chuan Neo, of Singapore)
Private Tan Quee Leng (husband of Koh Hong Neo, of Singapore)
Private Teo Kim Tang (son of Teo Ching Seng, of Singapore)
Ten Unknown Chinese Malaya Volunteers

Singapore Civil Defence
Warden Choo Kim Seng
Warden Goh Seng Whatt
Warden Lee Ah John
Warden Lim Jee Leng
Warden Teo Kim Boon
Warden Wee Peng Hong
Mr. Wong Ah Soo

Royal Army Medical Corps
Private Lim Hood Tong (19 years old, son of Tan Sian Teck, of Singapore)
Private Tan Gek Cheng
Private Toon Foo Kheng (husband of Wong See, of Singapore)

Dalforce
Private Chia Haw Doong (son of Chia Yi Chiow, of Singapore)
Private Chua Chi Yiah
Private Tan Siew Chiw (son of Lim Yuet Kiew, of Ampat, Malacca)
Private Tay Mui Kiav(son of Tan, of Singapore)

Chinese Labour Corps
Private Chew Guan Seng (grandson of Tjah Peow Neo, of Singapore)

Royal Air Force
Aircraftman 1st Class Ng Fook Cheong (son of Cheong Ah Moi, of Singapore)
Aircraftman 2nd Class  Wong Say Gow (son of Low Choon Hoe, of Penang)


Stories from the memorial wall 

From a 1931 article, i found the pictures of then Lance Corporal Yap Yew Hai and the Private Chia Tiang Bee.
Yap Yew Hai and Chia Tiang Bee

From a 1941 article, i came across the picture of Lim Yap Puan who was with the Field Ambulance Volunteers.
Lim Yap Puan 

From email correspondence with a nephew of Corporal Wee Leong Fook (son of Wee Kim Seng, of Singapore), i found out that Wee Leong Fook was 27 years of age and a wounded P.O.W , he was taken out and shot. His father, Wee Kim Seng passed away at the age of 86 in 1976. 

See also
Volunteer Soldiers buried in Bukit Brown - A journey of rediscovery. (posted on 26 July 2014)
Ho Siong Tong - a grave once lost is now found again (Wayang Satu Cemetery).(posted on 18 January 2017.

[research on-going]

References
Field Ambulance Volunteers. (1941, April 15). Malayan Tribune, page 3
Ton Tao Cup. (1931, February 21).Malayan Tribune, page 14
Email Correspondence with Paul de Souza. 

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