Peter Goh (St. Joseph Catholic Church Cemetery)

 A Singapore Air Defence Command (SADC) pilot, 2nd Lt. Peter Goh was killed when his Strikemaster Jet crashed into a river near Jerantut, Pahang at 11:30 am, 5 June 1973. The body of the pilot, 2nd Lt. Peter Goh, whose 22nd birthday would have been on 14 June, was extricated from the plane's cockpit by local divers and flown to Singapore. Lt. Goh had been a Singapore Air Defence Command (SADC) pilot for 3 years. Lt. Goh, third son in a family of six of quarry contractor, Mr. Goh Bah Chee (then 49 years old). He joined the army as a pilot in 1970 making Lieutenant Peter Goh one of the local early pioneer pilots of the new minted Air Defence Command, the precursor to Republic Singapore Air Force.   

In the papers, it was reported that 2LT Peter Goh will be buried with full military honors at Bidadari, but we found his tomb at St. Joseph's Catholic Church Cemetery at Bukit Timah.  The New Nation paper confirmed this when they reported that Singapore Air Defence Command pilot, Second Lt. Peter Goh was buried in the grounds of St. Joseph Church, 9 and half mile Bukit Timah and not Bidadari. 

2LT Peter Goh ceramic photo 

Lieut. Peter Goh 

2LT Peter Goh tomb at St. Joseph Church Cemetery, off  Bukit Timah, Singapore 

Family 

I found a record of a Goh Bah Chee who passed away on 4 Oct 1983 and survived by 5 children (Goh Kim Guan, Goh Kim Hong, Goh Kim Tuan, Goh Moi Eng, Goh Moi Neo) but unfortunately this may not be the father of 2nd Lieutenant Peter Goh because the age Goh Bah Chee passed away was 69 (while in the earlier newspaper reports, Goh Bah Chee was 49 years of age in 1973). So this Goh Bah Chee, although he was a Christian and left behind 5 children, i am not sure they are the same. 

Other Strikemaster Jet incidents 

The training planes of the time period were the Cessna, BAC 167 Strikemaster and SF260 Marchetti. I was curious to see how many incidents of Strikemaster crashes during that time period and below is what i could find (not meant to be comprehensive). In October 1969, then Minister for Defence, Mr. Lim Kim San officially received the first three BAC Strikemasters ordered for the Singapore Armed Forces. The aircraft, 3 of 16 were flown out from UK. 

Strikemaster arriving to Singapore (source: National Library Board) 

1971 - Capt. Yeo Ping Yong (25) and trainee pilot, Cadet Officer Ng Kwang Ngen baled out as their Strikemaster crashed near Kluang. (Gary Yeo went on to be the RSAF's third Brigadier-General, BG Gary Yeo).  

1974 - 2nd Lieut. Michael Tio ejected to safety when his Strikemaster jet trainer crashed into sea near Changi seabase on 9 Jan 1974. He was rescued by a fishing boat. 

1975 - 2nd Lieut. William Ong Tiong Huat and 2nd. Lieut. Edmund Piper were buried at the Chua Chu Kang Buddhist Cemetery and Chua Chu Kang Christian Cemetery on 16 June 1975. Their Strikemaster  crashed at Johore while on a navigation exercise. 

1976 - Lieut. Khoo Sin Hock plane crashed  while descending near end of the Tengah runaway on 28 Jan 1976. Capt Graham John William (23) parachute did not open fully and subsequently died. Co-pilot Lieut. Khoo survived. 

1984 - RASAF trainee pilot and his instructor ejected to safety from an BAC Strikemaster on 8 May 1984 over the South Chian Sea. 

I also manage to document the story of 2LT. Bertram Yong Shee Jen, a fellow pioneer of the Singapore Air Defence Command and buried in Choa Chu Kang Christian Cemetery. He flew a Hunter plane when he died. 

Epilogue

Is Peter Goh tomb still been taken care of his family ? I am not sure. But hopefully he is not forgotten by the authorities and the Republic Singapore Air Force as an early pioneer who gave his life to the nation as he lies in a cemetery that is no longer maintained by anyone and the land returned to NEA. 

Peter Goh at St. Joseph's Catholic Church Cemetery grounds

References

SAF plilot dies in crash - Plane plunges into river. (1973, June 6). The Straits Times, page 1

Crash Jet Wing on Tree. (1973, June 7). The Straits Times, page 24

Pilot Goh's burial. (1973, June 7). New Nation, page 2

The first batch of Strikemaster arrived at Tengah in October 1969. (website). National Library Board Singapore 

Betram Yong Shee Jen (Choa Chu Kang Christian Cemetery).(website). Rojak Librarian, posted on 15 March 2020