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This
chapter is taken out of the excellent book – The Dragon and the Maple Leaf by
Marjorie Wong - Page 172 The
all Canadian team of Tideway Green was dropped on 5 of August to Campbell
Miles`s reception committee in the north Johore. The team was led by Maj. Joe
H.A. Benoit and included Sgt. Kim Wing (Ernie) Louie. K5163 interpreter, who
spoke Cantonese. Ernie had completed his training when he joined the team at
Horana. Benoit`s 2 i/c, Capt. John E. Hanna, who spoke Mandarin, and Capt. Roger
M. Caza, wireless operator, were dropped to the team two days later. They
remained at base for about five days and then set out on what was supposed to be
a three day trip through the jungle. Some of the equipment and kit had to be
discarded to lighten the loads. The
trip lasted a nightmarish seven days as they tramped 85 miles through swamps and
dense jungle. It rained for full three days and their boots disintegrated. They
were only retain only items necessary for their survival because of lack of
carriers. Some
of the guerrillas were accustomed to leading new arrivals through the thickest
and swampiest jungle. Many teams never knew the precise locations of guerrilla
camps, but the guerrillas were always aware of the team locations. The
guerrillas often mounted skeleton guards on the patrol liaison team camps.
Ostensibly as protection against enemy attack. Tideway Green never learned the
location of the guerrilla camp in their area. A
DZ. Adequate for food and stores was soon
located but it was unsuitable for personnel. The food shortage both
among the guerrillas and the
Malays was very bad. On 17 August the were ordered to take no action and remain
at their base, Then on the 20 th. They were
instructed to search out POW camp and report their condition to base. The
first drop of bulk food, including rice and dried fish, was received
for the guerrillas. The wireless
set was became unusable. Another drop of food and replacement parts for
the wireless set was made on 24 August, but this time the food was for members
of the team. At
the end of the month, an Australian captain and corporal jumped to a reception
committee of Ernie Louie and John Hanna. The two had searched out
the DZ, for the parachutists since the guerrillas had refused to locate
it. They had doggedly tramped through the area by compass marching and
discovered a DZ. they considered reasonably safe about six miles away. The
Japanese surrendered before there was need to go into action, the Benoit team
was to have blocked the road north Johore area for the code name ZIPPER
invasion.
Batu Pahat and
at nearby Kluang three days later, they found 900 POW in addition, twelve
Indian escapees, as well as one British and three American, reported to the
team. These
former PWOs were transferred to
British military authorities in Singapore. For the POWs at Kluang, contact was
made with the Japanese authorities and food and medicine drops were organized
for the relief. Arrangement were then made for their repatriation between 12 and
14 September. The
guerrillas were becoming unwilling to cooperate now and the team had to deal
with the inevitable conflict between the Malays and the Chinese. The team was
forced to request help from the British Army in Singapore in order to restrain
the Malays who allegedly had killed two hundred Chinese at Batu Pahat. The
Chinese requested immediate help since some killing was still going on and house
were being burned. In
mid-September, Hanna and Louie were posted in Muar, and the team itself moved
into the town on 21 September, After the month at Muar, on 18 October, they
turned over control to the British Officer but they continued their police and
civil administration duties until they left Malaya 12 November. Ernie Louie
traveled to Meerut, and others went to Columbo. |
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