The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-02-16
Japs Take Greatest
Victory Of Whole War
Continued from Page u

1 tried Feb. to report that the
| airdrome had been evacuated. II
was under constant artillery anC
mortar fire, and untenable I saw
the airdrone and its buildings
scared or shattered, but empty
Royal Air Force men were removing
the last remaining i.ores and pre-
pairing to blow up the underground
fuel reserves.
The Tengah airdrome on the west
side of the island also was evacu-
ated. Its ground staff were among
| those on the ship in which l left
Singapore.
BY last Thursday the imperial
forces were holding a line running
northeast across the island between
the Tanglln barracks, a little out
side Singapore City on the north
west side, and the naval base at the
northeastern end of the island
The barracks are near the botani-
cal gardens and adjoin an estate
which the Sultan Of Johore owns.
iIN iilEIiU VII w IllCil iClb OlllSd
pore was very dark.
There was not much rood aboard.
The captain, looking over the pas
sengers, was somewhat disturbed to
find there were only 20 women
aboard, most of W1lom came on at
the last minute.
Some Women Left
The captain asked for volunteers
to round up more European women
1 have no idea how many were left
in the island.
I went aboard with only the
clothes on my back. That is how
quick we got out.
The ship was under constant fire
by japanese artillery, which was
laying down big barrage.
From Pulau Brani Island, half a
mile off the city, British artillery
was pouring shells into the Japanese
who by then were sweeping in on
the city. The shells Whistled over us.
All one could do was hug the deck
and hope that one of the shells would
not fall short.
The japanese planes were keep
ing up tireless dive bombing. You
could see their black shadows pass
ing in a blur. They would streak
eastward, and there would come a
great flash. Then, little later, the
sound of great great explosion
would reach you.
Our ship pulled out. 1t was unes-
corted because there were no navy
ship to escort it.
l looked back at Singapore, at a
night ablaze with terrible gun fire
and with smoke and flames min
Cling. Both the Japanese guns and
our own were blasting at the oil
tanks, as were japanese planes.
AS we started out, japanese planes
began bombing heavily.
Japs Kept Blasting
japanese gun fire blazed out on
the shore, and some of those aboard
said they could see Japanese landing
barges making their way into KEEP
pei Harbor, southwest of the city
between Singapore and Balang Matt
island.
Two searchlights guided us out OF
the narrow harbor entrance. Japa-
nese artillery shelled the search
lights but did not put them out. The
searchlights continued to play or
the water until we had cleared the
mines and the boom at the entrance
Our ship was carefully rationed on
the way to Batavia because there
was insufficient food for its almost
standing load.
We arrived at our evacuation port
Saturday
Another refugee ship arrived yes
terday morning, and awaits disem-
barkation here.
1t is former sailing vessel. Nava.
volunteer reservists are doing q
magnificent job in it, running the
gauntlet back and forth to Singa-
pore under fire of Japanese bomb
| ing and Shelling bv an occasional