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10th January 1942
It was in Banting that the Independent Company came under the command of Major Rose (2 Argyll & Sothern Highlanders) who was in command of a newly formed company called ROSEFORCE which was to perform a rearguard action supporting the withdrawal of troops.
Fearon notes that ‘the Company was never in action during its time with ROSEFORCE and the impression of the whole period was one of dullness and irritation.”47
Fearon goes onto say:
The company moved from Banting (where air raids caused an Indian soldier casualty) via the coast road at Morib (11kms/7miles south and east of Banting) to a position on Tanah Merah Estate between Sepang and Port Dickson. The enemy commenced landing at Morib just as the last of the Company’s vehicles was clearing town.48
Richardson’s account of the same period (Saturday 10th January) was that two planes passed overhead around 0900hrs and dropped 4 bombs up the road from us which hit the road and destroyed one car and holed the water main. Three more bombs were dropped in the field near Richardson and Pollock who felt the blast. Then the planes machine gunned Pollock and I up and down a ditch. By luck they did not hit us but a near thing. General machine gunning also. We could hear the bullets slapping down on road only a few feet away. We went into a ditch in a rubber estate later for better safety. One Indian soldier badly hurt (head wound) by shrapnel. Later moved into 3rd line defence position, 3 miles up road. Bombed again. One was a 23lb bomb which made the ground shake, we were a 150yards from the crater.
One British soldier (Pte Smith) lost his nerve completely and one (Pte Gibb) was struck by falling branch. "Haggis" Reeves blown over by blast, but not hurt. Stayed in position until 1800hrs and then returned to Motor Transport park, finally moving off around 2200hours reaching an estate some 10 miles from Port Dickson.
Indian soldiers becoming jumpy and everyone feeling the strain to some extent. Tired of continual withdrawal, but no naval or air force support to enable land forces to throw the Japanese back. Morale inevitably suffers under these conditions. Only good things are that we are alive and have plenty of grub and drink.49
Reference
47 Fearon Diary P35.
48 Fearon Diary P35.
49 Richardson diary P8.
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