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17th and 18th January 1942
This would appear to be the day, according to Fearon’s diary, that the work of the 1st Independent Infantry Company finished on the mainland of Malaya and that on the night of the 18th of January the Company moved off to 7 Military Reinforcement Camp, Singapore.
However, having lost the convoy, it would be another day before Walter and Richardson reached Singapore.
For the 17th, Richardson says:
Stand to 0600 – 0700. Back to Motor Transport park with Proctor for L.M.G. and Ammunition. Then into defence position above a steep cutting. Stayed all day and all night as well. Ac.Ac. busy. Reinforcements up to Tjg Sialin in the afternoon. They were bombed and machie gunned. They were Cambridgeshires, British Bn (Surreys and Leicestershires) and others including 18th Div (Norfolks and Suffolks). Sentry with Gibbs 2200 - 2400.
For the 18th, Richardson says:
Lots of mosquitoes and sandflies made sleep rather difficult. Stand to 0600 - 0700. Japanese reconnaissance plane over us was fired on by Ac. Ac. Battery. A little while later, 3 planes heavily bombed and machine gunned the Ac. Ac. battery. Believed two planes shot down. Battery forced to shift. Hellish noise overhead. About midday sudden burst of machine gun fire from river bank. Nunelly's Platoon firing on sampans believed to be Japanese. Later thought to be intending looters. Indian soldiers O.R's broke and ran away as usual and hid in A/R shelter. Very nervy. Still no news of Gilchrist and Spencer, missing, probably P.O.Ws or dead. So many mosquitoes about that it seems only a matter of time before we all have fever. But I hope to avoid it. Must get some more atebrin. Wish I could get in touch with Doris or get some leave!
1730hrs moved back to original motor transport park and thence to Johore Bahru. Our truck had carburettor trouble again and so we lost the convoy. Arrived Johor Baru at 0030hrs. Pollock, Ross and I aboard. A fairly good drive. Road bad, floods in many places. Some 50 trucks all ditched on roadside due to bad driving by Indian drivers. Had a meal and slept under the stars. Heavy columns of smoke from 1,000,000 gallon fuel tanks on Seleter Naval Base (Singapore).
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