Recently acquired photographs give ALAN TEH LEAM SENG opportunity to embark on an exhilarating journey back in time tracing Batu Pahat's colourful and varied history
THE despatch rider's motorcycle rumble is still audible when quivering hands rip the newly arrived parcel apart to reveal its precious contents.
Eager eyes scan the small photograph collection purchased from a Petaling Jaya dealer just days earlier. Although details provided by the Amcorp Mall
flea market seller were scant and the images provided through WhatsApp rather hastily taken, a deal was struck as the price was affordable.
The relief is overwhelming when close scrutiny reveals that the black-and-white photographs are exactly those needed to help improve my existing collection.
Well taken, they depict early scenes from Batu Pahat, including prominent landmarks and past historic events. Apart from the capital of Johor Baru, vintage images from smaller Johor towns are scarce and highly prized among collectors.
Hence, it is indeed a pure stroke of luck to acquire this sizeable collection from the town that owes its name to an interesting lore that sprang to life after two unsuccessful 15th century Siamese attempts to subdue Melaka.
HOW BATU PAHAT GOT ITS NAME
According to Sejarah Melayu, aggression began when submission demands were flatly turned down by Sultan Muzaffar Shah. Enraged by the show of defiance, the Siamese king launched a large overland expedition through Pahang in 1445. The Malay Annals recounted clashes where gallant Melaka warriors successfully inflicted a heavy toll on the invaders, prompting Siamese commanders to reluctantly sound the retreat.
Determined to elude pursuers, surviving Siamese troops hastily abandoned their belongings and the rattan vines used to secure their baggage began taking root at a place near Muar that eventually became known as Rotan Siam.
Enraged by defeat and determined not to repeat earlier mistakes, the Siamese monarch set about raising an even larger force that would attack Melaka from the sea in 1456.
Despite their numerically inferior fleet size, brave Melaka fighters rose to the occasion and leaned hard on ingenuity to once again emerge victorious.
Prior knowledge of Siamese admirals favouring assaults under the cover of darkness prompted the defenders to attach torches on mangrove trees lining the shore.
When lit, the innumerable fires gave the illusion of a huge flotilla of Malay war vessels ready to decimate the Siamese fleet should they venture any closer.
The ruse worked like a charm and the invaders sailed southwards without firing a single shot.
Legend has it that the retreating ships eventually ran out of fresh water off the Johor coast and were forced to anchor at a secluded spot, near what is today Kampung Minyak Beku, to replenish supplies.
Mindful that Melaka warriors were hot on their heels, desperate Siamese soldiers were said to have hastily chiselled away at a rocky outcrop in an attempt to quench parched throats.
Little did the troops realise that their last-ditch endeavour, witnessed by curious villagers from a safe distance, would go on to echo through eternity via the name Batu Pahat.
ERA OF RAPID DEVELOPMENT
The sight of the historic Batu Pahat Club photograph in the collection brings time forward to more recent history. Frequented by British officials and high-ranking Malay Civil Service administrators, this single-storey structure was among the first buildings erected after Batu Pahat was officially established on Jan 1, 1894.
Strategically located in close proximity to a bustling river that shares its name, Batu Pahat grew by leaps and bounds within a relatively short period of time.
The phenomenal growth, bolstered by excellent transportation, judicial, postal and healthcare systems, attracted merchants who came from as far away as Melaka, Singapore and Johor Baru to set up pepper and gambier plantations.
At the same time, European-owned estates brought in Liberian coffee plants, the first of many cash crops successfully introduced by the British.
Shops and markets proliferated in tandem with the increasing labour force. Most notable were the hardworking Javanese who arrived in large numbers to dig canals and drain swamps before settling down as tapioca, sugarcane, banana, coconut and areca nut farmers.
The thriving commercial and agricultural activities put Batu Pahat well on the road to self-sufficiency as revenue collection grew phenomenally from US$1,500 in 1894 to an astounding US$55,375 just 15 years later.
Although World War 1 never made its way to Malayan shores, its far-reaching effects helped contribute towards the improvement of law and order.
Johor Military Force (JMF) troops played a key role in quelling a mutiny in Singapore when Indian Light Infantry brigade soldiers guarding German internees destined for Hong Kong went on a rampage in February 1915 after wrongly assuming that they were being sent to fight fellow Muslims in Turkey.
The mutineers murdered their British officers, released all the captives and mowed down Europeans in the streets. JMF's finest hour came when Sultan Ibrahim responded to the call for assistance by personally leading reinforcements across the Causeway to help quell the unrest.
In the aftermath, JMF was expanded to include troops stationed in key Johor towns, including Batu Pahat.
Armed with state-of-the-art weapons, the force quickly gained a reputation as the best equipped infantry in the Far East.
This accolade put the Johor soldiers in good stead when World War 2 broke out in December 1941.
THE HORRORS OF WAR
The Japanese Imperial Army began its relentless march southwards after landing in Kota Baru. With north and central Malaya in enemy hands by early January 1942, desperate British and Australian tacticians came to conclusion that the defence of Johor, especially the strategic Muar-Batu Pahat-Yong Peng triangle, would give Allied forces sufficient time to regroup and consolidate defensive positions along the road leading south.
Unfortunately, the Japanese forward momentum proved too much to bear.
One of the darkest moments in the war took place soon after Muar and Bakri fell on Jan 18, 1942. Retreating Australian 8th Division and 45th Indian Infantry Brigade troops found themselves trapped near the Parit Sulong Bridge, some 20km from Batu Pahat. With supplies running low, able-bodied soldiers were ordered to disperse into the jungle, while those injured had no other option but to surrender.
Instead of being humanely treated, the 150 captured Allied soldiers fell victim to the Japanese policy of taking no prisoners to avoid being slowed down in their quest to overrun Singapore in the shortest time possible.
Most captives were machine-gunned and their bodies doused with petrol before being set alight, while the remainder were strung together with wire and made to stand on the bridge before a Japanese soldier shot one of them, causing the rest to fall into Sungai Simpang Kiri and drown.
Fear was far from the minds of the other Johor defenders when news of the horrific Parit Sulong Massacre reached their ears. Supported by JMF troops, the Batu Pahat garrison steeled their resolve and put up a strong resistance when the Japanese Imperial Army stormed in just a few days later on Jan 24, 1942.
Sadly, their gallant efforts eventually gave way to overwhelming enemy numbers, mobility, firepower and air superiority. The Malayan defence caved and complete Allied retreat to Singapore became inevitable after Batu Pahat fell.
Like in many parts of Malaya, looters took full advantage of the chaotic situation in Batu Pahat. They had unbridled access to already bombed-out provision shops and abandoned residences, while government offices and stores were stripped bare of their contents.
Months after the cessation of hostilities, the people endured further hardship when black marketers began cornering everything that had commercial and industrial value.
Hyperinflation took hold and consumer purchasing power diminished as the torturous days dragged on.
In the dying days of the horrific Japanese Occupation, the Japanese Navy took control of German assets in Malaya after war ended in Europe on May 7, 1945. German sailors moved to Batu Pahat and moored their submarine fleet in the nearby deep-water estuary.
All were imprisoned in Changi after the British returned in September 1945, with Fregattenkapitän Wilhelm Dommes being the last to be repatriated back to Germany two years later.
LULL BEFORE THE STORM
Post-war Batu Pahat saw the economy come back to life. The peace that reigned, however, did not last long. Fear once again struck deep in the hearts of the people when communist terrorists started their armed uprising in 1948.
Initially, the bandits had an upper hand as their effective guerilla warfare tactics caught the authorities by surprise.
The tide began to turn when troops from all over the British Commonwealth arrived in force to bolster existing British and Malayan personnel strength. Among the notable representations were soldiers from Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Nyasaland and Southern Rhodesia.
Fijian troops, in particular, saw active service in the dense Batu Pahat, Muar and Pontian jungles. Right from the beginning, the Fijians stamped their mark as fearless fighters and showed exceptional bravery and skill in jungle warfare.
They quickly earned the respect of the other Commonwealth forces, prompting a prominent Malayan commander to state: "Of all the troops of many races who have been for a long time fighting the communist menace in Malaya, none have earned greater respect, admiration and affection than the 1st Battalion Fiji Infantry Regiment."
Until the Malayan Emergency came to a close in 1960, Fijian troops killed 175 bandits, captured three and even brought back a surrendered jungle fighter.
In recognition of their valour, the South Pacific soldiers received several medals: two Orders of the British Empire, one Member of the British Empire, one British Empire Medal, two Military Crosses, two Distinguished Conduct Medals, five Military Medals and 24 Mentions in Despatches.
Not even the fearless Gurkha soldiers came close to such an impeccable record!
Batu Pahat's phenomenal growth in the 1960s saw rapid expansion and development as investors returned in droves. Even the town's four-decade old home-grown financial institution, Bank of Batu Pahat, was acquired by the Singapore-based Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation in early 1963 in anticipation of the many opportunities that would be brought about by the soon-to-be-formed Federation of Malaysia.
Sustained progress well into the 21st century saw Batu Pahat muscle its way to become the state's second largest city after Johor Baru.
Powered by flourishing commercial activities like food processing, electronics manufacturing and furniture making, Batu Pahat is well poised to continue propelling Johor and Malaysia as a whole to even greater heights.