The bronze statues depicting three 1 Malay Regt heroes, defending Pasir Panjang and Bukit Chandu 13-14 Feb 1942, at the Reflections a t Bukit Chanud Memorial
70 years ago today, officers and men of 1 Federated Malay States Regiment stood their defensive line at Bukit Chandu. Within a few hours, that became their last stand in the bid to defend Malaya from the invading Japanese army.
The defensive line started a day earlier where this regiment along with the remaining of the Indian Brigade was ordered to defend Pasir Panjang ridge. They fought gallantly but the offensive Japanese brigade was too overwhelming. By night, they were ordered to withdraw and take position at Bukit Chandu instead.
This line was defended by two Malay officers, 2nd Lt. Adnan Saidi and 2nd Lt. Abas Abdul Manan.
2nd Lt. Adnan Saidi, an Uncommon 1 Malay Valour of Bukit Chandu
The invading Japanese Imperial Army 56th Regiment supported by light tanks was far too superior in size and materiel for the defending men of 1 Malay. After running out of ammunition, by late afternoon Bukit Chandu fell. The leader, 2nd Lt. Adnan, resorted to hand combat after the Lewis Gun he manned ran out of bullets and demonstrated the amazing gallantry not to admit defeat. He was wounded and eventually captured. He was tortured. The brutal Japanese soldiers dragged him from the fox hole, placed in a gunny sack hung from a cherry tree and stabbed him, as his mortal wounds brought him to make his Maker without uttering a single sound of pain.
In all, in the two days fighting 1 Malay lost 7 Malay officers and 146 men of the 1 Federated Malay States Regiment. All were hastily buried in unmarked graves. Seven men survived the brutal ordeal, which include 2nd Lt. Abas. Abas later survived Japanese POW camp, returned to active duty, fought the communist rebels from June 1948 onwards and led the Royal Malay Regiment to the rank of Brigadier, commanding the 8 Brigade based in Kok Lanas, Kelantan.
These men inflected casualty to the Japanese Imperial Army ten times over.
Less than 24 hours after this brutal tragedy, British and Commonwealth Forces High Command under Lt. Gen. Arthur E Percival decided to meet Lt Gen Yamashita of the Imperial Japanese Army and his general staff at Ford Factory in Bukit Timah and unconditionally surrender. That marks the formal occupation of Malaya by Japan.
Reflections at Bukit Chandu, the dedicated memorial for the men of 1 Federated Malay States Regt last stand 14 Feb 1942
This evening, a special memorial would be held to commemorate this day 70 years ago at the Bukit Chandu Memorial, which has been shifted to Kent Ridge. The Malaysian Minister of Defense Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is expected to pay homage at the memorial and honour the gallant heroes of 1 Federated Malay States Regiment who gave the ultimate sacrifice, which is the predecessor to the Royal Malay Regiment today.
In the past, we here at BigDogDotCom called the Federal Government to make the Royal Malay Regiment a national icon and for the loyalty and gallantry these past 79 years, Port Dickson be renamed Pengkalan Adnan and bestowed a ‘Royal Malay Regiment’ town in their honour.
May Allah s.w.t. bless these exemplary brave souls.
The "thirteen million plus Ringgit" guy rambles.... 
May Allah bestow heaven upon the souls of those brave Malay warriors ready to fight to the end.
آمين يا رب العالمين
Ameen Ya Rabb Al Alameen
May Allah bless these syahid fighters.
May Prime Minister DS Najib take heed of your call & honour Angkatan Tentera Malaysia. If they could change Teluk Anson to Teluk Intan, there is no reason Port Dickson cannot be Pengakalan Adnan.
Al-Fatihah to all these gallant warriors. Wish the youngsters of today could appreciate the soldiers’ sacrifice. Lt Adnan’s last stand should be made into an international box office movie. Had anyone thought of the idea?
I have serious doubts on British strategy in the defence of Malaya. Even the bloody soldiers of the Indian Army, brought here to help, turned coat, joined the Japanese forces invading Singapore.
British Intelligence was so poor. Gen Percival thought that the Japanese would invade from the eastern side. The Japs crossed the straits from the western side. Many of the British forces were not or under-utilized. Poor Lt Adnan and his 1 Malay Regiment – all but 7 lived to tell the tale.
And imagine the many tens of thousands (was it to the tune of over a hundred thousand?) British, Australian and other troops brought by Percival to raise their arms and lower their flags in surrender. What an utter shame. That’s the bloody British for you. More of their easy-way-out and arm twisting in pre-Merdeka Malaya.
The Japanese should not torture and kill Lt. Adnan and his gallant comrades in arm. The should just take them as POWs, and that’s all. It was a very ungentlemanly conduct of the Japanese officer at that time. The Japanese soldiers who overran Malaya in the second world war were worst than hooligans, they were bullies. The Japanese themselves were to be blamed for the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and I don’t feel sorry for them. The Japs deserve the bombing.
It is fitting that Port Dickson be renamed Pengkalan Adnan. Afterall, Lt Adnan hails from Negeri Sembilan.
Just pray that the country don’t fall to the Pakatan Devils . They will just obliterate all the sacrifices of our warriors.
Tak ramai ingat arwah2 ini.
Al fatihah.
[…] Remembering the gallant 1 Malay of Bukit Chandu […]
This the history that should be thought in our schools.
Never let this fade by not giving the Pakatan a chance to rule the country as they will vanish all this kind of patriotic events.
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[…] is very refreshing that Hishamuddin as Minister of Defence paid tribute and homage to the 146 gallant warriors of 1 and 2 Federated Malay Regiment who gave the ultimate sacrifice defending the Pasir Panjang Line between 12-14 February 1942 with […]