by James Ritchie
Harold Speldewinde was one of a kind of Eurasian as a young man. At 17 years old, the stocky rugby player from Penang was forced to become a fugitive as he championed the cause of the people from his home state during the Japanese invasion of 1941.
He had joined the Penang Eurasian Volunteer “E” Company under Lt A. Wilwebber and “bodyguard” for freedom fighter M. Saravanamuttu, who had brought about a situation of calm when Penang was bombed on Dec 8, 1941, with thousands killed or wounded in the aftermath.
With Saravanamuttu, fondly known as Uncle Sara, and another Eurasian, Oswald Foley, they helped evacuate several British officers to flee Singapore. The three of them drove a truck to pick up the soldiers and took them to the vicinity of Sungei Pinang before putting them on a “tongkang” (boat) with food and water at midnight. Uncle Sara was subsequently arrested by the Japanese occupiers for being a British collaborator in the escapade and locked up in a tiny cell for nine months.
However, Harold managed to escape. Within weeks of the Japanese invasion, he was a wanted man with a $500 price tag (a very hefty sum in those days) on his head. He took to the jungles of Pahang and spent the war years on the run with the Orang Asli Semai tribe and his young wife, Molly Macintyre, and first-born son.
While this was happening, Harold’s father, Claire Alexandra Speldewinde, joined the South East Asia Command in Peredenia in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Claire, the Ceylon-born Eurasian Dutch Burgher, had been transferred to Malaya as a forester in the early 1900s before establishing his rubber plantation in the Cameron Highlands.
Harold’s youngest brother, Ernie, accompanied his father to Ceylon, while brother Bill joined the British Navy while Dick based himself in Kuala Lumpur.
I spoke to “Uncle” Harold at his Bukit Glugor home in Penang in 2005. He had this to say then: “Heroes like Uncle Sara used a wireless set to communicate and appeal to the invading forces to stop the bombing and Ivan Allan (later a racehorse trainer and owner) had cycled to Sungai Petani to inform the Japanese there that the British had fled.
“They helped prevent a greater onslaught on the local folks. For all our sacrifices we were not remembered, not even a word of thanks from the British.”
Harold also spoke of how he managed to marry his childhood sweetheart Molly while still on the run:
“While in the jungle I was able to communicate with Molly through messages which were sent through secret couriers and friends. I also sneaked into Penang to meet her whenever I could.”
After a simple wedding ceremony in Penang, Harold went back to the jungles of Cameron Highlands with his young wife to carry on the struggle. Their hideout was within the operation area of the Malayan Peoples Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) with the infamous Chin Peng as leader. MPAJA was later renamed Force 136.
I also spoke to Molly as she recalled the day she arrived at her new jungle home: “We walked from midnight to noon before reaching an Orang Asli hut on a steep hill. We lived near a 200-strong Semai community who had vowed to protect us.”
The Orang Asli had previously been in close association with Claire, who had been a caring man as he worked in the area as a forester and rubber planter, and caring for Harold and his family was the least they could do then.
Harold said:” We lived on a hill while the Orang Asli was in a valley about two kilometres away. We had only a few clothes and the stream nearby was our toilet. We fished in the river using traps such as “bubo”, ate ubi kayu, bamboo shoots and small animals if they were available.
“I carried a carbine rifle but had no opportunity to use it. The Orang Asli were like sentries and would alert us if the enemy was approaching. So, this was how we spent the war years.”
After the war, Harold went on to become a planter and this led him to Sabah where he found new friends, including big-time planters..
Later Harold went on to form the Penang Veterans Association. He was also a patron of the Persatuan Veteran Keselamatan Malaysia and opened a branch office in Sarawak. Lawyer and retired police ASP Wilfred Gomez anak Malong, a recipient of the Panglima Gagah Berani (PGB) award for bravery, was its first president and me, its secretary.
Around this time, Harold and his veteran team from Peninsula Malaysia also visited several longhouses in Ulu Julau and Lubok to catch up with several hundred Iban trekkers, retired Sarawak Rangers, war veterans and Border Scouts to enquire about their welfare.
Harold also advocated an exchange programme where Sarawak’s veterans including “Sape” player Uchau Bilung and others took part in cultural performances and demonstrated their blowpipe skills in Peninsula Malaysia. Some of them even visited the famous Orang Asli Senoi Praque trekker unit.
During one of his visits to Sarawak, Harold was conferred with the honorary title of “Tuai Rumah” Harold anak Speldewinde, a position which he accepted with great pride as well as appreciating the famous Iban war cry of ‘Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban’, which simply means “Still alive, still fighting”.
WE