Christine Charlwood's escape from Singapore - 13 February 1942

Contributor, Christine Charlwood was born in Singapore in 1927. Was raised in Singapore, the daughter of Clive Charlwood, a tin and rubber merchant, who belonged to a merchant firm based in Singapore. Details of life growing up in Far East.

When she was five years old she came to England (in 1932). Went to school in St Albans and then subsequently attended school in Ramsgate in 1935. School was evacuated early in the war to Hertford.

Remembered the declaration of war by Prime Minister Chamberlain on Sunday 3rd September 1939 while on holiday somewhere between Oxford and Abingdon.

During the Blitz in 1940, remembered hearing German bombing of London from St Albans.

Parents had the idea that the family should be together. In 1941, Christine and sister, Barbara, took passage on a ship to Singapore. Sailed from east coast of Scotland - around north and west coast into Irish Sea and joined convoy before going into the Atlantic and around South Africa - journey took two months before reached Singapore.

Recalled the first Japanese bombing of Singapore. Father, Clive, came into Christine's bedroom to tell her, "Christine, those are bombs you are hearing." Christine replied, "Yes, I know - I have heard bombs before".

Doesn't remember feeling afraid, but being 'matter of fact' about events.

As Japanese advanced in Malaya, recalls that every evening refugees from Malaya arrived to stay in family home in Singapore. Remembers that the Japanese Air Force was bombing Singapore at night by means of "tropical lightening" - which illuminated the city.

On the night of 13th February 1942 (a few nights before the city fell to the Japanese), their neighbour, who was a high-ranking Royal Naval officer, came to visit her father to tell him, "I shouldn't be telling you this - it's top secret - but tonight we are blowing up the harbour/Naval base so that the Japanese can't use it. Get your women out!"

Her father called her, and her mother and sister out, and told them that they had 20 minutes to pack and so he could drive them down to the harbour to board a ship to get out of the city. Sister, Barbara, refused to leave as she was 19 and a serving VAD nurse who was also engaged to be married to Eric John Galvin, and Irish officer serving in the British Army in Singapore. Eric and Barbara were married the very next day, and as her husband, he then ordered Barbara to leave. She made her way to Australia and continued to serve in the war as a member of the Australian Army Nursing Corps.

Eric was later captured by the Japanese and made a POW. He was sent to work on the Thai-Burma railroad with other captured POWs.

Christine and her mother were put on board one of the last two ships to leave Singapore, the "Empress of India" and the "Empress of Japan". Christine believes they were on "Empress of Japan". Memories of a huge surge of people on board the ship.

Remembers being in a cabin with a woman called Ruth Barrow, an employee of her father's firm, who was being evacuated with her two young boys and her baby infant boy. However, Ruth somehow had left the baby on deck. Christine's mother went up on deck to find the baby even though the Japanese were bombing the ships and the harbour as this was happening - mother found the baby boy and brought him down to the cabin to reunite him with his mother.

"Empress of Japan" managed to make it out of Singapore harbour and sailed to Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and then onto Durban and Cape Down, South Africa. Ship was held in South Africa for two weeks as the ship's Captain had his ship's company of sailors removed from him. He was offered soldiers to man the ship, but he refused to sail without sailors.

Distinctly remembers stay in South Africa due to seeing signs outside of latrines, saying: "Black Only, Whites Only"

Eventually set sail for Liverpool, arriving on the 19th March (Feast of St. Joseph). Stayed in UK until the end of the war.

Father was a civilian prisoner of the Japanese, and was held in Changi Prison in Singapore city. Eric Galvin was eventually repatriated after 2 1/2 years working as a POW labourer on the Thai-Burma railroad. Experienced trauma from years in Japanese captivity. Eric kept a diary of his war experiences which is apparently with the Imperial War Museum.

Barbara served with distinction with the Australian Army in the South Pacific area, particularly in New Guinea and the Solomons.

Upon the surrender of Singapore by the Japanese to Allied force authorities in Asia and the South Pacific, Christine's father was liberated from Changi POW camp. He was one of a number of ex-prisoners who were invited to attend the Surrender Ceremony in Singapore which was presided over by Lord Mountbatten.

Eric, and the later her father and sister, Barbara, eventually came home to the UK.

Father arrived by train at Victoria Station in 1946 while Christine was training to be a nurse in London. She just about managed to get the day off in order to greet her father at the station.

Eric had already been repatriated to the UK, but Barbara was still serving out in the Pacific and Australia. Had to write to an M.P. in order to have her released from service and sent home.

Christine went on to enter the Religious Sisters of the Assumption in 1951, and is still based with this order in West London today.