Roy Chan is one of four brothers - Herby, Ira, Paul and Roy - who served in the Second World War. « View Transcript
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Wesley Lowe (Interviewer)
Sergeant Roy Chan, one of four Chan brothers from
Victoria to serve in the Second World War, volunteered to be part of
Special Operations Executive's Operation Oblivion. Dropped behind enemy
lines into Japanese held territory, he operated with the 9th Australian
Division at Lebuan Borneo. There, he organized and led native guerillas
and Iban Headhunters. Challenges in working with these locals included
language and their lack of training.
Roy Chan (Interviewee)
A bunch of local Chinese boy in Borneo, take them on patrol.
Never realize it until, in Borneo, I never had the chance to learn
Malay. We got to learn Malay to speak with the native but I have a
Chinese boy. He speak Chinese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Malayan and English
so I depend on him all the time. So one day they say, "Sign him up as a
soldier instead of as an interpreter. Give him a 38 pistol." So the
sergeant said, "Take him into the bush and let him have the feeling of a
38 pistol." So I let him fire his pistol. I fire my 45 and I was lucky I
hit the can. They think I was pretty good and the rest of the boys was
crying. They want to fire a few round from their rifle. So I said
alright. I give them permission to fire three round. Afterward, they
told me that's the first time they fire a rifle. And I took them on
patrol three, four times, but of course there's a couple of machine
guns, bren guns. Whenever I stop, I make sure those machine gun right
beside me. I don't want them shoot behind me. So those are the things
you never realize. They train you how to clean a rifle, how to slope
arm, present arm. They never teach them how to fire rifle.
Wesley
This Australian mission had little chance for success - something that was drilled into Roy.
Roy
Major Kendall mentioned many times for us to prepare to
commit suicide. That's to me I don't like that phrase but I was there
behind the line. I got one thing I promise myself - not to be taken
alive. I gonna [sic] shoot myself first, because if I captured alive, I
know I die a thousand deaths. So I put myself out of misery by having
two extra round bullets in one pocket for myself, but good thing I don't
have to use it.
Wesley
Added to the danger of the complexity and scope of the mission was an inadequate amount of time and manpower.
Roy
Well, there were so many briefing. The way they were briefing
at Labuan - that's the headquarter that they got a job for us to do to
from where we drop we go four hundred mile overland to organize a
guerilla army to free 2,000 European in a city called Kooching. Now,
headquarters say allow us six month. I say to myself, "How can they
allow six months to do a job that to recruit enough men to break into
that compound?" But by the time we get there they change their mind
because in one town north of where we were, the Japanese heard that
there's movement of prisoner. They killed so many see. They don't have
to have a repeat at Kooching so we were stuck in there in that small
operation.
Wesley
Roy and his group succeeded in blocking the mighty Rejang
River to the enemy, forcing them back out on the headquarters near the
coast controlling the river traffic. His patrols also successfully
attacked the enemy inflicting heavy casualties. Although Roy and his
group were heroes, it was something that they could not advertise, even
to their families.
Roy
When I get back to Australia after the war, first thing went
to the headquarters in Melbourne and they call the four of us sergeants
in there. They said, "Your job is finished as far as the Australian
army." He said, "You forget where you've been." So when we went back
home, we never tell them where we've been. My mother and brother they
thought all the time I'm in Australia, training all the time and coming
home after the war 'til the newspaper put that thing tell everyone where
we been. I guess it's sort of protection for not mention. This should
be a secret act for five years after the war before they mention what we
done.Did you Know?
Did you that Roy Chan was a cook in the army even though he couldn't cook?http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/
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