One of a Kind (2nd Edition)

APPENDIX I

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APPENDIX I

affiliated to the SVC, only to be disbanded in 1906. But, it was resuscitated as an independent

corps in August 1915 with the designation of Malacca Volunteer Rifles. Over December and

May, the following year, a Field Ambulance Section, a half-company of Chinese and a half-

company of Malays were formed in Singapore. In November 1915, the Province Wellesley

Volunteer Rifles comprising only Europeans was formed. In addition to the Malay States

Volunteer Rifles, Malayan Volunteer Infantry units were formed in the FMS: Perak, March

1915; Selangor, 1915-1916; Pahang, April 1916; Negri Sembilan, September 1916.

Volunteer forces had also sprung up in the unfederated Malay States. The Kedah Volunteers

was formed in August 1914; in Kelantan, two companies of Special Constables, also enrolled

in August 1914, became the Kelantan Volunteer Rifles in August 1917; the Johor Volunteer

Rifles was formed in October 1914.

The motivation for this surge in Volunteer activities was unquestionably the world war

atmosphere. At the outbreak of the war in 1914, only three Volunteer Corps existed in

Malaya—the SVC, the Penang Volunteers and the Malay States Volunteer Rifles. By the end

of the war in 1918, there were many more—Malacca Volunteer Rifles, Province Wellesley

Volunteer Rifles, Malayan Volunteer Infantry, Johor Volunteer Rifles, Kelantan Volunteer

Rifles and a small detachment formed by Europeans in 1915 from the Labuan administrative

district of Singapore, which came under the SVC.

At the end of 1921, the Volunteer forces in the Straits Settlements were centralised under

the Volunteer Ordinance of 1921 dated 16

December. All commissions were ‘called in’ and

the four corps—Singapore Volunteer Corps, the combined Penang and Province Wellesley

Volunteer Corps and the Malacca Volunteer Corps were re-designated the Straits Settlements

Volunteer Force or SSVF. Each corps consisted of Colour Service Volunteers, Reserve

Service Volunteers and Auxiliary Service Volunteers. The Reserves were a pool of trained

personnel while the Auxiliaries filled non-combat and administrative appointments.

VII. LEAD-UP TO WAR WORLD II

1922 opened a fifth phase for the Volunteers. It would eventually dump them unceremoniously

into real battle against a savage enemy. Despite early recognition by London that war with Japan

was highly likely and that the outcome would hinge on retaining possession of Singapore, the

War Office and the governments of the day in Britain just could not get their acts together,

dooming the Volunteers in Malaya and the Straits Settlements from the very start. Yet, it would

also be their finest hour.

Lieutenant-Colonel F.E. Spencer, DSO, M.C., Royal Artillery, had been appointed the first

Commandant, SSVF when it was formed in 1921 and was concurrently Officer Commanding

SVC, with each constituent corps still retaining its local name. Once again, recruitment was