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APPENDIX II
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APPENDIX II
The composition of trainees was unusual with officers, NCOs and police officers being trained
together. As there were different levels of competency, I wondered how instructions would be
carried out. Training would indeed be challenging considering the mix of various services and
different backgrounds. The course began with an IQ test in the afternoon which many trainees
were not comfortable with. With all the unexpected events that had occurred, I was confused,
wondering where we were headed.
V. COMMENCEMENT OF THE COURSE
VI. THE GROUND AROUND JURONG
The next event of the day was the 5 Basic Exercises (BX) for physical fitness preparation. The
instructors were WO Kutalib, Police Sergeant Patchimuthu and Sergeant Lim from l SIR. The
basic physical exercises were conducted at the open ground next to the school. The trainees
had to run a 3-mile route along Corporation Drive and Yung Kang Road, which was part of the
newly built Jurong HDB estate. This run indicated various levels of fitness among the trainees.
People like 2LTs Syed Ibrahim, Narajan Singh and George Ho were superbly fit and they were
at least some hundred yards ahead. Those in their late ‘30s and working in offices struggled in
the last hundred yards. Surprisingly, the police officers did reasonably well, especially the DSPs
who were already in their ‘40s. A few senior NCOs walked, while others ran some of the way
to complete the run. The advisors were at the end point, recording their observations of the
trainees’ performance.
The following day, the trainees had to participate in the endurance route march which
commenced from the school to Bukit Timah Hill. This was another test to evaluate the fitness
of the trainees. The march took us through the Jurong Central Estate to Jurong Road and from
there, along the tracks through farms with small hilly terrains to Bukit Timah. The weather was
warm in the morning and the temperature had risen to almost 32°C by the time we reached
Bukit Timah. The young trainees helped the older ones and kept them company till the end.
According to the instructor who planned the route, the pace he set was normal but many of
us felt that it was fast; in fact, we felt faint when we arrived at the foot of Bukit Timah Hill.
During the march, 2LT Earl Robson of SVC was very cheerful and sang loudly, for example,
‘You Are My Sunshine’ and ‘Yipi Ya Ya’. SVC LTA Joe Heng happily joined in and the rest
followed. This distracted us from the stress of the march. Not all trainees were issued with
the proper boots for the march. Many had blisters and were limping after the march. Drinks
and snacks were provided at the foot of Bukit Timah Hill but not all could enjoy this treat.
When the old faithful Bedford 3-tonner arrived, there were signs of relief among some of the
trainees who were limping. This forced route march was a great opportunity for the trainees to
bond and develop a feeling of camaraderie.
At the time, the terrain at Jurong was urbanised up to Jalan Boon Lay and still rather wild
up to the Tuas and the Tanjong Gul shoreline. The two main roads running parallel towards