My Story and experiences at the Ex BMH Hospital

Memoirs from the Ex Catholic Convent in the Cameron Highlands

There was a particular incident that has intrigued me for over fifty years, I would really like to know what happened to the Nuns when the Japanese over-run their convent high up in the Cameron highlands in c1942 See enclosed picture.

My first encounter with this mystery was when soon after landing in Singapore and moving up the county to Kluang my HQ co of the first Brn Worcestershire Reg. received news that one of the young national service soldiers while on guard duty at a protected building, had gone completely mad.

My company then moved further up the country to a new base at Klang, and I forgot all about the incident. Our next move was higher up country still, to a place called Ipoh. I was then attached to B.Coy as a regimental signaller to go with the lads our on six day patrols to try and engage the communist bandits.

It was on one of these patrols that I had the misfortune while following a track out of an evacuated bandit camp after our engagement with them and I slipped and fell into the bandit’s latrine pit! I was not a welcome member of the patrol for the several days as there was no water for washing purposes.

It was unfortunate that I contracted a bad dose of Dysentery, the bandits had constructed a latrine over the head of the pipe supplying all the water to B.Coy base camp. A patrol was sent to clear it. The outcome of thee two incidents was that I was admitted to the nearest Military Hospital and was poked prodded, injected and fed with what seemed to be millions of huge brown tablets. Then finally they either ran out of tablets or found another victim to practice on.

The next part of the story is that I was so weak either through the effects of the Dysentery or the brown tablets, that I was deemed to be a candidate for a convalescence home, which turned out to be as I found out later the Ex Catholic Convent in the Cameron Highlands ( see picture).

It was late when myself and others arrived at the building and as it was going quite dark we were shown where we would be sleeping. It was a relatively small ward with beds down both sides, with occupants recovering from either wounds coursed by the bandits or the dreaded brown tablets. Soon everyone including myself were sound asleep as the orderlies had turned off all the lights and it was pitch black.

Some time in the night I suddenly became wide awake with a strange feeling of foreboding. I lay there listening to the gentle breathing of the young soldiers when slowly another soft sound gradually filtered though. It was as if a quite game of table tennis was being played in the room we were sleeping in. It was quite a while before I could get to sleep again.

The next morning I explained the strange feelings and sounds that I had experienced in the night to the orderlies, they were not a bit surprised and proceeded to explain to me that the room we were sleeping in had been the Nuns’ recreation room when it had been a Convent.

They then went on to tell me about a young soldier who was detailed with others, to do guard duty around the buildings, he suddenly came rushing in to the guard room saying that the swimming pool was on fire, and he was totally incoherent and unable to carry on with his duties, in the morning he was taken away and that was the last anyone ever found out what happened to him.

On hearing this story I suddenly remembered the young soldier who went mad many months ago with no explanation as to the circumstances. Refer back to my mention of it when stationed in Klulang. These happenings made me want to find out the true story of what happened to the Convent Nuns.

On asking the orderlies many searching questions about what they knew about the fairly recent history of the Convent they proceeded to tell me of their version of the story, but could not verify it as being true as the event occurred ten years previous c 1942 Japanese invasion of Malaya.

When the Japanese fighting troops arrived at the Convent they lined the Nuns up at the edge of their outside bathing, swimming pool, and machine gunned them all into the pool and then poured petrol over them and set fire to them all. This describes the vision the young soldier saw, and it drove him out of his mind.

The Mother Superior was reserved for special treatment, she was raped and tortured to death by the troops and was much later buried by an eye witness to the event, I was taken by the orderlies to a spot on the edge of the jungle where her grave was, and although the jungle was encroaching in all directions there was not one blade of grass or weed on the freshly tended grave.

While I was at the convent I was allowed to go for limited walks to help me regain my strength, I took pleasure in surveying the local area and the people. It is a beautiful place, just like England, my home. The air was fresh and clean, the sun is hot but not that sticky and it was a tea growing area, with the main population being Chinese but with the difference, they nearly all had bright red faces, due to the climate. It was very cold at night, we were issued with five thick blankets for out beds. It was quiet a change from lying on our beds with just a thin towel for cover.

I went for a walk down to the local village, which was really just a collection on poor dwellings interspaced with the usual open fronted shops running alongside the road to the Convent, As I did not have any money about my person at the time and also did not fancy the fly incrusted objects on display in the full heat of the sun, I declined the shop keepers offers and returned back to base.

It must be natural instinct of survival as my mind flashed back to the big brown tablets and the probing of the hospital doctors in my nether regions that saved the day, Some of my friends had to stay in hospital and miss the boat from Singapore to England and Home!

As we now has completed out tour of duty in Malaya it was time to pack out kit bags, and make our way down to Singapore where the troopship EMPIRE FOWLEY awaited to take us on board, as we slowly moved away from the dockside to the sound of a brass band and cheering I felt that a great adventure was coming to an end.

I shall never forget the friendship and camaraderie of all the people that I came in contact with and when we finally arrived in England it was both a happy and sad time, as we all had to take our separate ways home to our family and friends.

Extract from my diary from June 1951

Was the story true…or just a myth?

After the last 50 years pondering about what really happened to the Catholic Nuns, I felt the need to find out the truth of the matter. Did it really happen? Or was it a big made up story, to cover up the playing of Table Tennis by the off duty sentries in the middle of the night and the sound filtering through the walls.

After spending countless hours researching this incident, I was finally able to contact the present Nuns at the convent and they were able to confirm that there was no massacre by the Japanese – they sent me documents to prove it.

I had written to the Convent of the Infant Jesus in the Cameron Highlands and was very happy to receive a copy of a document that was based on the school diaries of Convent Primary School - Tanah Rata from 1935 – 1985.

The document contained the information seen below.

My letter to the Catholic Convent in the Cameron Highlands

Catholic Convent
Tanah Rata
Cameron Highlands
Pahang
Malaysia


Dear Sister Winnie

I am writing to ask if you or your Superiors can help me with my research into the history of the Convent were you are now serving as a teaching Nun.

It is a strange feeling for me to write to a person who I have never met, yet you might be standing in the same area as I was standing more that fifty years ago.

I was then coming up to the age of 22 years as a young National Service soldier, serving with the 1st Btn the Worcestershire Regiment during the emergency years of 1951-1952.

I think it must have been an act of diveine providence to bring me to your lovely convent as without the unknown help of the communist bandits, I would never have had the experience of attending Mass, Benediction and receiving Communion in the beautiful Convent chapel.

I have been bought up as a devote Catholic and have been able to attend Mass and the receive the sacraments with the help of the regiment by providing transport unless I was out on jungle patrol.

With being taught by Nuns and always being involved with the religious aspects of life, that caused me to try and find out the fate of the Nuns that were in the Convent at the time of the Japanese invasion.

Please find enclosed letters asking for information on the subject, as yet I am still awaiting reply from the School of Oriental Stusies.

If you are unable to answer any of my questions in my documents, will you please pass them on to the Catholic records authority, that we might be able to find out the order and their fate?

Hoping to hear from you in the near future.

Yours Sincerely,

Andrew Milward

Reply from the Convent Of The Infant Jesus

Convent of The Infant Jesus
PO Box 16
39007 Tanah Rata
Cameron Highlands
Pahang Darul Makmur

4th April 2004

Dear Andrew Milward,

Thank you for your letter dated 23rd March 2004. As Sister Winnie id no longer here, I take the responsibility to reply to your letter. My apology for being late because of the pressure of work.

We belong to the Congregation of the Sisters of the Infant Jesus founded by the French Priest Nicolas Barre. He was inspired to start little schools in France for poor people wandering in the streets. They has no schools to go to and Fr. Nichols Barr reached out to them in love and compassion. That was how our Congregation started.

Our Convent in the Cameron Highlands was built in 1935, mainly a boarding School for European children. Unfortunately, the war broke out soon after, that was in 1941, The Japanese took over the building and declared it Japanese property… For more information, kindly refer to the paper attached,

After the Japanese had gone back to Japan, our Convent was used as the British Military Hospital until 1971 when they returned the Convent to the Sisters after more than 30 years.

At present, there are six Sisters here in the Convent, involved in various missions, like non-formal education for the poor and slow learners, a small kindergarten, faith formation, etc… We are no longer involved in Schools as our presence in not needed. We go where the poor and the simple are in need of us.

Wishing you all the best and God Bless.

Sr. Gertrude Cheng.

The document contained the information seen below.

Return of the Nuns - School diaries of Convent Primary School - Tanah Rata from 1935 – 1985.

War broke out in 1941. In a fortnight the Pensionnod Notre Dame was emptied to re- open no more. As everywhere in Malaysia, the Japanese took over. The 28 Sisters received orders to evacuate, as did all those who were working with them. Br tains, by lorries they went, carrying their small belongings hoping to reach Kuala Lumpur. Black-out everywhere. Painful rememberance of being left on the road due to lack of petrol ot excess passangers – God’s providence looking after them, pupils, staff, and Sisters arrived safely in Kuala Lumpur,

Drawing showing Sisters on the roar – near a big lorry which can’t go on in the dark – only a small torch light brightens the scene.

Return of the Sisters – Japanese Occupation

Although in Kuala Lumpar, the Sisters kept contact with their good friends of Cameron Highlands six months later, on the 23rd March 1924, a few Sisters arrived back after a very hard journey, but happy to find the Convent and especially their real friends. The Priest who had not left the place welcomed them, and also Mr Philips Wong happy to see the Sisters again. Madam Louisa arrived with a hen which started to lay eggs; the Sisters had to support themselves and the cost of living was going up. They decided to start a garden, two goats were bought and soon two little kids could be sold. Anna, Mary, Linda, Suzan, Ah Kok, Paul Yee, Peter Heng and many others were always there ‘to be the Providence’ of the Sisters and to help them survive. There desire was to reopen a school but the Japanese used the building for Japanese lessons from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm.

Soon the convent was transformed into a Japanese Hospital and all the furniture removed. The Sisters now took shelter in a small hut situated were the gardens were behind the Convent;

Drawing shows the Sisters gardening and feeding ducks, chickens etc.

1st March 1943 first duck egg.

In 1945, rumours were circulating – It was said that the war could be over by the end of the year. On 23rd August The Japanese sold the furniture, cloth etc out of our school. Then a telephone message from Tapah announced the arrival of the English officers.

On the 24th September the Sisters received the order to open a small school situated near what is now the P.D.P office. It was an old store filled with manure and dirt. At once the Sisters swept, cleaned and replaced the planks which had been stolen; so happy to make it acceptable for a class. Ninety children arrived of ages 5 – 16 years. A little boy wanted to come but asked if the Sisters would let him see about his goats which were grazing nearby, a cow entered freely to find shelter when it was raining.