Jungle Soldier: The True Story of Freddy Spencer Chapman

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SOE Singapore 1941 - 1942", a book by Richard Gough about SOE's (Force 136) missions in Malaya and Burma during WWII. In the foreword to Chapman's book on his experiences in Japanese occupied Malaya, The Jungle Is Neutral, Field Marshal Earl Wavell wrote "Colonel Chapman has never received the publicity and fame that were his predecessor's lot [referring to T.E.Lawrence]; but for sheer courage and endurance, physical and mental, the two men stand together as examples of what toughness the body will find, if the spirit within it is tough; and as very worthy representatives of our national capacity for individual enterprise, which it is hoped that even the modern craze for regulating our lives in every detail will never stifle."

A few British army officers had also been left behind in the Karenni, in a hasty attempt to organise a "stay-behind" organisation. In 1943, the Japanese made a ruthless punitive expedition into the Karenni, where they knew a British officer was operating. To spare the population, a British liaison officer, Hugh Seagrim, voluntarily surrendered himself to the Japanese and was executed along with several of his Karen fighters. From 1938, Britain had been supporting the Republic of China against the Japanese, by allowing supplies to reach the Chinese via the Burma Road running through Burma. SOE had various plans regarding China in the early days of the war. Forces were to be sent into China through Burma and a Bush Warfare School under Michael Calvert was established in Burma to train Chinese and Allied personnel in irregular warfare. These plans came to an end with the Japanese conquest of Burma in 1942. Our Man in Malaya: John Davis (CBE, DSO), SOE Force 136 and Postwar Counter-Insurgency", a book by Margaret Shennan about John Davis, a Force 136 agent and British Liaison Officer to the MPAJA guerrilla forces.The India Mission's first cover name was GS I(k), which made it appear to be a record-keeping branch of GHQ India. The name, Force 136 was adopted in March 1944. From December 1944, the organisation's headquarters moved to Kandy in Ceylon and co-operated closely with South East Asia Command which was also located there.

This latitude did him good, winning a Kitchener scholarship to St John’s College, Cambridge, in 1926. It was there that he developed his passion for adventure.The resort has a bar named 'Chapman's bar' in Emerald Bay (from where he swam to the submarine). The resort also hosts the 'Chapman Challenge', which includes a timed trek through the jungle and a swim. Each year descendants of Chapman have attended and even competed. [21] Publications [ edit ] Wan Teh, Wan Hashim (1996). "Peranan orang Melayu dalam Gerakan Anti-Jepun". Jebat: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics and Strategic Studies (in Malay). School of History, Politics & Strategic Studies, The National University of Malaysia. 24: 101–108. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019 . Retrieved 30 March 2019.

Ibrahim Ismail – A Johor Military Force (JMF) officer cadet who was studying in Indian Military Academy before the Japanese invasion of Malaya. Commissioned into the British Indian Army and recruited to Force 136. Parachuted into the western coast of Terengganu as part of Operation Oatmeal with another two agents. His team was betrayed and captured by the Japanese. He agreed to become a double agent for the Japanese after being tortured for a month, but managed to tell Force 136 HQ about the situation. Effectively became a triple agent and gave false information about Operation Zipper to the Japanese forces. For his cunningness and deception, Ismail was appointed to MBE by the British. Continued to serve with JMF after the war and later transferred to the Malay Regiment (now known as the Royal Malay Regiment) in 1951. He was appointed the 5th Chief of Defence Forces (Malaysia) in 1970. [14] Chin Phui Kong – A Bornean student studying in China before WWII, recruited by SOE for Force 136 for his tri-lingual talents; English, Malay and Chinese. Received commando, parachute and demolition training in India. Parachuted into Bidor near the Cameron Highlands to train MPAJA guerrillas. He resumed his study in Marine biology after WWII. Later become Director of the Department of Fisheries Sabah, a renowned ichthyologist and author of authoritative books. [6] Several fish species have been named after him (e.g. Betta chini, Osteochilus chini and Neogastromyzon chini). On 27 October 2011, the late Sultan of Pahang, Sultan Ahmad Shah named a new Malaysian Army military camp in Pekan, Pahang, Malaysia as Kem Force 136 ('Force 136 Camp'). The camp serves as the headquarters for the 505th Battalion, Territorial Army Regiment. [29] Commando Bay, Okanagan Lake, Canada [ edit ] After the war, he was headmaster of schools in Germany and South Africa. Married with three children, he ended up as warden of a hall of residence at Reading University. Forced to retire before he would have wished, aware his health and energy were no longer what they were, and suffering from one of the periodic bouts of depression that had gripped him since Cambridge, he shot himself in the head in his office, aged 64.The captain of KNALU should be treated as the British army's. And those who have made contributions among the squad members shall receive special treatment by judging and commendation. Hussain, Mustapha (2005). The Memoirs of Mustapha Hussain: Malay Nationalism Before UMNO. Kuala Lumpur: Utusan Publications. p.295. A typical Force 136 team consisted of 8 agents, including two commanders, two agents in charge of demolition, one wireless telecommunication (W/T) operator, one agent to cipher and decrypt messages and two scouts. [1] Training [ edit ] Freddie came to Sedbergh when he was 14 years old. He did not excel as he loathed the rigours and routine of school life. Fortunately, the then Headmaster, whom Chapman described as wise and sympathetic, excused Freddie from having to participate in organised sports as long as he did not waste his time. Freddie used the time to explore the surrounds of Sedbergh on foot.

In 1936 he joined a Himalayan climbing expedition. There, he was able to indulge his fondness for photography and his interest in nature. He, along with Sherpa Passang Dawa Lama, became the first mountaineers to climb the holy mountain Chomolhari. This mountain, with a 7314 m high peak, would not be climbed again until 1970. Unfortunately, military leaders and strategists would not allow preparations to be made in the event that Singapore fell, believing such a scenario was impossible. Following the Japanese invasion Captain Chapman formed a previously planned commando group as a stay behind party made up of sympathetic guerillas from Malay, Chinese, and Indian volunteers. Gino Watkins moulded an extraordinary esprit de corps in his expeditions, and the expedition members were a strange mixture of military intelligence (MI) officers, hard nuts, and rather fay Cambridge misfits. [ citation needed] Many of the members would go on to do extraordinary things in the war. These members included Martin Lindsay, Augustine Courtauld and Chapman himself.

The Jungle Is Neutral", a book by Freddie Spencer Chapman about his missions and experience surviving in the Malayan jungle during WWII.