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Eric S. Willbourn - The Surveyor - Part 2
Eric had been a dedicated member of the Volunteer Rifles and then the FMS Volunteers for over twenty years. By the early 1930s, he was the Commanding Officer of 'C' Company in the 1st (Perak) Battalion of the Volunteers and second-in-command of the whole battalion. He was later transferred to the Training Battalion by 1939 when he was already 50 years old according to Jonathan Moffatt's meticulous records.
He was made second-in-command of the Perak Local Defence Corps (LDC) which was formed in October 1940 and Jessie had signed up with the Medical Auxiliary Service at Batu Gajah hospital; training to drive 'Ambulances' (converted lorries) and perform first aid. Clearly aware of the threat from Japan, Eric approached the Military Directorate in Singapore that same year, offering the entire senior staff of the Geological Survey for intelligence duties. Given their detailed knowledge of Malaya right up to, and even across, the Siamese border, this would have been a highly valuable resource for the British Army. His offer was curtly refused as being 'quite unnecessary'.
All territorial forces were mobilised shortly before the Japanese invasion of the 8th of December 1941 and a week later all expatriate women were ordered to evacuate from Perak. Jessie drove down to Seremban to stay with John and Jo Cowgill, John was the British Resident for Negeri Sembilan.
Eric and his fellow officers were deployed down at Tanjung Malim, suffering frequent attacks by enemy aircraft. Their main duty was to keep Motor Transport running in support of the army. The Japanese then landed further down the coast, outflanking the British forces who were also defeated at Slim River. Eric was instructed to assist the army withdrawal with transport, apart from a few small parties to whom he gave special duties: one group of his men was detailed to take eight million dollars from the KL State Treasury back to Singapore.
On 10th January, Jessie and Jo Cowgill were forced to evacuate to Singapore, where Lady Shenton (wife of Pre-war Governor of Singapore, Sir Shenton Thomas) immediately invited them to stay at Government House. As the LDC no longer had an effective role, Eric resigned and volunteered as a Liaison Officer with the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), since "The Aussies don't know the language & don't know the natives & they need people like us who know the ropes."
Jessie continued in the Medical Auxiliary service, refusing to leave Singapore and expressed her pleasure at being together with Eric for this short spell and being glad that Tony and Betty were 'safe' in England. Jessie refused to leave whilst nurses were still needed; Eric later wrote that although he tried to get her to leave, he was proud of her refusal to do so. He felt mightily relieved to hear that Jessie was heading to potential safety as he learnt from John Cowgill that both women had been taken to the docks after insistence from the Colonial Secretary that their wives left immediately.
John told Eric after the surrender that he had taken their wives to the docks and seen them into a launch. That was the last John saw or heard of them. From the news that filtered back to Changi over the following months via survivors of the ships that had been lost, Eric realised that it was likely that Jessie had been killed or drowned but he didn't give up all hope.
Despite keeping his hopes alive for all the years of captivity, it was confirmed that both Jessie and Jo Cowgill were indeed on the vessel and neither had survived the sinking. From the accounts of those present, it would appear that they were in the damaged port-side lifeboat which had been foundered after being launched, owing to bomb shrapnel and splinter damage. With this effectively 100% definite news Eric then knew that Jessie had died back in February 1942 and he writes "I shall not re-visit Batu Gajah but will come straight home. I don't want to see BG again!".
Eric left Singapore on the S.S. Ranchi, arriving into Southampton on 20th November. His recuperation took some time but he eventually returned to work. He was appointed to be Deputy Director at the Directorate of Colonial Geological Services in London. From 1954 to'57, he also served on the Council of the Geological Society. He was awarded the OBE in the New Year's Honours List of January 1955 and finally retired two years later at the age of 67.
Eric died on the 25th of November 1977, at the age of 88 and is buried in the family grave in the Priory Churchyard in Bridlington, where two headstones commemorate his beloved Jessie, along with his parents and seven siblings.
To go back to Part 1, click here.
To read about the Batu Gajah Hospital, click here.
To read Eric's full story based on a talk his grandson Roger S. Wilbourn gave, click on the link below.