Ipoh World

This photograph was supplied by Police Lieutenant Tom Turnbull, the OIC Jungle Squads, Taiping from 1949 to 1959, and now long retired from the Federation of Malaya Police. He is seen here with Colonel Dara Singh one of his old colleagues in the force, and his wife, Cynthia. Dara was based on Selama and as part of 20 Federal Police Jungle Company manned Fort Legap in the early days. The jungle squad;'s role was to defend Malaya from the Communists Insurgents in the first three years of the Malayan Emergency.

The following story of Dara Singh and his wife was written by Tom Turnbull in 2003.

"Dara Singh, the son of a Bengal Lancer (1st Duke of York’s Own), was born at Taiping in 1914 where the regiment was stationed. His father, Mota Singh, went to Mesopotamia on active service in 1915 and took his discharge, time served, when he returned after the war. He was successful in business, in and around Taiping, and a firm family man until his death in the mid-1920s.

After his death the family fortune was shared among all members, Dara giving his share to his mother when she returned to her family in India. This was typical of the boy and like the man. There isn’t a selfish bone in Dara’s body. From that time on he would need all the character his father had instilled in him which proved a more useful legacy than the money bequeathed in the will.

Young Dara, who had elected to remain in the country of his birth, was readily adopted by a Chinese family who educated him at King Edward VII School in the town. That thoughtful family also ensured him the freedom to follow his own religious belief. Those formative years produced the man who became as useful a citizen and colourful a character as any in Malaysia.

In 1934, Dara joined the Malayan police force and became a drill instructor at the depot. It was as good a start as any to experience responsibility and authority. For whatever reason he later took the step which largely influenced his future: he resigned from the police to take a motor mechanic’s course.

When the storm clouds of 1940 gathered Dara had acquired the skills of a competent transport officer; a sound education, formidable linguistic ability, management and technical qualifications. He was not long in waiting to put them to use. The call came for volunteers to go to China. Dara and other King Edward VII old boys joined the transport division of Chiang Kai Chek’s army on the Burma Road.

In time Dara and his mates were soured by the extravagances, corruption and inefficiency that was part and parcel of the Chinese army. Relief for these young men, who had set out with high ideals, came from an unexpected quarter, the Americans. General Stillwell, commander of the US Army in North Burma, accepted it may have been just the English he didn’t get along with. Dara’s openness must have suited the general (this is Vinegar Joe we’re talking about) because the two got on well. It was friendship that lasted until Stillwell’s death. Indeed that friendship was truly cemented by the General’s relatives making Dara a member of the Stillwell Clan. So too with Dara’s American buddies who continue to call on him and write to him in Seremban to this day.

Dara created a bodyguard for the general and became his interpreter. It was an unlikely fellowship, one the son of a Bengal Lancer rooted in the traditions of the British army, the other a well experienced product of West Point, and a general to boot, who lost no sleep over HM Army.

About that time Cynthia entered the plot. Leong Chwee Yin (her Chinese name) escaped to India when Rangoon fell and her family had suffered the fate of so many Chinese at the hands of the Emperor’s soldiers. There she joined All India Radio broadcasting to Burma and China and Dara, adept in so many Chinese dialects, became entranced with The Voice, an interest which did not go unnoticed by the general.

On a certain day the general returned from India to his base in the jungle and told Dara to depart for Calcutta in the same aircraft. He had met The Voice and believed it was time Dara introduced himself to Leong Chwee Yin. The rest is history. They married in 1946 with the proviso that Dara would not again grow a beard. He had gone clean-shaven since leaving Malaya.

In Dara, Cynthia found the man who, with a strong sense of decency and deep compassion, could best help her recover from her tragic loss. For him Cynthia remains The Voice who became his sweetheart and wife and they are still living happily ever after at Seremban.

The Emergency offered Dara the chance he needed to return to the Jungle. His appointment in the Department of Aborigines coincided with the development of the police jungle fort system. After a disastrous ambush on the Sg Plus the Perak Aboriginal Constabulary, left leaderless, became inactive and Fort Luckam was abandoned to be reclaimed by the jungle. The time had come for a new and bolder approach to get the Communist leeches off the backs of the Orang Asli and police forts in deep jungle were the salt so to speak.

From its HQ in Ipoh 20 Federal Police Jungle Company manned Fort Legap on the upper reaches of the Sg Plus. With Dara and some aboriginal porters the first police party spent a week hacking a trail to the site and, with more aboriginal help, a further two months to build the fort. After this, with the help of Dara, it became a “winning the hearts and minds” job through constant patrolling which in turn denied ground, and more importantly food supplies from the ladangs, to the Communists.

Again Dara’s aptitude with languages came to the fore and he soon acquired a working knowledge of the Orang Asli dialects. These dialects were of further benefit to him when he later became a game warden, the job in which he reached retirement. Dara, not being one to sit out his days in a rocking chair on the verandah, the spent many years devoted to helping the Wild Life movement.

Dara’s Chinese name, Wong Ah Leng translates as Able King of Asia. A fitting name indeed."

To read more about Tom Turnbull, click here.

To read more about Jungle Forts and Airstrips, click here.

To read a short introduction to the Malayan Aborigine, click here.