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Eithne Dunne From Cameron Highlands Convent School - A Photograph From The MVG
Our donor for this and other photographs on this site is the The Malayan Volunteers Group (MVG) which developed from an informal gathering of a few British Malayans who were Volunteer Veterans. They used to meet for an annual lunch-time get-together, to talk about times past and to enjoy each other's company. As their numbers gradually decreased over the years, the tradition was carried on by their children and families. Now the lunch-time meetings every October are growing in numbers, as new members join the Group.
In January 2005, there seemed to be a need to keep British Malayan families in touch with each other more frequently than once a year, and so the Malayan Volunteers Group was formed, with a quarterly newsletter called "Apa Khabar" in which news and views are exchanged by members, both here and in different parts of the world.
They may be found at http://www.malayanvolunteersgroup.org.uk/
The Volunteer forces comprised multi-racial battalions organised on a military basis. The Volunteers were required to continue with their civilian duties. For most categories of British Europeans, Volunteer training and duty became compulsory within 18 - 41 age groups in July 1940. Platoons were organised by State and special function. In Perak we had the Federated Malay States Volunteer Force known as FMSVF 1st (Perak) Battalion.
The sliver pf photograph appears on the above site and recentlly her niece, Stephanie Hess, contacted us to give us the following information:
"Eithne was born in Singapore in 1933. In 1938, at the tender age of 5, she was sent to the Convent School at Tanah Rata. I believe this photo was taken on her first day of school."
To read more about Major H J Cockman FMSVR, click here.
To see the Carriage Presented to the MSVR by the Tin Miners Of Perak, click here.
To read an account of the Japanese attack on Ipoh by a member of the Volunteers, click here.