Link to Burning Issues for the beginning of the story.
Link to Fund details page Bidadari Memorial Appeal.
UPDATE 2nd March 2002
The following letter was received by Captain Bax:
ND 291/2-13 Vol 4
25 Feb 2002
Dear Captain John I Bax (Ret)
MERCHANT NAVY AT BIDADARI CEMETERY
Thank you for your email dated 1 Jan 2002.
2 I am pleased to inform you that our National Heritage Board (NHB) is agreeable to your suggestion for the Merchant Navy Association to mount a commemorative plaque at the Bidadari Memorial Garden. NHB will need to co-ordinate the specifications of the plaque with the design of the storyboards and other structures within the Bidadari Memorial Garden. To facilitate this, we would be grateful if you could furnish us with your ideas for the plaque (e.g. desired dimensions, type of material, colours) so that NHB could then consider how to best accommodate your needs.
Yours faithfully,
KOH-CHONG SWEW Lin (MRS)
HEAD/STRATEGIC PLANNING
for PERMANENT SECRETARY
(NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT)
UPDATE 19th February 200225 Feb 2002
Dear Captain John I Bax (Ret)
MERCHANT NAVY AT BIDADARI CEMETERY
Thank you for your email dated 1 Jan 2002.
2 I am pleased to inform you that our National Heritage Board (NHB) is agreeable to your suggestion for the Merchant Navy Association to mount a commemorative plaque at the Bidadari Memorial Garden. NHB will need to co-ordinate the specifications of the plaque with the design of the storyboards and other structures within the Bidadari Memorial Garden. To facilitate this, we would be grateful if you could furnish us with your ideas for the plaque (e.g. desired dimensions, type of material, colours) so that NHB could then consider how to best accommodate your needs.
Yours faithfully,
KOH-CHONG SWEW Lin (MRS)
HEAD/STRATEGIC PLANNING
for PERMANENT SECRETARY
(NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT)
This article appeared on the 16th of January in the Singapore Straits Times.
4 strive to keep grave memories alive A Singaporean woman and three female expatriates are busy recording details of graves at Bidadari, soon to be exhumed By Goh Chin Lian
FOUR women are labouring to save memories of the graves at the soon-to-be-redeveloped Bidadari Christian Cemetery.
Researcher Sally Oh, 38, has been working on her own for the past four years to record details on the tombstones. The other three, expatriates Scottie Oakley, Sue Williams and Liesel Strauss, are planning a picture book about the lives of the people buried there. All four were fascinated with the history of the graves in one of Singapore's oldest cemeteries, which opened in 1907 and was closed for burial in 1972. Knowing that the graves were to be exhumed also spurred them on to salvage whatever information they could find before everything was gone.
Miss Oh, who has made more than 50 trips to the century-old burial grounds over weekends and holidays, said: 'Bidadari is like a vast land of journals. 'Each time I document a tombstone, it's like unearthing page after page of writings about patriotism, or unconditional, unspoken love.'
The cemetery, at the junction of Upper Serangoon Road and Upper Aljunied Road, is making way for about 12,000 flats and other public works. Registration to claim the graves closes at the end of this month. Exhumation on claimed graves began last year and is expected to be completed by 2006. With about 49,000 of the cemetery's 58,000 graves still unclaimed, Miss Oh said: 'I'm fighting a losing battle against time.'
Her labour of love has resulted so far in some 3,000 pictures and 15 B5 exercise books which document more than 1,200 graves. Toting a compact camera, she goes from tombstone to tombstone, snapping shots of the epitaph and the surroundings of the grave. She also jots down the name, date and any other words on the epitaph. Her task does not end there. On evenings after work, she heads for the National Library, armed with a fresh list of names culled from her latest cemetery visit, to do research on their lives. 'When the cemetery is gone, I hope claimants who are too late can have the pictures and information to take home,' she said.
The snapshots, which will be placed eventually in the National Archives of Singapore, are also for later generations who want to find out more about their ancestors, and 'for those who have been here and who will miss this place', she added.
Since early last year, the three expatriate women have also been making records of the graves, independent of her effort. Mrs Oakley and her two friends have made some 20 trips to the cemetery.
The American, who is in her 50s and has been living here for five years, is the head of docents at the Asian Civilisations Museum. Like her, her two friends also volunteer as guides at the museum. They have recorded about 400 graves and taken a few hundred photographs. The book that they are putting together already has support from the Singapore Heritage Society. Mrs Strauss, also in her 50s, is German and has been living here for 10 years. She said: 'People may wonder what three foreign women are doing in a cemetery here. 'We're interested in and care about Singapore's unique history.'
The three women intend to work with Miss Oh to tap her extensive knowledge of the cemetery, and hope that people with stories about the tombstones will come forward. Said Mrs Williams, who is a British woman in her 50s and has been living here for 20 years: 'You get a cross-section of people buried at the cemetery, from the humblest to the important. 'There's a fantastic history here. It's a shame if it just disappears.'
UPDATE 2nd February 2002
The following is a response to a letter written by Billy McGee from the British High Commission in Singapore. We have removed the names and addresses on purpose. We would like to applaud the efforts of the Commission in their attempts to discuss with the Authorities alternatives to cremation and the scattering of ashes at sea but it does beg the question as to why it's only just been announced in Singapore when we have known for months on both the subject of exhumation and the extension of the deadline. We would also like to point out that the War Graves Commission, a publically funded organisation, are still refusing to communicate with regards delicate questions as to who qualifies for re-internment at the Kranji Cemetery, it is not as they have previously claimed.
UPDATE 17th January 2002
Hello Fred,
Message from U.S. Embassy:
Mr. McGee,
I've forwarded a list of 59 deceased Americans interred at Bidadari to the Vital Records Office at the Dept. of State in Washington, DC and await a reply. It may be that a $20 fee is required for each record search. If that is the case, the American Association of S'pore may be able to raise some funds for this project. If you would like to request Capt. Richner's death record from the Vital Records Office yourself, I've included information below on how that can be done. When I get a response about the fees, I'll let you know.
Regards,
XXXXXXX
Rgds Billy
Hello Fred,
Attached is a letter sent to George's relatives from Singapore. The family are now trying to sort out which family plot to put his ashes in. Do you have a list of other graves with any details on I can have to see if one of the national papers will take an interest.
Rgds Billy
Message from U.S. Embassy:
Mr. McGee,
I've forwarded a list of 59 deceased Americans interred at Bidadari to the Vital Records Office at the Dept. of State in Washington, DC and await a reply. It may be that a $20 fee is required for each record search. If that is the case, the American Association of S'pore may be able to raise some funds for this project. If you would like to request Capt. Richner's death record from the Vital Records Office yourself, I've included information below on how that can be done. When I get a response about the fees, I'll let you know.
Regards,
XXXXXXX
Rgds Billy
Hello Fred,
Attached is a letter sent to George's relatives from Singapore. The family are now trying to sort out which family plot to put his ashes in. Do you have a list of other graves with any details on I can have to see if one of the national papers will take an interest.
Rgds Billy
If the American Authorities are able to look after their nationals, the M.O.D. arrange for servicemen's graves and we helped George's family in sorting out the movement of his remains how is it that our own Government are either unable or unwilling to intervene on those left at Bidadari?
"John Bax"
To: Swew Lin KOH-CHONG/MND/SINGOV@SINGOV
cc: "Bobbie Browning"
Subject: Re: Merchant Navy at Bidadari Cemetery.
01/01/02
01:14 AM
Good Morning Swew Lin
Thank you for your message and the contents are duly noted which brings us much joy.
We are getting as much information as we can and in some cases even contacting descendents where we can find them. We have also passed on information to the US State Dept who are also trying to contact descendents of their Mariners who are buried at Bidadari.
We shall of course contact you as soon as we know anything positive. It is also hoped that we will have more information from a researcher of ours who was in Singapore recently and who was walking the cemetery, so we will have to wait and see as he is not back yet.
The question has arisen here and we are waiting to hear back from The Merchant Navy Association in UK which is the National Organization for The Merchant Navy to see if they are willing to act as a collection point for donations towards a BRASS PLAQUE in memory of all the Merchant Navy Crew buried in Bidadari and which could be mounted in the memorial garden if The Singapore Authorities agreed.You would of course stipulate dimensions etc. Maybe it could even be made in Singapore if we supplied the drawings for your approval first.
Can you bring this up and let us know, the cost to Singapore would be nil other than mounting it for us.
Thank you for your concern and efforts.
Capt. John I Bax. Blue Funnel Association.
Ex Blue Funnel Line. Liverpool.
Straits Steamship Co. Singapore.
AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING, WE SHALL REMEMBER THEM.
Dear Mr John Bax,
Thank you for your note.
I have referred your request to the relevant government agencies for consideration.
I will let you know the outcome as soon as I heard from them. My apology for taking so long.
Regards,
Swew Lin
UPDATE 12th January 2002To: Swew Lin KOH-CHONG/MND/SINGOV@SINGOV
cc: "Bobbie Browning"
Subject: Re: Merchant Navy at Bidadari Cemetery.
01/01/02
01:14 AM
Good Morning Swew Lin
Thank you for your message and the contents are duly noted which brings us much joy.
We are getting as much information as we can and in some cases even contacting descendents where we can find them. We have also passed on information to the US State Dept who are also trying to contact descendents of their Mariners who are buried at Bidadari.
We shall of course contact you as soon as we know anything positive. It is also hoped that we will have more information from a researcher of ours who was in Singapore recently and who was walking the cemetery, so we will have to wait and see as he is not back yet.
The question has arisen here and we are waiting to hear back from The Merchant Navy Association in UK which is the National Organization for The Merchant Navy to see if they are willing to act as a collection point for donations towards a BRASS PLAQUE in memory of all the Merchant Navy Crew buried in Bidadari and which could be mounted in the memorial garden if The Singapore Authorities agreed.You would of course stipulate dimensions etc. Maybe it could even be made in Singapore if we supplied the drawings for your approval first.
Can you bring this up and let us know, the cost to Singapore would be nil other than mounting it for us.
Thank you for your concern and efforts.
Capt. John I Bax. Blue Funnel Association.
Ex Blue Funnel Line. Liverpool.
Straits Steamship Co. Singapore.
AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING, WE SHALL REMEMBER THEM.
Dear Mr John Bax,
Thank you for your note.
I have referred your request to the relevant government agencies for consideration.
I will let you know the outcome as soon as I heard from them. My apology for taking so long.
Regards,
Swew Lin
Copies of two letters recieved by Billy McGee in response to the campaign. One from his MP and the other from the War Graves Commission.
UPDATE 30th December 2001
On the 29th of December I received the following from Mrs. Koh-Chong Swew Lin who appears to be the Head of Strategic Planning for the Permanent Secretary for National Development in Singapore, all of you who wrote will have received the same. Sadly it is only a partial victory for common decency but nevertheless perhaps the best that we as individuals can achieve. As of this date we have had no response from the British and Commonwealth War Graves Commission and if this remains the same then the Dutch will inevitably withdraw their support. I won't repeat what is in the following text but it is our opinion that as a collective group we should seek permission from the Singapore Authorities to have a bronze plaque erected within the Memorial Garden. Within the next few days we will approach the Merchant Navy Association to see if they can organise the collection of monies to pay for the commemoration. We will also seek to have as many headstones of Merchant Navy Personnel placed in the Garden of Remembrance that we can positively identify. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who took the time to write to the Singapore Authorities and will of course keep you updated.
29 Dec 2001
Dear Mr F.J. Waddington
BIDADARI
Thank you for your email dated 2 Dec 2001
2 We fully understand your concerns and feelings over the exhumation in the Bidadari Christian Cemetery. It was a difficult decision on our part which was taken only after careful consideration. We hope you will give us your kind understanding on this matter. Our island State of only 650 sq km supports a population of 4 millions. We face severe land constraint and have no choice but to free land including cemetery sites for public development to meet the pressing needs of our growing population. Over the last 20 years, our government had exhumed more than 36 cemeteries of different races and religious for various developments projects. The land presently occupied by the Bidadari Cemetery is required for high-rise public housing and other comprehensive development.
3 We regret that we have no available records of the particulars of the Merchant Navy personnel and the locations of their graves at Bidadari Cemetery. Some might have been claimed by their descendants/next-of-kin. For graves that are unclaimed, the cremated remains will be scattered at sea.
4 We are pleased to inform you that our National Heritage Board (NHB) is setting up a Bidadari Memorial Garden for relocation of tombstones of selected personalities and a gateway from the Bidadari Cemetery. As a gesture to commemorate the British seamen buried at the Bidadari Cemetery, NHB would incorporate information on the British seamen and other specific groups buried at Bidadari into the storyline for the storyboards at the Bidadari Memorial Garden.
5 We thank you for kindly sharing your thoughts and concerns with us.
Yours Sincerely
KOH-CHONG SWEW LIN (MRS)
HEAD/STRATEGIC PLANNING
for PERMANENT SECRETARY
(NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT)
UPDATE 18th December 2001BIDADARI
Thank you for your email dated 2 Dec 2001
2 We fully understand your concerns and feelings over the exhumation in the Bidadari Christian Cemetery. It was a difficult decision on our part which was taken only after careful consideration. We hope you will give us your kind understanding on this matter. Our island State of only 650 sq km supports a population of 4 millions. We face severe land constraint and have no choice but to free land including cemetery sites for public development to meet the pressing needs of our growing population. Over the last 20 years, our government had exhumed more than 36 cemeteries of different races and religious for various developments projects. The land presently occupied by the Bidadari Cemetery is required for high-rise public housing and other comprehensive development.
3 We regret that we have no available records of the particulars of the Merchant Navy personnel and the locations of their graves at Bidadari Cemetery. Some might have been claimed by their descendants/next-of-kin. For graves that are unclaimed, the cremated remains will be scattered at sea.
4 We are pleased to inform you that our National Heritage Board (NHB) is setting up a Bidadari Memorial Garden for relocation of tombstones of selected personalities and a gateway from the Bidadari Cemetery. As a gesture to commemorate the British seamen buried at the Bidadari Cemetery, NHB would incorporate information on the British seamen and other specific groups buried at Bidadari into the storyline for the storyboards at the Bidadari Memorial Garden.
5 We thank you for kindly sharing your thoughts and concerns with us.
Yours Sincerely
HEAD/STRATEGIC PLANNING
for PERMANENT SECRETARY
(NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT)
By a strange twist of fate the site has been able to contact relatives of one of the British Merchant Seamen buried at Bidadari Cemetery. Our contact in the Far East had taken photographs of some of the graves and written down details taken from the headstones. Strangely one of the headstones had the home address of the deceased's relatives inscribed thereon.
S.S. Lingula
Armed with this information Billy McGee was able to make contact with the family of George xxxxxx who still lived at the same address and informed them of events taking place in Singapore. The family has written to the Singapore Authorities informing them of their desire that George's remains be placed in the Government's Columbarium after cremation.
S.S. Lingula
The family also informed Billy that George had died when Anglo Saxon Petroleum's S.S. Lingula exploded when discharging aviation spirit at Palau Samboa Island in 1951. At the time of the explosion it was reported that ten crewmembers had been injured and a further ten were missing. Can anybody shed any further light on the incident?
When Billy wrote to the American Authorities in Singapore he also wrote to the Dutch and on the 13th of December the Ambassador Hendrik J van Pesch responded as follows:
'Having contacted the Dutch War Graves Commission it has been decided to consider removing the remains of its Dutch citizens from Bidadari if the British & Commonwealth War Graves Commission respond likewise.'
I wrote to the British & Commonwealth War Graves Commission the same day informing them of the Dutch Authorities' decision and am currently awaiting a reply, it would appear that I have come full circle. We are also awaiting responses from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Geoff Hoone in particular. I'm led to believe that the Merchant Navy Association branches are responding favourably and that they are contacting the Authorities including Number Ten. As events unfold we will load them up to the site.
Below is an article which appeared in a North-East newspaper, not factually correct but nevertheless publicity. We would like to thank George's family and Billy McGee for their help in our campaign.
