MWI 41031710 Changes To The Volunteers
Fatboy Coxy
Monthly Donor
1941, Monday 17 March;
Andrew Caldecott sat in the middle of the table, Layton to his right, Grimwood to his left, with Percival, Lord Gort and Park in front of him in that order. Gentleman, we’ve all read the review, and had plenty of time to comment on it, minor adjustments have been made, so can I say we are all in agreement, and happy to propose these changes at the General Council. He looked at each man in turn, they all gave a yes, and the decision was made.
The review had come about after a number of informal discussions, and visits to see volunteer units performing. In mid-January they had set up a sub committee to review the situation, and what came back was the units performed well below the standard required for their appointed roles, while the men used for these units often were performing more vital roles in their civilian jobs, or would be better employed in more technical roles, than the private infantryman’s role most of them were employed as.
Percival had given up the most, nearly all the volunteer army forces, would be disbanded, the few kept, changed. The Straits Settlement Volunteer Forces were to be reorganised. 1st and 2nd Battalions would be used in Singapore for static defence (3 static machine gun companies of 12 Vickers MG’s each, 400 men total in 3x100 men companies plus 100 in HQ. 3rd Battalion used in Penang for static defence organised the same as the other two battalions. Age of men is up to 55, Europeans only, and the 4th Battalion disbanded.
The four Federated Malay States Volunteer battalions were all being disbanded, as was the light artillery battery, armoured car squadron and signals battalion. However, many of these men would find themselves in either the newly raised companies of the Malay Regiment, or the newly created Singapore (Chinese) Regiment. In addition, some would go to newly created engineer field companies and light artillery batteries, raised by both the Malay and Singapore Regiments. A number were being put on OTCU training to provide additional officers for the Indian HAA Regts, and would remain as reservists to join their units on mobalisation, they would exercise with their units every third weekend. Yet more volunteers found themselves as reservists attached to the Army’s Royal Signals, RAOC, and RASC. There would still be a home guard based in all the major towns, but purely for static defence and internal security within the town. Some more rural based Europeans were to be given some basic officer training, and deployed as local guides for Army units, and a few, secretively recruited as SOE agents.
Layton’s gains were more about ensuring key personnel were retained in their civilian roles employed in harbour services, ship building and repair, while recruitment of Malay’s into the Malayan Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve was to be expanded.
Park would be allowed to raise a new RAF Squadron, 212 (Malay), funded by the Malay states, with some seconded aircrew and groundcrew from 36 and 100 Sqns, and older pilots from the Malayan Volunteer Air Force, with newly trained Chinese groundcrew. This squadron, along with a second, communications sqn to be raised a bit later would again be funded by Malaya, and manned by MVAF personnel. Both units would operate part-time, mostly training at weekends, but it gave a very useful outlet for a large number of older civilian pilots in Malaya to play a more important role in its defence.
Another gain for Park but falling under Caldecott’s remit was more men allocated to the Air Observer Corps and ARPs, although these were mainly based in the major towns. There was also an improvement in the numbers of volunteers that both the Fire Service and First Aid and Ambulance Service had.
These reviews would also have an impact on Hong Kong, who would adopt something similar, where part of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps would be formed along the same lines as the Straits battalions, transforming onto six static machine gun companies of 12 Vickers MG, 100 men per company plus another 150 in the HQ. The age of men is to be up to 55 but becomes very lax and quite a number of older men are recruited, as establishment totals are not met.
For most on the General Council these changes would be welcomed, and agreement would be had, but for Caldecott there would also fall the difficult task of dealing with the statuary rights in the different Malay states, and they would find moving the men a much easier task on paper than in reality. For many of the volunteers, there would be months of weekend training, with some paid time away from their civilian jobs as well, as they learnt their new roles. A small bonus was, in the main, they were using many of the skills used in their day jobs, and had already the military discipline installed from their pervious voluntary service.
Andrew Caldecott sat in the middle of the table, Layton to his right, Grimwood to his left, with Percival, Lord Gort and Park in front of him in that order. Gentleman, we’ve all read the review, and had plenty of time to comment on it, minor adjustments have been made, so can I say we are all in agreement, and happy to propose these changes at the General Council. He looked at each man in turn, they all gave a yes, and the decision was made.
The review had come about after a number of informal discussions, and visits to see volunteer units performing. In mid-January they had set up a sub committee to review the situation, and what came back was the units performed well below the standard required for their appointed roles, while the men used for these units often were performing more vital roles in their civilian jobs, or would be better employed in more technical roles, than the private infantryman’s role most of them were employed as.
Percival had given up the most, nearly all the volunteer army forces, would be disbanded, the few kept, changed. The Straits Settlement Volunteer Forces were to be reorganised. 1st and 2nd Battalions would be used in Singapore for static defence (3 static machine gun companies of 12 Vickers MG’s each, 400 men total in 3x100 men companies plus 100 in HQ. 3rd Battalion used in Penang for static defence organised the same as the other two battalions. Age of men is up to 55, Europeans only, and the 4th Battalion disbanded.
The four Federated Malay States Volunteer battalions were all being disbanded, as was the light artillery battery, armoured car squadron and signals battalion. However, many of these men would find themselves in either the newly raised companies of the Malay Regiment, or the newly created Singapore (Chinese) Regiment. In addition, some would go to newly created engineer field companies and light artillery batteries, raised by both the Malay and Singapore Regiments. A number were being put on OTCU training to provide additional officers for the Indian HAA Regts, and would remain as reservists to join their units on mobalisation, they would exercise with their units every third weekend. Yet more volunteers found themselves as reservists attached to the Army’s Royal Signals, RAOC, and RASC. There would still be a home guard based in all the major towns, but purely for static defence and internal security within the town. Some more rural based Europeans were to be given some basic officer training, and deployed as local guides for Army units, and a few, secretively recruited as SOE agents.
Layton’s gains were more about ensuring key personnel were retained in their civilian roles employed in harbour services, ship building and repair, while recruitment of Malay’s into the Malayan Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve was to be expanded.
Park would be allowed to raise a new RAF Squadron, 212 (Malay), funded by the Malay states, with some seconded aircrew and groundcrew from 36 and 100 Sqns, and older pilots from the Malayan Volunteer Air Force, with newly trained Chinese groundcrew. This squadron, along with a second, communications sqn to be raised a bit later would again be funded by Malaya, and manned by MVAF personnel. Both units would operate part-time, mostly training at weekends, but it gave a very useful outlet for a large number of older civilian pilots in Malaya to play a more important role in its defence.
Another gain for Park but falling under Caldecott’s remit was more men allocated to the Air Observer Corps and ARPs, although these were mainly based in the major towns. There was also an improvement in the numbers of volunteers that both the Fire Service and First Aid and Ambulance Service had.
These reviews would also have an impact on Hong Kong, who would adopt something similar, where part of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps would be formed along the same lines as the Straits battalions, transforming onto six static machine gun companies of 12 Vickers MG, 100 men per company plus another 150 in the HQ. The age of men is to be up to 55 but becomes very lax and quite a number of older men are recruited, as establishment totals are not met.
For most on the General Council these changes would be welcomed, and agreement would be had, but for Caldecott there would also fall the difficult task of dealing with the statuary rights in the different Malay states, and they would find moving the men a much easier task on paper than in reality. For many of the volunteers, there would be months of weekend training, with some paid time away from their civilian jobs as well, as they learnt their new roles. A small bonus was, in the main, they were using many of the skills used in their day jobs, and had already the military discipline installed from their pervious voluntary service.
