Australian Paula Mcloughlin paid tribute to her prisoner-of-war grandfather Fred Bindon at the Batu Lintang World War II Memorial Square here yesterday.

Mcloughlin, who was visiting for the first time with her husband Peter, said they were honoured and overwhelmed to visit the memorial, which was the site of the prisoner-of-war camp during the Japanese occupation of Sarawak.

“It is with a lot of pride in the Australian soldiers and my grandfather. I feel very proud to be his granddaughter, and very blessed to be here, and to meet all your lovely people,” she told The Borneo Post.

Mcloughlin said the visit also helped her to understand how strong the Australian soldiers must have been to go through what they did as POWs in the camp.

Bindon, then a private in the Australian Army, was captured by the Japanese in Changi, Singapore, and interned in Batu Lintang from 1942 to 1945.

“We found his name in the books in Changi. My grandfather told me lots of stories. When he came, he convinced the Japanese Army officers that he was a cook and he was a cook by training. He was then allowed to be a cook in the kitchen.

“Obviously, it was easy, he could get some food. He was good at stealing. He said he was a magnificent thief, so he would often steal food and give it to the other Australian soldiers and their children,” she said.

Mcloughlin also described how Bindon siphoned petrol from the car of Japanese Army officers while they were inspecting the camp.

“When the Japanese officers came back out, they got in the car and the car wouldn’t go. So they made the Australian soldiers push the car down the hill so that they could get out,” she said.

She also related some of the harsh times Bindon experienced.

“He said he was very hungry and the food would be cooked and he had memories of the food brought under his nose and they (Japanese) would say ‘eat, eat, eat’ and he would go to eat but then they would take the plate away and laugh at him.

“Sometimes, he was caught for stealing food. He had some bamboo scars underneath his nails and he said that was very torturous. He didn’t talk in great detail about it, but he was very afraid of the Japanese Army officers,” she recalled.

Mcloughlin said after the Japanese Army surrendered, Bindon required treatment at what is now Sarawak General Hospital before returning to Sydney.

“He was unwell when he got back to Australia, but quickly recovered and he lived until he was 69, when he passed away in 1979,” she said.

“He had lots of grandchildren, who really loved him. He had five children; three are still living and 11 grandchildren. I’m one of them who is most like him. My grandfather had red hair. Of all grandchildren, only myself and another one have red hair. They said we were definitely his grandchildren.”

During their visit, the Mcloughlins were briefed by Sarawak Tourism Federation (STF) Heritage Development Committee chairman Datuk Lim Kian Hock, who said the committee is always very happy to have descendants of POWs visit the memorial.

“Today we also paid tribute and remembered one of the oldest prisoners of war, who died on Tuesday, Sept 12, in New South Wales, Australia. He was here, his name was Lt Russell Ewin, who was here in 1942 and was liberated on Sept 11, 1945.

“We were very touched by him because when we opened the new memorial square, he was the only prisoner of war who could still remember and sang the Batu Lintang prisoners of war song. And that song has since been uploaded to YouTube. This morning I saw my email, his daughter sent an appreciation and wishes for us to remember her late father, who will be buried on Sept 28,” he said.

Among those present were St Joseph’s International School principal Br Paul Hough, Sarawak Association of Tourism Attractions chairperson Fiona Marcus Raja, and former Batu Lintang child POW Jeli Abdullah.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by THE BORNEO POST

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