John Evans
Army 11 Battery 3HAA.RA
I served as a gunner with 177 Battery, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, 1941 as Radar Operator. I later with served with 11 Battery, 3HAA.RA in Jahore, Malaya and picked up the only night incursion by the Japs while in Jahore.
The battery was at Anson Road Stadium, Kepple Harbour (a football pitch) and was near to being wiped out on Friday, 13th when many anti-personnel bombs dropped on the site with a direct hit on the height finder. Seven were killed. One bomb only on Saturday, which just missed the ammunition. After taking on a couple of low-flying Japs (traverse right-traverse right-depress-depress-fire and a short fuse up their backsides), a formation of nine were engaged with a salvo smack on the nose of the leading aircraft, followed by another salvo same place. They turned away only to detour and come back for the battery at Kepple Harbour with the sun at their backs. The large bomb we took verified that they had been heading for the Naval Base. The Indian battery nearby had taken a direct hit on a gun and the generator and transmitter of our radar were destroyed.
Although that Indian battery was not in action, 11 Battery was in action on the final day. The lone Bofor sounded reveille at 6am on the 15th, which aroused those of us who had a brief sleep in the Seaman's Mission.
Surrender was a reprieve I felt as I was convinced I must die next day.
