Voice Under the Rising Sun Book Review by Lily (age 12)

Book Review: ‘Voices Under the Rising Sun’

 

This book is called ‘Voices Under the Rising Sun’ by Fiona Hodgkins and was illustrated by Yolanda McKean.  The genre is historical fiction and really shows you what life in Malaya and Singapore was like in World War 2.

 

At the start of the book, the story is set in a house next to a papaya plantation but later on the setting is in a jungle in Bahau.

 

The books is about three children called Mary, Charlie and Rosie who tell about their lives during World War 2 by letters, diary entries and other documents.  They write about their experiences with each other and living in a jungle so far away from home.

 

The part of the book that I most enjoyed was the part when Charlie pushed Mary into the ditch near the papaya plantation because it reminds me of my brother and me when we fight.  My favourite character is Charlie because he is naughty but in sad times he brings out a little humour and turns them into good times.

 

This books was really interesting because it isn’t just taking you on an adventure through a story, it is taking you on an adventure through history.  I would highly recommend this book to people of any age!

 

Lily aged 12 TTS, Singapore June 2016

Friends of the Museum, Friday Evening Lecture, May 2016 ACM, Singapore

In this lecture, Fiona Hodgkins will share the story of Bahau, the World War II Catholic Settlement in the Malayan Jungle. She will talk about how and why she conducted her research, and include an update on developments since the publication of her books in 2014.

Fiona lived in Singapore for 14 years, and can trace her ancestry in the region to Portuguese traders who settled in Malacca in the mid-18th century. She currently lives in the UK but retains many close links with Singapore.

For more information:

http://www.fom.sg/public-event/friday-evening-lectures/

Settlers' List Updated 2nd May 2015

  • Carmen Leong - 27th April in Singapore. Fascinating to hear the stories of this ex IJ orphan in Bahau
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  • Gerald Woodford - April 2015 “the invisible man” located in Victoria Australia. Delighted to hear from him.
  • Vicky Everhart - February 2015. Contacted by her daughter in New Zealand.
  • Patrick Mowe - January 2015. Met at FOM talk at ACM and shared more family information.
  • James Low - 11th November 2014 in Singapore following information received by a reader who recognised his name on the Settlers' List and knew him from the church choir.
  • Richard and Carol Payne - October 2014. Contacted me from Townsville Australia with updates of the Bracken family.

 

 

April 2015 - Update

  • 1st April - Public book talk at the National Library, Singapore
  • 21st April - American Women’s Association (AWA) book tour to the Eurasian Association, Singapore
                                                   AWA at the Eurasian Association

                                                   AWA at the Eurasian Association

  • 23rd April - Australia New Zealand Association (ANZA) book tour to the Eurasian Association, Singapore
Thanks for the feedback!! Fiona

Thanks for the feedback!! Fiona

Official Flag Hand-over to National Museum

On 3rd December 2014 the Union Jack flag raised by Force 136 at Bahau in 1945 was officially handed over and into the care of the National Archives curator at the National Museum of Singapore. It was carefully folded, wrapped in tissue paper and boxed for safekeeping before it is next put on display at the National Museum or Eurasian Association.

Book Launch Review by Alison James

Book Launch at the National Museum : “From Syonan to Fuji-Go” and its companion children’s book “Voices under the Rising Sun” by Fiona Hodgkins

On 15 October, at the National Museum of Singapore, Fiona Hodgkins launched two books she has written to chronicle a little known but important episode in Singapore’s history. They tell the story of some 3000 refugees, for the most part Eurasian and Catholic, who were sent from here during World War II’s  Japanese occupation to build a settlement in a remote and inhospitable section of jungle in Malaya, near the town of Bahau. The books are the culmination of six years of research and face to face interviews with survivors and were inspired by the childhood stories Fiona heard from her mother, who with her siblings and parents were among the interns at Fuji-Go - ‘beautiful village’ in Japanese.

A large gathering in the Museum’s Salon included relatives and survivors representing some 100 of those who had struggled so hard for nearly two years of the war, battling malaria and hardship to clear the jungle and build a new life for themselves in that hostile environment –  not quite the idyllic haven the Japanese had promised. We heard from Justice Judith Prakash, Guest of Honour, just what a personal journey of discovery this has been for Fiona and gained some insight into the psychological suffering the Eurasians and Chinese of the Bahau settlement must have felt on being summarily abandoned to their fate when the British were evacuated.

Fiona thanked everyone, including many who had travelled great distances to attend the launch, for their overwhelming support. She paid tribute to all those who had shared their stories and given her access to memoirs and diaries. The Union Jack which was raised when Bahau was liberated by Force 136 in 1945 was then presented to the Eurasian Association by ex-Bahau settler, Michael Alves, who was only 6 at that time. It will remain on loan to the National Museum, where a section devoted to Bahau can be found in the WWII area. Guests were also treated to a guided tour of the exhibit to give them a flavour of this extraordinary tale of human resilience and at the end of the evening no one could fail to be intrigued and yearn to know more.