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| Colonel Dato Yahya bin Abu Talib ( Second in Command) Johor Military Force cir 1940 |
Johor Bahru, 1942 – the place
where the Battle of Malaya ended and the Battle of Singapore begin…
1886,
State Militia “Timbalan Setia Negri” was formed under the command of
commissioner of police, Dato Abdullah bin Tahir, the Dato Sri Raja Setia. Since
then, Johor is unique as the only state in Malaya with its own independent
defence force. The militia comprised of 60 Malays and 20 Punjabs with Syed
Mahmud bin Nong Yahya as officer.
1887,
reorganised into regular military unit with Malay as infantry and the Punjabis
as an artillery battery. The first commander was Capt. CNC Newland from the 2nd
Battalion South Irish Division of the Royal Artillery. He was the commandant
and Instructor and the first Malay officer commissioned was Major Daud bin
Suleiman.
1905,
Sultan Ibrahim commanded the militia with the assistance of Sgt Major Cullimore.
A firing range was constructed and training exercises with British troops were
conducted. The militia was named the Johor Military Force (JMF), a regular
force.
In the
same year, the Johor Volunteer Force (JVF) was formed from the Malay Civil
Servants to instill discipline and pride in the Civil Service. There were
weekly parade and annual camps for the volunteers.
The HQ
of the JMF and JVF was at the Bukit Timbalan ( The Fort).
By 1913,
the JMF grew in numbers and competence, with 271 enlisted men and officers –
171 in Johor Bahru and 100 in Muar.
With the
outbreak of WW1 in 1914, Sultan Ibrahim offered the services of the JMF to the
colonial government of Singapore which they accepted as the garrison of
Singapore numbers fell with British forces committed to war in Europe.
The JMF
had 190 officers and men posted to guard duty at strategic locations in
Singapore to help the garrison. During the 5th Indian Light mutiny
in Feb 1915, Capt Cullimore and 2 others from the JMF was killed. The mutineers
who fled to Kota Tinggi in Johor later surrendered to General Tan Sri Ibrahim.
When the mutiny was eventually put down, the Governor Sir Auther Young wrote to
thank the JMF for their loyalty and bravery. The JMF continued to provide
security to Singapore with a detachment of JMF stationed at Pulau Blakang Mati
until the war ended.
1915,
the JMF Enactment was passed to require the JMF to serve outside of Johor and
in any part of Malaya.
By 1938,
the JMF grew to 950 men against an authorised strength of 971. They were
stationed in JB, Muar, Batu Pahat and Mersing. British officers continued to be
seconded for service in JMF and they were armed with machine-guns equipped for
jungle use.
In 1939,
the JMF was a battalion of infantry with signals squadron, an artillery battery
and a military band. The JVF consisted of a battalion of 2 companies and a
signals unit. There were also the Johor Volunteer Engineers ( JVE) which was
made up of mainly European civilians – managers and staff of rubber estates and
commercial firms, with British officers in command.
Junior
officers were attached to British and Indian regiments in Singapore for
training and two batches of Cadet Officers were sent to the Indian Military
Academy at Dehra Dun for Officer Training in 1940-41.
Sultan
Ibrahim again offered services of the JMF to Malaya Command when war broke out
in 1941. Johor Units were placed under the command of Major General Gordon
Bennett.
The JMF
then consisted of 2 battalions of 4 companies each. The commanders were Major
General Sultan Ibrahim – the second in command was Colonel Dato Yahya bin Abu Talib
and Lt Col Musa bin Yusof led detachments of JMF and JVF to relieve the 2/6th
Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force at Kota Tinggi.
JMF and
JVF were alsodeployed as Lone of Communication troops from Mersing to Kota
Tinggi, through Kluang and Batu Pahat and to guard airfields at Kahang and
Kluang. JMF Signals was deployed in islands off Mersing as early warning posts
for sea activites.
Extracted
from “Johor : Local History, Local Landscapes 1855-1957” by Lim Pui Huen
