Johor Military Force ( JMF ) and Johor Volunteer Force ( JVF) in Johor Bahru, Unfederated State of Malaya

Colonel Dato Yahya bin Abu Talib ( Second in Command) Johor Military Force cir 1940

Johor Military Force  ( JMF ) and Johor Volunteer Force ( JVF)  in Johor Bahru, Unfederated State of Malaya

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 2^nd 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 5^th 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 2/6^th 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