Singapore Volunteer Rifles - Indiscreet Memories 1901-1904

The illustration cover of the book - From the looks of their uniform - Were they Sikhs of the Malay State Guides? or Perak Sikhs ( Local Constabulary )

Edwin A Brown (Indiscreet Memories: Through the eyes of a colonial Englishman)

See below extracted accounts of Edwin’s volunteer stint with the Singapore Volunteer Rifles

1901 Sunday 6 Jan – Singapore Volunteers Corps ( SVC) paraded to the Presbyterian Church for the passing of William Clarke – SGT SVA, who joined Thorneycroft’s Mounted Infantry in 2^nd Boer War- Died in Ladysmith on May 1900.

1901 – Arrival of 16^th Madras Light Infantry for garrison duties in Singapore

1901- Tue 22 Jan – Queen Victoria died. Perak Lancers; private bodyguard of Sultan of Perak. Edwin joined the SVR ( Singapore Volunteer Rifles ).

Socializing at the “Tingel Tangel” dance hall

1902 -Jan – SVE ( SIngapore Volunteer Engineers ) established to assist RE in the permanent defence of Singapore. The company was divided into Field & Electrical. Was given 100 rounds of ammo for free as incentive to join the SVE, with the next 100 rounds 50% priced.

1902- 3^rd & 13^th Madras Infantry arrived for garrison duties. No regular battalion of white troops because of the South African War.

1902- 5 Feb Wed; SVC went to camp – “The wet Camp”. Parade of SVC for King’s Birthday, only 6 SVR turned up which was held at the Race Course.

1903 – Chinese New Year – Singapore Volunteers Corps Camp held at the Keppel Golf Course

1903 – 30 March; 1^st Battalion Manchester’s arrived from South Africa for Garrison Duty. Presence of HMS Argonaut, HMS Goliath & HMS Glory

“The Bad Old Days” – An account of SVR shortcomings by Edwin to the Singapore Free Press

1904 – 13 March. The SVR had field firing parade at Pasir Panjang. No turn up. The governor directed that SVR to be discontinued and a Maxim gun section formed in lieu of SVR. The section has SVA ( Singapore Volunteer Artillery ) shoulder titles with SVA (M) and wore blue puttees.

This Maxim Company SVC was formed and lasted till the 1930’s as the Machine Gun Company SVC

1904 – 13 Dec: Manchester Regiment marched out to India, 1^st Battalion Nott’s & Derby Regiment (Sherwood Foresters) marched in for garrison duties – Residential Regiment will meet at junction of Grange Road & Irwell Bank Road

Change of Regiments: Arriving regiment will arrive at the docks, marched to Kim Seng Road. Then to the junction of Irwell Bank Road & Grange Road. Resident regiment will meet at junction of Grange Road & Irwell Bank Road. There, the resident regiment will welcome the arriving regiment and turn about, together, and the band will play all the way back to Tangling barracks

1904 June – the Chinese discarded their “Tow chang” or queues

1904 10 Nov – Malay Submarine Diving Section of Royal Engineers formed under Lta Ridout

Notes : 1901-21 Oct Rickshaw strike pg 72 , Volunteers Issues page 175 – 180 of Chapter 9 in 1903, Single seated rickshaw appeared 1^st time in 1904 page 195,