Times of Malaya: Kuantan

Wednesday, 7 July 2010

More Pictures of Sungei Lembing

Sungei Lembing, Pahang Consolidated Company Limited , Kuantan

The following photos featured my visit to Sungei Lembing (Malay for River Spear), off the Town of Kuantan. There is a museum of the Pahang Consolidated Company Limited where the Mine's Manager, Vincent Baker, refused to leave the mine during the invasion of Malaya by the Imperial Japanese Army during WW2. Vincent and his sister Nona Baker fled into the surrounding jungles and joined the MPAJA ( Malayan People's Anti Japanese Army) - the 7th Regiment in East Pahang. Nona Baker's experiences were recorded in "Pai Naa: The Story of an English woman's survival in the Malayan Jungle". The Straits Times 7 Oct 1945 featured an article "...Miss Nona Baker, the only English Girl Guerilla in Malaya, has returned to civilsation..." .Times of Malaya cir.1940s

Noel Coward visited the Raffles in Singapore,1931

Mad Dogs & Englishmen :
In tropical climes
There are certain times
Of day
When all the citizens retire
To take their clothes off and perspire.
It's one of those rules
That the greatest fools
Obey,
Because the sun is far too sultry
And one must avoid its ultry
Violet ray.

The natives grieve
When the white men leave
Their huts.
Because they're obviously,
Definitely
Nuts.

Mad Dogs & Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun.
The Japanese don't care to,
The Chinese wouldn't dare to,
Hindus and Argentines
Sleep firmly from twelve to one,
But Englishmen
Detest a
Siesta.
In the Philippines
They have lovely screens
To protect you from the glare.
In the Malay states
There are hats like plates
Which the Britishers won't wear.
At twelve noon
The natives swoon,
And no further work is done,
But mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun!

Such a surprise
For the eastern eyes
To see,
That though the English are effete,
They're quite impervious to heat.
When the white man rides
Every native hides
In glee.
Because the simple creatures hope he
Will impale his solar topee
On a tree.

It seems such a shame
When the English claim
The Earth,
That they give rise
To such hilarity
And mirth.
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,
Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo,
He, he, he, he, he, he, he, he,
Hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, hm.

Mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun.
The toughest Burmese bandit
Can never understand it.
In Rangoon
The heat of noon
Is just what the natives shun,
They put their Scotch
Or Rye down
And lie down.
In a jungle town
Where the sun beats down
To the rage of man and beast,
The English garb
Of the English sahib
Merely gets a bit more creased.
In Bangkok
At twleve'o'clock
They foam at the mouth and run,
But mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun.

Mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun.
The smallest Malay rabbit
Deplores this foolish habit.
In Hong Kong
They strike a gong
And fire off a noonday gun
To reprimand
Each inmate
Who's in late.
In the Mangrove swamps
Where the python romps
There is peace from twelve to two,
Even caribous
Lie around and snooze,
For there's nothing else to do.
In Bengal,
To move at all
Is seldom if ever done.
But mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday sun!

Pages

Wednesday, 7 July 2010

More Pictures of Sungei Lembing

Sungei Lembing, Pahang Consolidated Company Limited , Kuantan