Jim Mason
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Singapore 1963An important date in the Singapore calendar every year was the date of the General Elections. This always caused racial tension between the Chinese, Malayan and Indian communities, and traditionally, shore leave was cancelled for the ships company at HMS Terror on this day to avoid any inter racial incidents involving the RN. in 1963, the Captain of Terror decided to change this policy and informed the ships company that leave would be given as normal, but extra care must be taken to avoid any inter racial confrontations and problems.
On the day after Election Day, I was called to Captains Defaulters to represent a bugler and a musician who had been arrested the night before by the nororious Inspector Singh, a six foot ten inch Sikh in the
Dockyard Police. He made a statement which went as follows;
Sir, I was proceeding about my duties in Sembawang Village at 11.30 last hight when I was called to a disturbance at Sembawang Gate, and there I witnessed two European males who had been toasting the health of her Gracious Majesty to some excess, and were under the influence of alcohol. They were on the roof of a taxi, they had removed some of their clothing and were urinating freely in the street. The Chinese taxi driver informed me that they had refused to pay the due fare from Nee Soon. In a spirit of friendship and international goodwill I invited them to get down off the taxi roof, to replace their clothing and to pay the taxi driver his due fare. One of the men, who I here formally recognise, looked upon me with scorn and said in a loud voice, for all to hear;
(reading from his notebook) "Why dont you fark off, you big black b'stard" Which, I am sure you will agree, Sir, could not be said to be in a spirit of friendship and international goodwill.
Everyone present in the room (including the Captain) managed to contain their mirth until the good Inspector had left the premises.
The bugler and musician survived!
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