Breavington & Gale — Historic War Tours

The Kranji Memorial (War Cemetery) is the final resting place for about 4,000 allied service men and women and also listed on the walls of the Singapore Memorial, are some 23,000 names of those who have no known grave. Each a hero, giving their life while in the service of their country. But some if not many, have a special and rather unique story. In this case, a story that shows the best and the worst in humanity having a dramatic outcome when four allied POW’s stood before a firing squad at Selarang Beach on the 2nd September 1942.

*Selarang Barracks when the POW’s were forced to live on the parade ground*

In May 1942, two members of the Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps (Corporal Rodney Breavington and Private Victor Gale) who had become prisoners of war under the Japanese in the Fall of Singapore, escaped from Singapore in a native canoe. In a marathon effort over about six weeks at sea and 1,900 kilometres, with little food and water, they had sailed west to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in a bid to meet up with British forces. In the coastal waters of Ceylon, they mistook a Japanese destroyer for a British ship and consequently, were recaptured and returned to Singapore.

*Corporal Breavington’s grave - Kranji War Cemetery*

Meanwhile, a new Japanese commander (General Shimpei Fukuye) had taken over control of Singapore. At Selarang Barracks designed to house about 800 soldiers, nearly 17,000 POW’s, mostly Australians, were crammed into this area. The Japanese command issued an order that each POW was to sign a “No Escape Pledge”. Under the Geneva Convention, a POW had the right to attempt to escape and were not supposed to be punished if recaptured. However, Japan was not a signatory to the Geneva Convention.

*Private Gale’s grave - Krnaji War Cemetery*

All but three of the POW’s refused to sign the Pledge. Frustrated, the Japanese forced the POW’s out of their barracks onto the confined area of the parade ground to remain there until such time as they all had signed the Pledge. The POW’s had no food and only a small bottle of water each per day to use for drinking, washing and any other uses. Even the water to the toilets was turned off and so sanitary conditions deteriorated.

By day three, 2nd September 1942, General Fukuye had become furious at the stubbornness of the POW’s. To be made an example of, he ordered the execution of the two Australians, Breavington and Gale and two British soldiers who had also tried to escape, Private Eric Fletcher and Private Harold Waters.

Without any formal notification, the four men were marched down to Selarang Beach. Here their fate became apparent as a firing squad was assembled. They were forced to dig their own graves. As time passed, the senior British and Australian officers were brought to the beach to witness the executions. In an act of gallantry, Breavington made a case to the Japanese that Gale, the other Australian POW, should be spared as he was the leader and Gale was merely following orders. The Japanese officer in charge of the firing squad would have none of this and proceeded with the executions.

*Private Waters’ and Private Fletcher’s grave - Kranji War Cemetery*

The Firing Squad was made from Sikh soldiers who were originally part of the British Indian Army taken captive in the Fall of Singapore. However, later, many declared their allegiance to the Japanese and were then used to guard the POW’s.

In the first volley of shots, one of the POW’s was thought to have been killed but the others sustained only minor wounds. The second round killed two of the remaining three leaving Breavington wounded and in obvious pain. He cried out for them to end his life. Another ten shots were fired before Breavington was mortally wounded. Such were the circumstances of the executions. The British and Australian senior officers were appalled at what they had witnessed but were powerless to do anything. This would change after the end of the war.

Despite the executions, the POW’s at Selarang Barracks remained determined not to sign the Pledge. By Day 5, disease had broken out and already several soldiers had died. Fearing that the situation would worsen, the senior officer, British Lt-Gen Holmes issued an order for all men to sign the Pledge. Reluctantly they did so. Some, in an act of defiance and with the Japanese not understanding written English, used fictitious names like “Ned Kelly”.

On day six, the POW’s were allowed to return to their barracks.

After the war, General Fukuye was tried for war crimes over the deaths of the four POW’s on Selarang Beach. He was found guilty and on the 27th April 1946 was executed by firing squad on the spot where the four POW’s had been shot in 1942. His death was much more humane than that afforded the ‘four’. He died instantly.

The bodies of all four POW’s executed on Selarang Beach, were exhumed and now lie in the war cemetery at Kranji in Singapore.