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| Expansion of Japanese Empire during World War 2 |
"Everyone is brave behind a castle wall," -- Welsh proverb
It is always easy to assume the loyalty of your friends in times of peace. After all there are no major military threats to Singapore in the present, and Singapore has done well in the face of COVID-19.
Yet in times of strife, loyalty is less certain. One such traitor was Patrick Stanley Vaughan Heenan.
Traitor of Singapore
Born in 1910 in New Zealand, Heenan moved with his mother to Burma (Myanmar) one year later. Due to his poor academic grades, he was initially barred from a military career as an officer. However, he was accepted into the British Army Reserve in 1932, and commissioned as an officer in 1935. He then was posted to India.
Despite his commission, he reportedly did not fit well in his job and was alienated his colleagues. He would bully lower-ranked officers.
In 1938-39, he spent his six-month leave in Japan. It was speculated that the he was recruited by the Japanese Secret Service during that period.
The act of treason
In 1941, Heenan (now a captain) was transferred to Malaya (and later, Singapore) as part of the 16th Punjab Regiment. During that time, he would pass vital information on British codes and positions to the Japanese Embassy in Thailand.
This aided the Japanese airstrikes on British bases in Malaya on 8 December 1941. The British were surprised to note that the Japanese pilot knew their air recognition codes to disguise themselves as friendly aircraft and identify British targets.
After finding that Heenan possessed a transmitter to contact the Japanese, and with further testimony of Heenan's driver, the British arrested Heenan and court-martialed him on 2 January 1942. He was then confined to Tanglin Barracks in Singapore.
Rewarded as a traitor deserves
As the Japanese advanced into Singapore on 8 February 1942, Heenan taunted his captors. He was confident of being rescued by the Japanese invaders. However, the prison wardens had other ideas. After drawing lots, the wardens and their selected executioner brought Heenan to Keppel Harbour. They shot him and dumped him into the wars.
Today, Heenan's name can be found on Panel 263 of the Kranji War Memorial.
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| Japanese soldiers getting ice cream in Philippines |
Why did he do it?
Still the question remains. Why did Heenan decide to betray Malaya and Singapore to the Japanese?
To this day we do not know the answer. Perhaps it was because his father was an alleged Irish Republican and Heenan shared his anti-British sentiments. Perhaps he felt short-changed by the British Army with his mediocre rank and assignments. Perhaps he never really fit in with the British, and the Japanese gave him an offer too good to refuse.
The scary part of this is that we will probably never know. Despite being given a officer command and a way to improve his life, he still chose treason. Such treason lowered the morale of the British officers in Malaya by generating paranoia. And that is fear itself.
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