1915 Singapore Mutiny

The 1915 Singapore Mutiny, also known as the 1915 Sepoy Mutiny, or Mutiny of the 5th Native Light Infantry was an incident concerning 850 sepoys (Indian soldiers) who mutinied against the British in Singapore during World War I, as part of the 1915 Ghadar Conspiracy. (Not to be mistaken for the Indian Mutiny of 1857). The mutiny on 15 February 1915, lasted nearly seven days before it was finally quelled by a military coalition from four countries, and resulted in the deaths of 47 British soldiers and local civilians. It was an event that not only caught the British totally off-guard but also shook the foundation of British rule in Singapore then.

History

The Ghadar party ("Ghadar" is an Urdu/Punjabi word for "mutiny" or "rebellion") was formed in the United States in 1913 by Har Dayal, with the aim of ousting the British from India by an armed revolution. They expected the Indian soldiers posted overseas to become their ally in their cause, and actively targeted propaganda and instigation on them. When World War I began, the Ghadrites incited the 130th Baluchi Regiment at Rangoon to revolt on 21 January 1915, but the authorities learned of the plan earlier and took preventive action. When the Burmese uprising failed, they trained their sights on Singapore, which had a sizable population of sepoys protecting British strategic interests there.

Indian 5th Light Infantry

The 5th Light Infantry Battalion arrived in Singapore from Madras on October 1914. It had been sent to replace the Yorkshire Light Infantry, which had been ordered to France. The infantry comprised mainly of Indian Muslims who were commanded by British officers. Afflicted by poor communication, slack discipline and a weak leadership, the troops' morale was constantly low. Propaganda by the Ghadar Party in India for Indian independence from British rule further affected the troops stationed in Singapore.

Incitement

Mehmed V, the Sultan of Turkey, was one of the three emperors of the Central Powers in World War I

Mehmed V, the Sultan of Turkey, who sided with Germany after World War I broke out, was widely regarded as the leader of the Muslim world then. When Britain declared war on Turkey, the Muslims, including those in Singapore, were urged to go against the British by a fatwa issued by the Sultan. A Gujarati coffee-shop owner, named Kassim Mansur, who was pro-Turkey, made visits to the sepoys and even invited them to his house. Together with a religious leader, Nur Alum Shah, Mansur instilled anti-British feelings in the sepoys and told them that it was their religious duty to rise up against the British.

The mutiny

In November 1914, the British government decided to send the sepoys to Hong Kong. The sepoys, however, heard earlier rumours that they might be sent to Europe or Turkey to fight against their Muslim brethrens. In February 1915, when the sepoys received orders to sail to Hong Kong aboard the Nile, they decided it was the time to rebel. At 3:30pm on 15 February 1915, 850 men of the 5th Infantry with 100 men of the Malay States Guides Mule Battery mutinied. The mutineers divided themselves into three groups. A party of 100 mutineers went to the Tanglin Barracks for more ammunition, where 309 Germans were interned by the British, including members of the Emden's crew. The mutineers fired on the guards and officers without warning, killing all of them but not before one guard managed to escape under heavy fire to raise the alarm. The mutineers tried to persuade the Germans to join them; the Germans were reluctant, however, as they refused to have anything to do with what they considered a dishonourable act. 35 Germans escaped but the rest remained where they were.

As it was the middle of the Chinese New Year, the majority of the Chinese Volunteers Corps were on leave, leaving Singapore almost defenceless in the face of the mutiny. The British government was caught unprepared. Other mutineers went on a killing spree at Keppel Harbour and Pasir Panjang killing many Caucasian men and women. Martial law was imposed and Marines from HMS Cadmus came ashore and were mobilised with other garrison troops who had not mutinied. A radio message by Admiral Jerram was sent to any nearby allied warships for help.

A group of mutineers was laying siege to the bungalow of the commander, Colonel E.V. Martin, which was effectively blocking the way into Singapore Town. Colonel Martin and his men held out all night until they were relieved at daybreak by armed volunteers and civilians. The defenders were successful in capturing a fair amount of the mutineers' artillery but the action cost one killed and five wounded. The mutineers scattered, and despite heavy sniper fire from the mutineers, the general population stayed calm as the militia fought sporadic battles with the mutineers.

Allied forces

The Montcalm (1898-1926), an armoured cruiser of the French Navy, responded to Admiral Jerram's call for help

On February 17th, the French cruiser Montcalm, followed by the Russian cruiser Aural, and Japanese warships Ottawa and Tsushima arrived. The allies' Marines were immediately mobilised, and advanced on the mutineers. A fierce battle ensued in which many of the mutineers were killed or wounded. Without a strong leadership, the mutiny started to lose direction – a large number of them surrendered immediately, and the rest scattered into the jungles. A large number of escapees tried to cross the Strait of Johore but were immediately rounded up by the Sultan of Johore's army. In the meantime, the mutineers who had scattered continued to wage a sniping war on the allies.

On February 20th, six companies of the 5th Shropshire Infantry (Territorials) arrived from Rangoon, relieving the sailors and Marines. They were successful in rounding up the last of the mutineers in a short time.

Trial and public executions

The public executions of convicted sepoy mutineers at Outram Road, Singapore, circa March 1915

On 23 February 1915, a Court of Inquiry was held first in secret but then continued publicly, and was finally concluded on 15 May 1915. The actual cause of the mutiny was not fully conclusive but the Inquiry agreed that insidious agents instigated the mutineers whom were swayed either by nationalistic or religious sentiments, to band together to fight for their perceived injustice.

More than 200 sepoys were tried by court-martial, 47 were executed including Kassim Mansoor. As for Nur Alam Shah, he was not put on trial despite the weight of evidence; he was revealed as an active Indian nationalist with links to Ghadar. Instead, he was detained and deported as the British did not want to stir up trouble among their Muslims subjects. 64 were sent to transportation for life and 73 were given terms of imprisonment ranging from 7 to 20 years. The public executions by firings were conducted at Outram Prison, witnessed by an estimated 15,000 people. The Straits Times reported:

An enormous crowd, reliably estimated to number more than 15,000 people, was packed on the slopes of Sepoy Lines looking down on the scene. The square as before was composed of regulars, local volunteers and Stropshire under the command of Colonel Derrick of the Singapore Volunteer Corps (SVC). The firing party consisted of men from the various companies of SVC under Captain Tongue and Lieutenant Blair and Hay.

The mutineers who surrendered early were sent to fight in Africa against the German colonial army later. In 1922, the 5th Infantry was disbanded. Much the same fate befell the Malay States Guides; they were sent to Kelantan in Malaya to quell Tok Janggut's uprising at Pasir Puteh on April 1915. Afterwards the Guides were sent to fight in Africa and were disbanded in 1919.

Aftermath

The 1915 Singapore Mutiny Memorial Tablet at the entrance of the Victoria Memorial Hall, Singapore

After the court proceedings and public executions of the mutineers ended, the British could no longer depend on Indian soldiers for the maintenance of their rule nor could they rely on allies, especially Japan, for any help for the perpetuation of their empire. Subsequently, all Indian residents in Singapore were required to register, causing ill-feelings amongst a mainly loyal community.

In order to enhance its internal security, the British passed the "Reserve Force and Civil Guard Ordinance" in August 1915 requiring compulsory military service to all male subjects between 15 and 55 years of age who were not in the armed forces, volunteers or police.

Sensing the weakness of the British handling of the mutiny, extreme Indian revolutionaries would further court overseas sepoys more aggressively, and would cultivate a friendship with Japan for the overthrow of the British in India. These plans finally came to fruition with the formation of the Indian National Army led by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore in World War II.

Commemoration

To commemorate the event and those British soldiers and civilians killed during the mutiny, two memorial tablets were erected at the entrance of the Victoria Memorial Hall and four plaques in St Andrew's Cathedral. In addition, two roads were later named in memory of the victims as Harper Road and Holt Road after Corporal J. Harper and Private A.J.G. Holt respectively.

References

• Sareen, T.R. (1995). Secret Documents On Singapore Mutiny 1915. New Delhi: Mounto Publishing House. ISBN 81-7451-009-5.
• Ban, Kah Choon (2001). Absent History: The Untold Story of Special Branch Operations in Singapore 1915—1942. Singapore: SNP Media Asia. ISBN 981-4071-02-1.
• Kuwajima, Sho (1988). First World War and Asia—Indian Mutiny in Singapore (1915). Japan: Osaka University.
• Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2004). Toponymics—A Study of Singapore Street Names (2nd Ed). Singapore: Eastern Universities Press. ISBN 981-210-364-3.

External links

• The New York Times: Vivid Story of Singapore Mutiny