Guy Griffiths - Singapore December 1941

Transcript

We arrived together with Prince of Wales in Singapore on the 2nd of December, I think it was. Together with four destroyers, we formed what was titled Force Z and we stayed there. In fact, on the 5th, Repulse and two destroyers were deployed to go to Darwin, but on that day, early on the 6th, they found, reconnaissance identified the Japanese moving down the South China Sea and so on. We were recalled back to Singapore.

So, we were in Singapore at the naval base, not actually, we were anchored in the Johor Strait, off the Naval Base. Then, of course, the Japanese entered the war on midnight of the 7th, 8th in our time and the Japanese bombed Singapore about four o'clock in the morning.

They had no difficulty in finding the target because the city was a blaze of lights. There was no sort of, any warning that danger was so close. And of course, we endeavoured to fire at the aircraft from where we were when they came overhead.