GODESTINATION BELUM - TEMENGGOR RAINFOREST
LOCATION : N4.3322 E101.1562
FORGOTTEN HEROES OF THE “GREEN RIDGE” BATTLE OF KAMPAR
FOLLOWING OUR HISTORY FLASHBACK IN KUALA KANGSAR, WE DECIDED TO PAY A VISIT TO THE SITE OF ONE OF THE BATTLES THAT TOOK PLACE DURING THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION – THE BATTLE OF KAMPAR. ONE OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS WAS FROM KAMPAR, AND HE HAD VIVID MEMORIES OF HIS PARENTS AND FRIENDS TALKING ABOUT THE BATTLE, AND EVEN REMEMBERED THE SIGNBOARD BY THE MAIN ROAD THAT POINTED TO THE SPOT WHERE THE WAR MEMORIAL WAS. To our surprise, when we made our way there, the big sign by the roadside had gone. Yes, this big signboard (picture taken sometime before 2008) was gone! Nevertheless, we scouted around and managed to get the right directions to the place. The entrance was overrun with weeds and shrubs. And as we clambered up the short hill to the site of the memorial, we were in for a bigger shock. Someone had stolen the plaque! It pained our hearts to know that the very heroes that were involved in one of the most historic battles during the Japanese occupation were now almost completely forgotten. The epic battle had occurred from December 30, 1941 to 2 January 1942, marking the Allies last stand in Malaysia, where an estimated 3000 Allied soldiers (also made up of Malaysians) defended the Kampar area against over 6000 Japanese soldiers.
26 AAM GODRIVE 2012
This was considered the only WWII Allied strategic victory, in the sense that the Allied forces held out for four days, even with the vast discrepancy in numbers. After Kampar, the Japanese marched almost unimpeded down to Singapore . While military textbooks mention the battle, the government has yet to officially immortalise the event. The missing memorial was privately funded and had cost close to RM20,000. We don’t know if we will ever see the memorial rebuilt, but one thing is for sure, thanks to the Internet (and perhaps small articles like these as well) the memories and gratitude we owe the brave soldiers who fought for our country and paid with their lives, will never be forgotten.