Scout 1 -Camping

Livingstone Patrol had annual camp at different parts of the island. The most memorable camp was at Tanah Merah hillock behind the Changi Prison. It was my first scout camp and I learned to be independant. I cooked and washed for the first time. Not bad eh! We had our camp at the small clearing facing the sea. It was breezy and water supply was from a nearby spring coming from the hill. We used the water from the spring for cooking, washing and bathing.

Visitors in scout uniform

Hey, I can cook!

Wow, my cooking it's yummy!

Guests walking to the camp

Guests enjoying my cooking!

Continuous flow of spring water

Washing up

Last day of camp

Preparing to break camp

Scout Pioneer Camp

Combined Pioneer Camp April 1953

Building A Rope Bridge

I was encouraged to enroll for the Second Class Badge. I learned various scout crafts and passed the test for the badge. I also had scout standard badges, like Handiman, First Aid, Astronomer and Despatch Rider. For Pioneer badge, I attended a combined camp conducted by the South Western District. The camp was held at Bedok English School ground but the activities were carried out across the road opposite the school. Our final test was to build a rope bridge. The combined troop was divided into 2 groups. Each group built an A-frame structure. Next was tying the rope to the 2 A-frame anchors standing apart at a certain distance. After completion we checked the tension of the rope. It was good and a scout was sent across from one side to the other. The scout master, a teacher from ACS was satisfied with the construction of the bridge. It was all team effort and we were given the Pioneer Badge Class certificate each. It enabled us to purchase the badge from the Scout House at Armenian Street.

Pioneer Badge Certificate

Be Prepared 2 - You are now a scout

Flag Breaking Ceremony

Livingstone Patrol meeting

The 32 Raffles Group was led by an adult leader who was not from our school. Top photo shows him standing beside the flag pole. The British NAAFI was in the background. It was situated along Beach Road opposite RI. After the flag breaking ceremony we met at the scout den for a short briefing. Above photo shows Livingstone Patrol meeting. The guy without uniform was a new recruit. We started each meeting by singing scout songs and also learned to sing new ones. At each meeting I learned new scout crafts and trainings such as tying scout knots and pitching tents. Hiking and camping were discussed and planned for the school holidays.

Livingstone Patrol had a log book to record the various activities carried out at each meet. We took turns to log the book. I looked forward to my turn, as it was a source of delight for me not only to log but also to decorate the pages with sketches. The log book was kept in a large wooden chest together with scout equiptments in the scout den. Wish I could see the log book again to delve on my handiworks once more.

Be Prepared

32nd Raffles Group

Livingstone Patrol

Raffles Institiution had two scout groups, the 2nd Scout Group and the 32nd Scout Group. I joined the latter as I had class mates there. Being a new recruit, I was known as a tenderfoot. I took the Scout Oath:

"On my honour, I promise to do my best

to do my duty to God and the Queen (under the British rule your allegiance was to the Queen)

to help other people at all times and

to obey the scout law."

I was in the Livingstone Patrol. At the first meeting, I noticed there were seven of us and three of them were my classmates. They joined the year before and had 2 badges each. The leader, Ong Teng Hong had many badges stiched onto his left sleeve. One of them was a Queen's Scout Badge, the highest award achievable in the scout movement. He was very friendly, unassuming and jovial. I enjoyed his leadership and company. I was taught some scout crafts to pass the Tender Foot test. This was the first obstacle before going for the Second class, First class and other badge

April Fool

Is this the face of a fool you see?
Face is the fool of none but thee!
And if this joke for harm you take
Pardon me for April's sake.


Every year in school, we played April Fool jokes on one another. It's only once a year and I laughed at others who fell victims. Sometimes, I got tricked too. I like the above four lines which was sent to me by a friend from Klang, Malaysia.

Back to school

Form teacher Low Kee Pow (front row 4th from right)
Class 9Y of 1954 Raffles Institution

When law and order were established we returned to live in Joo Chiat. I attended Choon Guan School at Koon Seng Road to learn Japanese language and writing. I studied Hiragana which was the easier version of Japanese script. The other script, Kata Kana with Kanji was for higher classes. I also learned to sing some Japanese songs. The first song was Kimi Gayo, Japanese National Anthem. Then came 'arukay arukay'. I am not sure of its meaning. It could mean 'walking' as the song was sang when the class walked round and round the playground. There were many other songs such as 'Heitai San Konichiwa' (greeting Japanese soldiers), Kutsu gu Naru and Momo Taro San. My favourite song was 'Momo Taro San'. It was from a Japanese Folklore. There were four characters in the story. Momo Taro San, the little boy and his three friends, a bird, a monkey and a dog. They fought the demons and won. The moral of the story was good over evil. For non school song, I can only remember 'Sinanoyorau', a Japanese love song.

When the British returned to Singaopore, I was registered in the Telok Kurau English School for my primary education. In 1951, I was promoted to secondary school at Raffles Institution It was situated at the junction of Bras Basah Road and North Bridge Road. The school had a very good reputation and I felt elated putting on the school's badge and the white uniform. Wearing long trousers to school also helped my ego that I was an adolescent. I went to school by Singapore Traction Company bus No. 22. It was always crowded and very often I had to stand all the way to school. There were uniformed groups in the school such as cadets, scouts and St John ambulance. I signed up for the cadet corps. During the drill at the school field, I found the world war two .303 rifle was too heavy for me. I must admit that I was a weakling then. I paid $10 to the school to get out of it. It was a lot of money at that time. There were two scout groups in the school, the 2nd Raffles Group and the 32nd Raffles Group. I signed up with the latter until I left the school in 1954.

Chinese New Year At Chai Chee

Chinese New Year then was subdued. There was no fire crackers to welcome the new year. Children and adults had no new clothes and shoes to put on as time was hard.
Re-union dinner was confined to family members within the house. There was no visitors as public transport was scarce. Furthermore, our friends and relatives were scattered in different parts of the island. There was no ang pow for the children. We lived in fear as there was rumour of Japanese atrocities in other parts of Singapore.


Chinese New Year In Early
Post War Years

Preparation started in earnest a few days before the Chinese New Year. Children and adults had their hair cut. Parents bought new shoes for the children to visit relatives and friends. Fire crackers came in two sizes. The big ones, red in colour came in a square packet. The small ones, red and green in colours came in a rectangular box. The noise of fire crackers could be heard a few days before the new year. It became more intense as the festival drew nearer. The din of the crackers continued to the end of the festival. On the last day, just before midnight there was heavy firing of crackers on the road. Shops in the neighbourhood challenged one another to show off. The road was filled with thick smoke caused by the fire crackers and motor vehicles had to move very slowly to avoid accident and fires. When the firing of crackers stopped, the neighbourhood was extremely quiet. The road was carpeted with red papers from the crackers. But, the festivity went on with friends and neighbours gathering inside the house to gamble.