100th Indian Indep Lt Tk Sqn - Singapore

Discussion in 'Burma & India' started by Roddy1011, Dec 15, 2012.

  1. Roddy1011

    Roddy1011 Senior Member

    Good evening to all...

    While breezing around the Internet I came across the following by a Mr James A Broshot:

    "In April 1941 one Jat squadron was detached from 8th King George’s Own Light Cavalry and assigned to the newly raised 44th Cavalry then at Risalpur. Subsequently, this squadron was detached and redesignated as 100th Light Tank Squadron. It was composed of three troops and equipped with obsolete light tanks...The squadron was sent to Malaya early in 1942. On 29 January 1942, His Majesty’s Transport Empire Star arrived in Singapore with "16 tanks of obsolescent type". On 11 February 1942 a detachment of squadron was attached to Massy Force of 18th Infantry Division for counterattacks against the Japanese forces on Singapore Island. The entire squadron was lost when British forces surrendered on 15 February 19"

    Can anyone tell me more or know where I can find more ? Are there any pics about ?

    Roddy
     
  2. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    100th Indian Light Tank Squadron

    Raised
    January 1942?
    Disbanded
    15 February 1942

    This squadron was formed from the 44th Cavalry, which had been formed from the Jat Squadron of 8th Light Cavalry. It was equipped with Vickers MkIII and MkVI tanks. There was a total of 18 plus 5 in reserve. The Indian Government had purchased the tanks in the late 1930’s. The tanks had seen previous service in the desert. It embarked at Bombay on January 16th, 1942 and arrived in Singapore on January 29th. On arrival, it was attached to the 11th Indian Division. It was in Singapore during the battle of February 8th-15th, 1942, but never got within firing range of the Japanese before going into captivity.

    Here is a bit more from the history of the 3rd Cavalry:

    After it arrived it Singapore, the regiment was still under the command of the 11th Indian Division. The regiment (less ‘B’ Squadron) was located near Sembawang airfield with the 100th Indian Independent Light Tank Squadron under command and ‘B’ Squadron was detached to the 18th British Infantry Division at Sleter airfield. The 100th Tank Squadron joined ‘B’ Squadron on February 4th. ‘A’ and ‘C’ Squadrons amalgamated into one squadron with one troop having eight armoured cars. ‘B’ Squadron had only 30 men and 3 carriers. An additional eight wheeled carriers were added to the regiment for the armoured car troops. The 100th Independent Light Tank Squadron had nine Carden Lloyd Tankettes. ‘B’ Squadron moved from Sleter airfield to MacRitchie Reservoir on February 13th and joined the 53rd British Brigade and on the 14th moved to Wireless Hill. The regiment moved to Paga Leben airfield on February 14th and fought its last action there before it surrendered on February 15th, 1942. It was not reformed during the war.
     
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  3. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Carden Lloyd tankettes

    The only other British armour avaliable in Malaya was nine such tankettes which had been shipped from the Middle East. They were used by the 100th Independent Light Tank Squadron formed six months earlier. The squadron arrived in Singapore on 27 January 1942 and collected the nine obsolete tanks. Having seen much service in the desert, the two man tankettes needed repairs and overhaul which were not permitted due to lack of facilities and time. This Indian squadron had exactly three days of training in handling the "new" equipment before being placed under the command of the 3rd Cavalry for disposal. The squadron was neither ever fully operational, nor did it get a chance to get close to the enemy. The tankettes never got within firing range of the Japanese ans surrendered with the rest of the garrison on 14 February 1942.

    Armour Anthology
     
  4. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    Thought the following would be of interest I don't know why m.v Empire Star acquire the HMT title:

    The Empire Star, a motor ship owned by the Blue Star Line, had been built to ship frozen meat to the UK. She had arrived in Singapore on 29 January as part of convoy BM11. The ship's crew worked all day and through the night unloading guns, lorries, tanks and the 2,000 tons of ammunition that she carried. On 11 February another team of Australian nurses were chosen by their matron to board the Empire Star. The women objected as they did not want to leave their patients, but Matron Drummond gave them an hour to prepare. Each was allowed to take a small case. They were joined by their British colleagues from Singapore; their matron, Miss Jones, had picked those who were to go. At the wharf their boarding was delayed by an air raid. When the sixty-three nurses and three physiotherapists did board they were told to go down the cargo hold, as the ship only had a few passenger cabins. Conditions in the hold would have been unpleasant, but this was the safest place to be. Miss Jones, and several other British matrons, lost their lives a few days later in the Kuala.
    A letter written by the Master, Captain Selwyn Capon, says there were 2,161 people on the Empire Star, he said later that he believed that the number was more like 2,400. There were 1,845 service personnel (including the nurses), 228 civilians, mostly women and children, and eighty-eight crew. The service personnel included a group of 139 Australian troops who were later arrested as deserters, the case against them was that they had killed a Royal Naval Captain who tried to prevent them boarding.

    Roy
     
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  5. Trooper Peter

    Trooper Peter Member

    The correct terms for these places are as follows,

    "Sleter airfield" should be Seletar airfield, a strategic RAF airfield on the North of Singapore island. It was a much sought after target by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force and Imperial Japanese Navy's 22nd Air Flotilla from January 1942 till 10 February 1942

    "Paga Leben" should read as Paya Lebar and there was no airfield in Paya Lebar as at the time of the Malayan Campaign.
     
  6. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Thanks for the corrections. I have changed them in my master document.
     
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  7. Trooper Peter

    Trooper Peter Member

    dryan67 glad to be of help with the names of these places of concern in the Battle of Singapore.

    I am currently doing my research on this OBSCURE 100th Indian Independent Tank Squadron and I must express my appreciation to Rody1011 who posted this discussion thread coming close to 10 years ago. This thread frequently turns up whenever we do a Google search on the "100th Indian Tank Squadron" in the Malayan Campaign.

    I'm currently putting together my research into writing on this obscure 100th Indian Independent Tank Squadron, starting with the request for tanks by the GOC of Malaya Command from the C-in-C India, at that time, till the role of this Tank Squadron in the Battle of Singapore up to 15 February 1942. There is much that needs to be looked at in the deployment of the 2 Troop units that made up this obscure Tank Squadron, the ONE and ONLY AFV unit that ever took part in the overall Malayan Campaign. The other AFV unit was the British 7th Armored Brigade with their M3 "Honey" Light Tanks that was re-routed to Burma whilst they were on their way to Singapore.
     

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