A filial daughter’s life-long quest fulfilled

JUNE 13, 1945. For many Sarawakians, this might have been just a day and date during the horrific Japanese occupation.

But it was a sad day for the families of 28 innocent civilians who were tortured and starved until that fateful day when vengeful Japanese prison wardens, guards and soldiers were given the order to behead them in public in Miri.

It was one of the most inhumane war crimes ever committed.

Later, it was discovered that the Japanese commandant in Miri had no right to issue such an order.

He was arrested and to be put on trial but committed suicide by hanging himself a few days earlier.

Seventy-two years have since passed but a most amazing event had just occurred in Miri, enabled by thoughtful and caring people.

Miri-born Sandra Jaya- Bodestyne, a doctor in the making and great granddaughter of John Stephen Bodestyne, and Karen Liew, great grandniece of Liew You Chai, one of the massacred, have, over the past few years, put together resources and minds to help well-wishers and friends connect and reconnect in an earnest effort to locate the burial place of the massacre victims, especially that of John Stephen Bodestyne, Sandra’s great grandfather.

The bounteous endeavour has fi nally brought closure to Sandra’s grand aunty, Linda Bodestyne (Fluhart).

Born in Miri before the war and now in her 80’s, Linda has, after a long and tireless search, found the resting place of her father (John Stephen Bodestyne) — right here in Miri, her birthplace.

Linda’s story started 82 years ago in Miri.

She remembers a lovely childhood with her doting parents.

Her father, who worked for the Shell Oil Refinery, ordered her a special toy pram from SEARS, USA, and she would walk down the street in Miri, happily pushing the toy pram.

Soon her father had to move the family back to Singapore where he continued his work.

Unknown to Linda at that time, the Japanese were moving south and Singapore was preparing for war.

The Shell Company which employed her father, had given orders to shut down the refinery and production in Miri.

All the equipment had to be shipped to Singapore.

Linda also remembers her father burning his Corps uniform just before the fall of Singapore.

But her mother did tell Linda her father worked as an ambulance driver during those turbulent times.

Before long, the family was forced by the Japanese to move back to Miri and her father had to resume work on oil and gas.

They stayed in a house at Riam Road, and barely 10 years old at that time, she assisted her mother during the birth of her youngest sibling, Olga.

Linda was emotional as she continued her story, “I was a 10-year-old midwife! While I was getting the water to boil, my mother was waiting in the small room in our home. Suddenly, I heard a baby’s cry. My sister had arrived and my mother called me to bring the scissors to cut the umbilical cord. I hurried in and saw my new baby sister. I did everything I could because I was my mother’s good helper. Later, I bathed my sister with clear instructions from my mother. I was a bit awkward, of course. Who wouldn’t be at that age! I was really courageous.”

New life in Australia after the war but memories linger on

One day, the Japanese came and took her father from their home to a camp with the other POWs. She and her brother, Johnny, spent days searching for him. They finally heard his name — Bodestyne – mentioned and saw him in a trench, digging with the other prisoners. Unfortunately, the Japanese soldiers saw the siblings and started to fire their guns and chase them. Linda and her brother escaped by jumping into the river and swimming to the other bank.

“My brother later took my mother back to my father’s location and while going down to the trench to find him, she was spotted by a Japanese soldier who pointed the bayonet at her.

“My father saw her and yelled to her not to come any closer as she would be killed. He shouted Chrysilda, you have to look after the children,” Linda recalled.

POWs beheaded

After the war, Linda’s mother and brother sought help from the surrendered Japanese army officers to locate her father and bring him home. However, when they reached the trench, they found no one. They then went to a nearby former Japanese camp where the commander-in-charge admitted he gave the order to behead the POWs. He was arrested and put on trial but hanged himself a few days prior.

After the war, the Red Cross took her whole family to Darwin and then Sydney where they started their new lives in Australia.

Her mother had suffered a nervous breakdown but the fact that her four siblings — brothers Johnny, James, Guy and sister Olga — were all together with their mother was very important the family, according to Linda, who was educated in a convent in Sydney.

“We grew up, got married, always hoping we could locate our father’s resting place. About 20 years ago, when my husband passed away, I came to Singapore in search of a memorial at Kranji. There, I found my father’s name inscribed on the memorial. But where was his exact burial place? I nursed that hope in my heart. All this while, I never gave up hope and wrote to every possible source to find out more about my father and where he could have been buried. I wrote to British addresses of War Memorials especially, and was given some help.”

“Last year, my grandniece (Sandra), the granddaughter of my brother Guy (who is married to a Bidayuh from Kuching), helped me connect with several people. She struck OIL when she found Karen Liew who had been liaising with Steve Rogers, the coordinator for The War Graves Photographic Project to find the families of World War II victims in Miri.

“That was how I came to Miri and found my father’s name on the World War II Memorial,” Linda said.

WW II Memorial of Miri

The 28 POW’s were arrested at separate times by the Japanese who accused them of collaborating with the Allied Forces. Most were arrested between April and June 1945. The Japanese headquarters then was at Lopeng.

At first, the 28 victims were buried in an unmarked mass grave. Later, St Columba’s Church Miri prepared for their reburial in the church yard. The exhumed bodies were placed in five wooden coffins and re-buried. A concrete headstone was commissioned for these war victims.

Assistant Bishop of the Anglican Church in Sarawak and Brunei, the Right Revd Solomon Cheong, told thesundaypost, “Every year, we remember our dearly departed in our special June prayer list. As this is in our Church calendar, we have never missed remembering them since 1945. Because our church members and a priest, for that matter, were executed unfairly, our church offered our burial ground for their reburial after the war.

“A few years ago, the original Memorial became rather shabby, so our church decided to appeal to the local community leaders and support groups to refurbish it. That was how we now have a brand new World War Two Memorial. So far, no descendants of the other victims — Paul, Koya, Abad, the Singhs, Bell and Johnson –  have come to Miri, to my knowledge. Perhaps, the media can raise more awareness of this resting place.”

Massacre victim Liew You Chai

Liew You Chai was the number four son of the family, according to his niece, Annie Liew.

Only two of the boys were well educated and worked for Shell in Miri. Liew’s eldest brother, Annie’s father, came to Miri when he was only two years old. The two brothers worked for Shell until war broke out.

Annie’s father was on the list of “Allied Sympathisers” but for some reason, he managed to come home and hide himself. The fourth brother – Liew You Chai – was not so fortunate. He was caught by the Japanese who came to their house suddenly. The family have been inconsolable for years after his merciless execution.

Annie said she was happy her grandniece, Karen Liew, has since 2014 been instrumental in helping Linda Bodestyne to come to Miri, adding: “At least now, there are two families who will light candles at the Memorial. We have no contact with the other families at all. Perhaps through this article, we can come together and get to know one other. May the dearly departed rest in peace.”

Closure for Linda Bodestyne

Sandra Lynn Jaya-Bodestyne, the grandniece of Linda Bodestyne (Fluhart), helped organise the latter’s trip to Miri.

“Finally, I have some closure. I now know my father was actually buried in Miri. But because it couldn’t be proven my father – Private John Stephen Bodestyne of No.1 Malayan Field Ambulance RAMC – was buried in the mass grave, he continued to be officially commemorated on the Singapore Memorial as one with no known grave,” Linda said.

She is grateful to Gabriel Kok, a Miri lawyer and family friend of Karen and her sister Celine Liew.

Kok brought Linda and Sandra to the War Memorial in Miri where he witnessed an emotional moment when Linda touched her father’s name engraved on the Memorial.

Linda remarked, “It has been a long journey. Now in my 80’s, I am finally ‘reunited’ with my war victim father’s grave in Miri.”

War is a monster which destroys lives and creates chaos to humanity. Let us remember the following Miri Massacre victims in our prayers:

劉有仔Liew Yew Chai
沈曾好Shen Zeng Hao
王錢安Wang Qian An
林祥德Lin Xiang De
戴鑰喜Dai Yao Xi
唐棣册Tang Di Ce (to be confirmed)
徐定芳Xu Ding Fang
賴國進Lai Guo Jin
張思惠Zhang Si Hui (Chong )
涂耀祺Tu Yao Qi
楊杞Yang Qi
楊平治Yang Ping Zhi
張運民Zhang Yun Min
何元發He Yuan Fa
李銳Li Rui
牛皮生Niu Pi Sheng
李萬福Li Wan Fu
楊春茂Yang Chun Mao
莊天德Zhuang Tian De
Kunju Koya
Joel PaulJohn AbadHEM Bell
Jack Johnson
Bodestyne
Fauja Singh
Sohan Singh
Suba Singh

 

May their souls rest in peace.