TAYLOR, Allison (Al Taylor)
Special Project,
Accession Number 003563
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 5
Total Reels
- Mark Wong
Interviewer
- 04:31:34
Total Running Time
- English
Language
Copyright Notice
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Reel/Disc 1 of 5
Metadata
- 13 Sep 2010
Recording Date
- 00:58:00
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Born 1936 in Richmond, a southern suburb of London. Family background. Performing odd jobs in his youth, collecting and transporting newspapers. Proudest possession was a set of pram wheels which enabled him to collect coal supply rations for pensioners. Also performed odd jobs when the fairs and circuses came to town. Left school at age 14-and-a-half and worked as a golf caddy. Called up for compulsory national service in 1954. Influence of brothers-in-law, who were involved in World War II. Signing on to the Royal Air Force (RAF) for five years. Sent to RAF Cardington, a recruitment station, then RAF Padgate (Manchester) where interviewee received basic training, then RAF St Athan (South Wales) to be trained in engines. Supposedly posted to Hong Kong in April 1955, but arrived instead in Singapore on a chartered Hermes plane but with his luggage sent to Hong Kong.
Little knowledge of Singapore prior to his arrival. Description of culture shock upon arrival. No preparation received to working in the environment here. How the rifles he was trained to use in Britain were unsuitable for the jungles in Singapore as were the uniforms he had packed over. Wearing khaki drills (KDs) all year round in Singapore, but finding them unsuitable for winter in Hong Kong’s RAF Kai Tak. Having to wear civvies in Hong Kong. Details of the stops on route from London to Singapore. How names of countries had changed since the 1950s and 1960s. Description of the Hermes plane he flew to Singapore on. Whether one travelled by plane or ship was a matter of luck. How he came to babysit for a sergeant at Seletar Camp. Interviewee’s personal philosophy regarding the past, present and future. Relatively little awareness of Singapore and its history, prior to his arrival. Elaboration of how he learnt that he had been posted to Hong Kong. How he arrived at Seletar at the transit block and had to go about the administrative procedures in order to be registered to the camp.
Meeting the station warren officer on his first morning and not being appropriately dressed. Meeting ‘Chiefy’, the flight sergeant, who ran 81 Squadron and was in charge of servicing the aircraft. Why the renaissance squadron worked from 7 am to 1 pm. Tasks of the duty crew. Making preparations before the pilots arrived. Taxiing the planes out on the runway. Having to familiarise oneself with the procedures at Seletar, which were different from what he had been trained in in the United Kingdom. Interviewee was responsible for first line servicing, which included day-to-day checking of the oil and water levels, changing problematic components and others. Description of the proper procedure of checks when pilots reported high jet pipe temperature and how his team improvised to speed up the process.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 5
Metadata
- 13 Sep 2010
Recording Date
- 00:58:38
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Explanation of the Before Flight Inspection (BFI) procedure that interviewee had to perform every morning. Why all aircraft had to be put in the hangar with full tanks and the danger of vapour in fuel tank. Difference between jet engines and piston engines. Repercussions of an air crash was that everyone’s toolkits were impounded. One occasion when a pilot returned and reported high jet pipe temperature but interviewee found nothing wrong with the plane. How cameras could be adjusted on the planes. Examples of situations he might face while on his daily duties. Being assigned to station duty crew, responsible for visiting aircraft. Detachment to Hong Kong and landing at Clarke Air Base, the Philippines, where he had an encounter with United States Air Force (USAF) personnel. Difference between Royal Air Force (RAF) and USAF mechanics. Being trained on piston engines in general. Background of 81 Squadron which became reconfigured into a Photographic Reconnaissance Unit (PRU). Types of planes on the squadron, whether or not they carried armaments and how many cameras they carried. Description of the Mosquito plane which carried a pilot and navigator and was not really suitable for humid climates. Last operational flight of a Spitfire took place at RAF Seletar, 1 April 1954. Many Spitfires were sold to Thai Airways. How the last Mosquito sortie in the world was flown from RAF Seletar, 15 December 1955. Differences between the Mosquito and Spitfire. How the planes were used for mapping as well as Firedog sorties, which was for intelligence gathering of Communist movements during the Malayan Emergency. Introduction of the Meteor aircraft. How the Pembroke did little photographic work. 81 Squadron was posted to Tengah in April 1958.
Strength of 81 Squadron was between 90 and 120. Description of main trades by rank. Photographers were nicknamed ‘termites’. Description of what the photographers did. Mention of the Joint Aerial Photographic Intelligence Centre (JAPIC). How the reconnaissance photographs assisted in bombing missions. Importance of aerial photography in creating navigational maps. Salaries. Social life in Singapore. Number of days of leave. Promotions received over time. Training courses were unavailable in Singapore. Seletar was a maintenance base and 81 Squadron was the only operational squadron there. Attitude towards administrative officers. Description of Squadron Leader Stan McCreath. Dislike of the United Kingdom and move to Australia. Description of McCreath’s photographic reconnaissance mission over Germany.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 5
Metadata
- 13 Sep 2010
Recording Date
- 00:56:50
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Description of 81 Squadron’s Squadron Leader Stan McCreith. Being denied an exchange posting near the communist border. Sent on a detachment to RAF Kai Tek a few months later. Complemented by Squadron Leader McCreith for a job well done. Camaraderie within the 81 Squadron. How everyone was very interested in photography. Winning darts competitions on Royal Air Force (RAF) Seletar’s West Camp. H Block was the largest accommodation block in the RAF. Description of G Block. Mentions of the Sunderland Squadron that was involved in the campaign against the Communist Terrorists (CTs). A Sunderland was also involved with the resupply of a British naval ship held up by the Chinese in the Yangzi River. Demographics of personnel in 81 Squadron by age, ethnicity and regional background. Reasons why the squadron had a Polish and Czechoslovakian pilot. Locals from the Malayan Auxilliary Air Force went to Seletar for summer camp and attachments. Interviewee was surprised by how low their pay was. Details about the different local ethnic groups he encountered, including Indians and Eurasians. Perception of Eurasians as aloof. Description of a pair of Indian cousins who did odd jobs around the camp like polishing shoes and brasses, sweeping and tidying the bunks. Friendly rivalry between different trades. Explanation of the call sign ‘2-6’, which was a request for assistance in terms of labour. Mention of Eddie Tan and Hani, who were locals who later joined the RAF as there was no Republic of Singapore Air Force as yet. Opinions on the effectiveness of Singapore’s National Service. Description of a woman called Sew Sew who went around Seletar performing sewing and altering services for the servicemen. Description of Indians who spoke Eton English. Description of an Indian who worked in the armory and was a sharpshooter. Some traders were authorised to walk around the camp to sell their wares. Dog that attached itself to the Squadron. Having breakfast at a Malay cafe, drinking white coffee with condensed milk. Memories of the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. Taking a train to Fraser’s Hill for jungle training. Learning to uncover ambushes.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 5
Metadata
- 13 Sep 2010
Recording Date
- 00:58:40
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Living conditions of Royal Air Force (RAF) Seletar Camp compared to the United Kingdom. Learning to sleep with a mosquito net. Using a lit cigarette to remove the sting from mosquito bites. Spraying surfaces of puddles with oil. Mosquitoes in Malaya were supposedly larger than in Singapore. Bunk facilities. Learning never to use a towel twice without washing it. Precautions to take when one was afflicted by foot rot or tinea, common around the groin area. Effectiveness of Whitfield’s ointment in treating tinea. Description of a bungalow behind G Block at Seletar’s West Camp which housed a shoemaker, hairdresser and the baths. Laundry for uniforms was free but not for civvies. Representing the 81 Squadron on the Public Services Institute (PSI) committee. Complaints regarding the quality of service provided by the dhobis. Refusing a gift to avoid charges of bribery. Learning to show appreciation to people. Observation of Singapore as a competitive country. Cultural differences between people in Singapore and the British. Cookhouse food was so bad that they planned a collective protest. Other food options included the Navy, Army, and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) or travelling to Jalan Kayu or Singapore town. Description of entertainment options in camp. Mention of the Astra Cinema at East Camp and technical cinema at West Camp. Watching Tom and Jerry cartoons. Screening the reels of advertisements backwards. Description of cigarette brands. Two local brands of cigarettes, Winning Post and Winning Rush, were sold per stick for one cent. Learning more Malay than any other local language. Watching the midnight matinee at the Cathay cinema. Transvestites used to hang out on a street nearby. Lavender Street and Bras Basah were out of bounds to servicemen from 7 pm to 7 am. Watching Jogget dancers. Game in which the crowd would guess the sex of the dancers. Watching Chinese Opera. Trouble at the Britannia Club when American and British fleets were in town. Description of a Chinese man chasing the servicemen with a meat cleaver. Playing bridge for days or telling shaggy dog stories for a week. Some weekends were spent on guard duty. The ammunition dump had to be protected from Communist Terrorists (CTs). Story of the headless Japanese general. Story of Fruity Mary and what had become of her.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 5
Metadata
- 13 Sep 2010
Recording Date
- 00:39:26
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Deniable areas that the 81 Squadron flew its Photo Reconnaissance missions over. Description of a pilot who flew from Royal Air Force (RAF) Kai Tek (Hong Kong) to a Chinese island located at the furthest point of no return for the duration of the Spitfire. Two Mosquitos went to Colombo and found that they would be part of the film The Purple Plain. Witnessing three riots in Singapore. Physical contact with the rioters was discouraged. British servicemen helped at road blocks. Description of banners at road blocks. Terms of engagement were strict. Colleague’s account of the scene at the police station. Description of Gurkhas performing their drills. Heavy student and Communist involvement in the riots. Attitude towards Merdeka. Opinion on the development of Singapore, especially after the withdrawal of the British forces. Experience in 81 Squadron was the best time of his life. Gratitude felt towards Singapore. Agreeing to participating in this oral history interview as a way of giving back to Singapore.
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