The 1915 Singapore Mutiny, also known as the 1915 Sepoy Mutiny, was the famous incident concerning 850 Muslim sepoys (Indian soldiers) that rose up against the British on 15 February 1915 in Singapore. (Not to be mistaken for the "Indian Mutiny of 1857" which occurred in British India earlier). This mutiny lasted nearly 7 days, and resulted in the deaths of 47 British soldiers and local civilians. This was an event that not only caught the British totally off-guard but also shook the foundation of British rule in Singapore.[1]
History
Ghadar party
The Ghadar party ("Ghadar" is an Urdu/Punjabi word for "mutiny" or "rebellion") was formed in the U.S.A in 1913 by Har Dayal with the aim of ousting the British from India by an armed revolution. They expected the Indian soldiers posted overseas to become their strong ally and actively targeted propagada and instigation on them. When WW1 began, the Ghadrites incited the 130th Baluchi Regiment at Rangoon to revolt on 21 January 1915, but the authorities learned of the plan earlier and took preventive action.[2]
When the Burmese uprising failed, they trained their sights on Singapore, which had a large numbers of sepoys protecting British strategic interests there.
Indian 5th Light Infantry
The 5th Light Infantry arrived in Singapore from Madras on October 1914. It had been sent to replace the Yorkshire Light Infantry, which had been ordered for France.[3] The Infantry comprised mainly of Indian Muslims that were commanded by their British superiors. The troop's morale was constantly at a low, afflicted by poor communication, slack discipline and a weak leadership. Active propaganda (for Indian independence from British rule) by the Ghadar Party in India not only affected the troops stationed in Singapore subsequently but would also lead to the disastrous mutiny afterwards.
Incitement
The Sultan of Turkey of the Ottoman dynasty, who sided with Germany after World War 1 broke out, was widely regarded as the leader of the Muslim world then. Hence, when Britain declared war on Turkey, the Muslims, including those in Singapore, were urged to go against the British.
A Gujerati Muslim coffee-shop owner, named Kassim Mansur, who was pro-Turkey, made visits and even invited the sepoys to his house. Together with an Indian Muslim religious leader, Nur Alum Shah, Mansur instilled anti-British feelings in the sepoys and told them that it was their religious duty to rise up against the British.[4]
The mutiny
In November 1914, the British government decided to send the sepoys to Hong Kong. The sepoys, however, heard earlier rumours that they might be sent to Europe or Turkey to fight against their Muslims brethren.[5] In February 1915, when the sepoys received orders to sail to Hong Kong aboard the Nile, they decided to rebel. At 3:30pm on 15 February 1915, 850 men of the 5th Light Infantry Battalion with 100 men of the Malay States Guides Mule Battery mutinied. The mutineers divided themselves into three groups. A party of 100 mutineers went to Tanglin Barracks where 309 Germans were interned, including members of the Emden's crew. The mutineers fired on the guards and officers without warning, killing all of them but not before one guard managed to escape under heavy fire to raise the alarm. The mutineers tried to persuade the Germans to join them; the Germans were reluctant, however, as they refused to have anything to do with what they considered a dishonourable act. 35 Germans escaped but the rest remained where they were.[6] However, without strong leadership, the mutiny would soon lose direction.
Unprepared
As it was the middle of the Chinese New Year, the majority of the Chinese Volunteers Corps were on leave, leaving Singapore almost defenceless in the face of the Indian mutiny. The British government was caught unprepared. Other mutineers went on a killing spree at Keppel Harbour and Pasir Panjang killing many Caucasian men and women. Martial law was imposed and Marines from HMS Cadmus came ashore and were mobilised with other garrison troops who had not mutinied. A radio message by Admiral Jerran was sent to any nearby allied warships for help.
A group of mutineers was laying siege to the bungalow of the commander, Colonel E.V. Martin, which was effectively blocking the way into Singapore Town. The Colonel and some men held out all night until they were relieved at daybreak by armed volunteers and civilians. They were so successful that they captured a fair amount of the mutineers' artillery.[7] This action cost one killed and five wounded. The mutineers scattered, and despite heavy sniper fire from the mutineers, the general population stayed calm as the militia fought sporadic battles with the mutineers.
Allied forces
On Wednesday, February 17th, the French cruiser Montcalm, followed by the Russian cruiser Aural and Japanese warships Ottawa and Tsushima arrived.[8] The allies' Marines were immediately mobilised, and advanced on the mutineers. A fierce battle ensued in which many of the mutineers were killed or wounded. A large number of them surrendered immediately; the rest scattered into the jungles. A large number of escapees tried to cross the Strait of Johore but were immediately rounded up by the Sultan of Johore's army.[9] In the meantime, the mutineers who had scattered continued to wage a sniping war on the allies.
On Saturday 20th February, six companies of the 5th Shropshire Territorials arrived from Rangoon, relieving the sailors and Marines. They rounded up the last of the mutineers in a short time.
Trial and public executions
A Court of Inquiry was held on 23 February 1915, first in secret but then continued publicly, concluded by 15 May. More than 200 sepoys were tried by court-martial, 47 were executed including Kassim Mansoor, 64 were sent to transportation for life and 73 were given terms of imprisonment ranging from 7 to 20 years. The public executions were conducted at Outram Prison, witnessed by an estimated 15,000. The mutineers who surrendered early were sent to fight in Africa. In 1922, the Infantry was disbanded.[10]
Aftermath
After the court proceedings and public executions of the mutineers ended, the British could no longer depend on Indian soldiers for the maintenance of their rule nor could they rely on Allies, especially Japan, for any help for the perpetuation of their empire. Subsequently, all Indian residents in Singapore were required to register, causing ill-feelings amongst a majority loyal community.[11]
Sensing the weakness of the British handling of the mutiny, extreme Indian revolutionaries would further court overseas sepoys more aggressively, and would cultivate a friendship with Japan for the overthrow of the British in India. These plans finally came to fruition with the formation of the Indian National Army lead by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore in WWII.
To commemorate the event and those British soldiers and civilians killed during the Mutiny, two memorial tablets were erected at the entrance of the Victoria Memorial Hall and four plaques in St Andrew's Cathedral.[12]
See also
- Indian Rebellion of 1857 (India)
Notes and references
- ^ Kuwajima, Sho (1988). First World War and Asia - Indian Mutiny in Singapore. Osaka University. pp. p.1.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ Sareen, T.R. (1995). Secret Documents On Singapore Mutiny 1915. New Delhi: Mounto Publishing House. pp. p."Preface". ISBN 81-7451-009-5.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher ___location (link) - ^ "Commentary on the Mutiny". New York Times. 2 May 1915.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Sareen. "Report Section II" pp. 39-40.
- ^ Ibid. pp. 11-12.
- ^ Ibid. p. 14.
- ^ "Narrative of Their Doings in the Mutiny". The Straits Times. 26 April 1915.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Sareen. pp. 14-15.
- ^ "The Mutiny". The Straits Times. 26 March 1915.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Sareen. "Preface".
- ^ Ibid. "Proclamation Under Martial Law", p. 822
- ^ "1915 Indian (Singapore) Mutiny". Singapore Infopedia. Retrieved 2007-06-14.