KENINGAU’s MEMORIAL, BORNEO
HONOURING FIVE BRAVE CITIZENS MURDERED 6 JUL 1945
This memorial commemorates the following five persons who were executed by Japanese forces on 6 July 1945:
Cho Huan Lai – Consul General of the Republic of China
Cyril Drummond Le Gros Clark – Chief Secretary of the Rajah of Sarawak.
Valentine A. Stokes – Medical practitioner, Sandakan.
Henry William Webber – US Engineer, Manila.
Donald Macdonald – Planter, Kuching, Sarawak.
The Cho Huan Lai Memorial or Keningau War Memorial is located in the town of Keningau, which today is in central Sabah.
On 31 July every year citizens gather for a small service at Keningau’s Memorial – remembering the ‘brave five citizens’ who lost their lives.
The momument is dedicated to remember the Chinese Consul General Chol Huan Lai and the four European prisoners executed by Japanese 6 July 1945.
Dr Valentine (Val) Stookes WW1 veteran and medical practitioner who served as a doctor in Sandakan since 1927. Dr Stookes also owned a seaplane which provided a flying doctor service to the locals at the Kinabatangan River. His services were well known to the European community and locals in Sandakan. He assisted the Sandakan community to provide for those Europeans citizens incarcerated on Berhala Island and as well for the Australian POWs arrested for their roles in the Underground Radio.
Cyril Le Gros Clark, Chief Secretary Sarawak; second only to Rajah Vyner Brooke. He had been in the Sarawak since end of WW1. Cyril also played a major role in Sarawak service in the administration of the Brooke kingdom.
Donald MacDonald, a British planter in Kuching who owned a rubber estate in Sungai Tengah.
Harry William Webber, Orignally interned Berhala Island. An American civil engineer from Manila. Harry Webber, his wife and other three Americans were actually escaping from the Philippines and stopped in Sandakan for a rest. When the Japanese landed in Sandakan, all Caucasians were rounded up and interned in Berhala Island. Then later the internees were transferred to the main POW camp Batu Lintang camp, Kuching for civilians.
Cyril Le Gros Clark and Donald MacDonald – were already interned at Batu Lintang. They were joined by the new internees from Sandakan including Webber, Stookes and former Chinese Embassador to North Borneo Chol Huan Lai.
Following the Japanese invasion of Sandakan 19 January 1942 the Chinese Consulate was one of the first to be arrested. Cho Huan Lai was the Chinese Consul General for the Republic of China in North Borneo since 1940. Initially interned at Berhala Island with many North Borneo European families, Cho and his family were moved to Batu Lintang camp, Kuching. The women and children before the men, and imprisoned separately.
In Batu Lintang camp all the internees were put into working parties as force labours doing construction work. Cho, who was detailed to work outside of the camp started to receive news sheets from the local Chinese about the progress of the war. He translated and distributed the news to other internees until he was found out in May 1944. Cho, along with Dr Stookes, Donald, Cyril and Webber and four others were arrested and tried by the Japanese military court, found guilty and sent to the Kuching gaol where conditions were appalling.
Later, in January 1945 they were transferred to Batu Tiga Prison, Jesselton which was also well known for the appalling conditions for prisoners. In March, Batu Tiga Prison in Jesselton was bombed and strafed by Allied planes.
In January 1945, the Japanese moved their prison to Beaufort and on 12 April 1945, it was moved to Keningau. After another series of bombings on other prisons, all prisoners were taken to Bulu Silau, about two miles from Keningau. The five men were moved to a house in Bulu Silou for further internment. During the raids by Allied planes, the locals urged the internees to escape offering to shelter them until the Australian troops arrived but the men feared that if they did so the Japanese would harm the locals in reprisal.
At Keningau, the five prisoners came under the command of Lt. Col. Abe Keichi, the Japanese military commander of Keningau, and Lieutenant Akutagawa Mitsuya, the commander of the local Kempeitei.
On 5 July, the Japanese planned to release the five men because they had fully served their sentence.
The Australian 9th Division landed on Labuan Island in June 10, Operation Oboe 6.
The authorities had decided to dispose of the five prisoners for fear they might give valuable information to the Australians when they liberate Keningau. So a decision was made.
On July 6 1945 at 6:30am, the five men were woken up and loaded into the back of the lorry. They were brought to a ditch in an open field just opposite the airfield, a location not far from the township. The Japanese dragged the five from the lorry. With their hands tied behind their backs the Japanese beat them savagely before delivering the final act. The prisoners were beheaded and their bodies kicked into the ditch.
After the end of the war, Cho who was a high profile prisoner, was found to be missing. Enquiries were made to the captured Japanese Troops.
A former resident of the West Coast, Richard Evans accompanied by Major Irving and two Australian soldiers of the 9th Division were sent to Keningau to investigate what happened to the five internees. Their remains were discovered on the execution site or what was left of it. Personal belongings were also discovered which identified the exact location and the identity of the executed. The four Europeans were buried at the Old Anglican Cemetery, Jesselton. The remains of Cho Huan Lai were sent back to China for his final resting place.
Abe Keichi, Japanese Commander and Lieutenant Akutagawa Mitsuya denied their role in the execution of of the five men. They were found guilty and both sentenced to death by hanging. The sentence was carried out in Changi Prison in Singapore.
After the war a memorial was erected at the place where the five men were executed. Funds and donations were given from the relatives and governments of North Borneo and Sarawak. Memorial services have been held every year on July 31st managed by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce Keningau and has become part of a heritage and tradition for Keningau.
Below: Dr Stookes and his airplane.
Above: At Sandakan – the Chinese Embassy where Cho Huan Lai resided with his wife and children. The building was completely destroyed during Allied bombing raids.
Below: Capitulation by Japan.
Agnes Newton Keith author of ‘Three Came Home’ wrote about her life in Sandakan with her husband and son George – followed by her incarcerated on Berhala Island. She wrote the wife of Cho Huan Lai, the Chinese Embassador’s wife and children were with her at Berhala. The children played together her son George who had had Chinese nanny. George then aged two years spoke a little Chinese and was able to speak with the family, although they also spoke English.
Above: The book above Agnes Newton Keith published after the war about her life as a Japanese POW in North Borneo WW2.
Agnes Newton Keith had already published ‘Land Below the Wind’ about living in Borneo. It had been translated in several languages including Japanese. Almost immediately the Japanese troops and particularly the officers knew of her book.
The European population of Sandakan was small. Some wives and families had left, their husband’s occupations requiring them to stay in North Borneo.
There was total of 9 children incarcerated on Berhala and 24 wives. This included two children of the Chinese embassador Cho Huan Lai and his wife. He was incarcerated with the men on Berhala.
The 54 European men were kept separately.
These numbers did increase a little before being transferred to Batu Lintang, Kuching, Sarawak January 1943. The number of children at Batu Lintang Compound at Kuching increased to 34.
Prior to the Japanese arrival on 18/19th January 1942, the European women and children gathered at the residence of the Governor (safety in numbers). Sandakan was being informed on the Japanese movements and progress on arriving.
Below: Sandakan’s Government House built 1907.
The Japanese immediately took watches and valuables from the adults. They then proceeded to loot the homes and probably offices over the next week. The women had any money taken from them prior to moving to Berhala. It was probably the same for the men. It was why with the food and essentials smuggled in to the Europeans the locals found it challenging to include money which was hard to come by.
Keith wrote that it proved to be a problem not having any money when the Sandakan women arrived at Bintang. The prisoners from everywhere else had money and could purchase extras when available.
You can read further about Agnes Newton Keith.
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We cannot be sure when Dr Stookes and his wife were arrested. In May 1944, Stookes was implicated in a plot at Lintang Barracks involving the sharing of war news among internees with others, including Cho Huan Lai, Cyril Le Gros Clark, Donald MacDonald, and Harry Webber.
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For their crime, they were was held in notoriously brutal conditions, specifically in Batu Lintang camp gaol and later the Batu Tiga Prison in Jesselton in January 1945 before being executed in 1945 at Keningau.