The moment the invading forces were waiting for had finally arrived, and they were about to snare the “lion” that had been terrorising them.
Gurchan Singh, the “Lion of Malaya”, was asleep at the time.
Even so, a lion is no easy prey and Gurchan, when he did realise what was happening, put up a fierce fight, knocking out the three armed guards before making off into the night.
Gurchan, a detective with the Special Branch, had been wanted by the Japanese for quite some time for his anti-Japanese information and public relations campaign.
Together with his brothers Gurcharan and Gurdial, he had been printing leaflets containing news about the war from around the world based on the communique of Allied forces.
The leaflets were signed ‘Singa’ (lion) and dropped outside shops and houses, and pasted on trees, walls, electric lamp-posts, and notice boards.
Gurchan’s secret network of more than 30 agents, comprising people of different races, helped him in his campaign.
“The pamphlets were invaluable for two reasons. First, the Japanese did not allow people to listen to foreign news stations, and second, the pamphlets painted the true picture of the war and discredited the Japanese news which was filled with mere propaganda,” historian Ranjit Singh Malhi told FMT.
Ranjit is the author of a soon-to-be-released book titled “Sikhs in Malaysia: A Comprehensive History” which features Gurchan and some little-known information about the resistance hero.
“Gurchan’s information and public relations campaign against the Japanese must have been very effective as the Japanese offered a reward of $100,000 for his capture.”
Ranjit said Gurchan and his brothers also carried out acts of sabotage against the Japanese during World War II, cutting telecommunication lines, blowing up railway wagons, and even killing Japanese soldiers with grenades.
He said they also sabotaged numerous Japanese locomotive engines, causing “untold damage” and delay in the transportation of ammunition and other war supplies by rail to Burma, a major battlefront for Allied and Japanese forces.
For his heroics, Gurchan received a certificate of commendation from the then British High Commissioner Edward Gent.
After the war, Gurchan rose through the ranks in the police force before being appointed aide-de-camp (ADC) to the country’s first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman.
“But, not many may know that Gurchan Singh has also left a major imprint on the sport of bicycle racing. He was the founder and honorary secretary of the Malayan Cyclists Federation which was established in December 1953,” said Ranjit.
Ranjit said that Gurchan also kickstarted the formation of the Asian Cycling Federation in August 1962.
He was elected as president of the federation which counted Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Iran, Hong Kong, and Thailand as its members.
Ranjit said it was also Gurchan who proposed the establishment of Malaysia’s first concrete velodrome for cyclists, together with a cinder track for athletes and a hockey pitch.
“But it never materialised because of Gurchan’s untimely death in a car accident in Batu Pahat, Johor, in 1965.”