Colonial Malaya Malaysia Johore Volunteer Rifles Cap Badge Straits Settlements


Colonial Malaya Malaysia Johore Volunteer Rifles Cap Badge Straits Settlements

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Colonial Malaya Malaysia Johore Volunteer Rifles Cap Badge Straits Settlements:
$71.00


1 piece of white metal finished Johore Volunteer Rifles Cap Badge with 2 loops.Condition: Very Good as shown in the pictures. Measurements: about 3.3cm(Height) by 4.2cm (Width).The Johore Volunteer Rifles wasestablished in 1914 and redesignated as JOHORE VOLUNTEER ENGINEERS (JVE) in1928. The JVE was raised in Johore with the consent of the Sultan and embodiedEuropeans of military age who were resident in Johore. This small unit waswiped out in theinvasion of Singapore in 1942 and not reconstituted after thewar.The Malayan Volunteer Forces

by Rosemary Fell

The Malayan Volunteer Forces, or \'Vultures\', as they were sometimesaffectionately known
amongst themselves or to other FEPOWs, are virtually unknown and unrecognisedin this country, except to other FEPOWs.

The origin of the Volunteers was in Britain\'s major conflicts of the 19thand early 20th centuries - the Crimean War led to the enrolment in 1854 of theoriginal Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps with its proud motto \'In OrientePrimus\', and the Boer War of 1899-1902 further stimulated the Volunteermovement with the formation of the Malay States Volunteer Rifles. In 1888 theSingapore Volunteer Artillery Corps was formed. The outbreak of World War 1 inAugust 1914 led to an immediate and rapid increase in the enrolment ofVolunteers who the following year took part in the suppression of the SepoyMutiny in Singapore.

Again Volunteers answered their country\'s call in the years running up toWorld War 2, particularly after the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939. Theycame from all nationalities and walks of life in the pre-war peninsula known asBritish Malaya. The Volunteers were not only Europeans, but Malays, Chinese,Indians and Eurasians. They came from all branches of the Malayan GovernmentService, from the Mines and Plantations, from the business communities, fromthe Medical Profession and from the Church. Many other civilians who would havejoined the Volunteers, were prevented from doing so because they were inso-called \'reserved occupations\' considered essential for the continued smoothrunning of the country. Whatever their background, they were motivated by aprofound sense of wanting to do everything in their power to defend the CrownColony of Malaya and her dependents.

The Volunteer Forces were similar in concept to the British TerritorialArmy, but were organised within 3 separate groups according to whichadministrative area of Malaya they came from. Officers held a Governor\'sCommission instead of a King\'s Commission. The three political entities were:

A. The Crown Colony of the StraitsSettlements (S.S.)

The Straits Settlements were administered by a British Governor (Sir ShentonThomas) who was also High Commissioner for the eleven Malay States.
The Straits Settlements consisted of Singapore, Penang and the ProvinceWellesley, and Malacca (and Labuan and Christmas Island). Volunteers wereorganised into 4 Battalions:-

Singapore - 1st and 2nd Battalion S.S.V.F [1250 men]
Penang & Province Wellesley - 3rd BattalionS.S.V.F. [916 men]
Malacca - 4th Battalion S.S.V.F.[675 men]

B. The Federated Malay States (F.M.S.)

These States were ruled by Sultans, but each had a British Resident to whomthey were accountable.
The Federated Malay States consisted of Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan andPahang. Volunteers from these States were also organised into 4 Battalions:

Perak - 1st Battalion F.M.S.V.F.
Selangor - 2nd Battalion F.M.S.V.F.
Negri Sembilan - 3rd Battalion F.M.S.V.F.
Pahang - 4th Battalion F.M.S.V.F.

There was also an F.M.S.V.F. SignalsBattalion, F.M.S.V.F.Light (Artillery) Battery,
F.M.S.V.F. Reserve Motor Transport Company and F.M.S.V.F. Field Ambulanceunits.

F.M.S.V.F. = Federated Malay States Volunteer Force. Total number of men:5,200.

C. The Unfederated Malay States (U.M.S.)

Each of these States was ruled by a Sultan and each had a British Advisorwith far less influence than the British Residents of the F.M.S. These 5 Stateswere Johore, Kedah, Kelantan, Trengganu and Perlis. Apart from Johore, theywere the more northerly States with fewer Europeans and more tenuous lines ofcommunication. Volunteers from these States were, perhaps, less well organised,again with the exception of Johore, and deployed into Local Defence Corps orForces, rather than Battalions with a more formal command structure. Volunteerswere organised into the following groups:

Johore - J.V.E. (Johore Volunteer Engineers) - 258 men.
Kedah - K.V.F. (Kedah Volunteer Force) - 571 men.
Kelantan - K.V.F. (Kelantan Volunteer Force) - 136 men.
Trengganu & Perlis - no regular Defence Force or Corps.

As well as these Volunteer groupings, there were also Local Defence Corps,similar to the Home Guard, throughout Malaya. Some Malayan Volunteers joined:

a) The Malayan Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve ( M.R.N.V.R.) - 1083 men.
b) The Malayan Volunteer Air Force (M.V.A.F.) - 350 men.
c) The Armoured Car Squadrons under S.S. & F.M.S. commands. In the finaldays the F.M.S.V.F Armoured Car units were amalgamated and given regimentalstatus.
d) The Singapore Royal Artillery and Singapore Royal Engineers.
e) SOE - particularly in the form of Stay Behind Parties. Volunteers participatingin these were given General List Commissions.

The Volunteers were of enormous help to the thousands of captured BritishForces, especially those who had only been in the Far East for a matter ofweeks before capture. They knew and understood the local languages and thepeople, particularly those who remained loyal to the British and wanted to helpthem. They were acclimatised to the conditions, which must have been difficultto adjust to for the newly arrived troops - most of whom had received no trainingin jungle warfare.They understood the prevalent diseases such as Malaria andDengue Fever, how best to avoid them, and the medicines that were needed tocontrol them. They were able to barter with the local traders for food andmedicine, and to set up a system of \'listening posts\' for information,especially in the early months of imprisonment.

Shipping Charges:

Worldwide International Airmail - US$5.00 (additional US$2.00 forRegistered/Signed-For postage).Singapore / Malaya - US$3.00 via standard mail. Sorry, no viewing and localpickup.Combined shipping with otheritems at noadditional charge.Payment: PAYPAL only.

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Colonial Malaya Malaysia Johore Volunteer Rifles Cap Badge Straits Settlements:
$71.00

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