The Eurasian Company of the Singapore Volunteer Corps.

A Bibliography.

Compiled, with notes by Terry Foenander.

This is just a basic listing of material which includes references to the Singapore Volunteer Corps, as a whole. I have attempted to compile this bibliography from items in my collection, as well as items mentioned in other works, and on the Internet. If anyone knows of other works not included in this listing, please contact the author, with details. The listings are arranged alphabetically, by each author's name.

Publications:

Barber, Noel, The Singapore Story: From Raffles to Lee Kuan Yew. 1978; William Collins Sons & Co., Ltd., Glasgow. [There are only a couple of brief references to the Corps, one relating to its use during the riots of the early years of the colony - page 63.]

Braga-Blake, Myrna, editor., Singapore Eurasians: Memories and Hopes. 1992; Times Editions Pte. Ltd., Singapore 1953. [Pages 105-107 of this volume include a brief synopsis of the service of the Eurasians who served in the Corps. A number of names are mentioned and the work includes a couple of images showing Eurasians within the Corps.]

de Rosario, Lionel, Nippon Slaves. Janus Publishing Company Ltd., London, England. [Lionel's service in the Eurasian Company of the Singapore Volunteer Corps, and his capture and incarceration, are related in this biography.]

Falconer, John, A Vision of the Past: A History of Early Photography in Singapore and Malaya; The Photographs of G.R. Lambert & Co., 1880-1910. reprint edition, 1995; Times Editions Pte. Ltd., Singapore 1953. [Although there is only one reproduction of a photograph showing the Singapore Artillery (part of the Singapore Volunteer Corps) drilling in a coconut plantation in 1893, none of whom are Eurasians, the excellent quality of the image, as well as the accompanying notes on page 174, make for an excellent study of the uniforms, and weaponry used at that early stage.]

Shinozaki, Mamoru, Syonan - My Story: The Japanese Occupation of Singapore. 1982 edition; Times Books International, Singapore 1953. [An excellent account of the occupation, written by one of the invaders; includes several references to the Singapore Volunteer Corps, including one of Herman de Souza, a captain in the Eurasian Company who had previously been a principal of an English language school. There are also references to other named Eurasians who were unable to escape the Japanese occupation (see especially pages 23 and 41, of this edition).]

Singapore International Foundation, Singapore magazine, dated January 1993; published by the Foundation, 111 Somerset Road, PUB Building #11-07, Singapore 0923. [Page 11 includes an article titled Growing Up Eurasian, by Myrna Braga-Blake, which also includes some references to the Corps.]

van Cuylenburg, John Bertram, Singapore: through sunshine and shadow. 1982; Heinemann Educational Books (Asia) Ltd., Singapore 2057. [van Cuylenburg's memoirs are an excellent source of his life in early to mid-20th century Singapore, and includes a couple of references to the Corps, including one to Thora Oehlers, who he indicates as being a captain in the Medical Corps.]

Winsley, T.M., A History of the Singapore Volunteer Corps, 1854-1937: A Historical Outline of Volunteering in Malaya. 1938; Government Printing Office, Singapore. [Currently the one and only history of the Corps, which unfortunately does not cover the period of the Second World War, when many of the volunteers made the ultimate sacrifice.]

Sites on the World Wide Web:

History of the People's Defence Force.
Mentions the beginnings of the P DF as the Singapore Volunteer Corps, and it's role in the internal defense of the island of Singapore.

Singapore Rifle Association.
Formed in 1862 by a group from the Singapore Volunteer Corps, the SRA is now a club of shooting enthusiasts, which also includes many interested civilians; the group has often achieved success in competition at the South East Asian games.

Singapore: The Road to Independence.
A brief overview of the military history of Singapore; includes some mention of the Singapore Volunteer Corps, as well as Eurasians who served, and their experiences.

David Marshall: Singapore's First Chief Minister.
David Marshall, a well known figure in the early politics of independent Singapore, is noted to have served in the Singapore Volunteer Corps.

© Terry Foenander,

November, 2001.