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Cap Mandrake -> Road trip (8/3/2006 5:41:28 PM)
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Dec 12...We pushed off for Kuantan today, or rather, 8th Indian Brigade pushed off. I admire the strength of English women, but one might deduce from the choice of acoutrements of a few in our group that they are planning a holiday in Brighton. The enormity of our challenge became apparent when those civilians wishing to try the escape to Johore bagan to assemble at the designated time and place. Parasols and long white dresses predominated, along with great wooden chests that seemed to contain all the gold of the Orient and scores of Malay servants. Of course, there is insufficient lorry transport, the lion's share of that available tasked to transports heavy weapons forward. The reality of war has apparently not been universally appreciated. After much negotiating and a chaotic scene that reminded me of market day in Singapore, the Captain issued an edict. There will be permitted only one luggage item per refugee and that item must be able to be borne aloft by two adult men. All refugees must have two practical pairs of shoes and are responsible for carrying 24 hrs worth of water for their party. They must also have 10 days of non-perishable food for their charges. Any servants making the trip must meet the same criteria. I learned later we have sufficient rations to sustain the KVF and charges for perhaps one week, but this was not disclosed less it create an expectation among the evacuees. I judged his edict to be Solomonic, but one might have thought the evacuees were being told to choose a limb to leave behind.
At 4:30 in the afternoon, we finally bagn to move, a security platoon of KVF in the van and rear and, in the center, the oddest collection of vehicles ever assembled in Malaysia. Edith and the baby were in the Packard with Mrs. Theobald and her two children. I could procure only 18 liters of petrol, which is certain to be insufficient to the task. God help us.
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