Halford Boudwyn

Halford Boudewyn
By Sutherland, Duncan written on 11-Oct-2010
National Library Board Singapore
Comments on article: InfopediaTalk


Halford Lovell Boudewyn (b.1921 - d. 26 April 1998, Singapore) was a long-serving police officer who risked his life during the Japanese occupation by storing classified documents stolen from the Indian National Army, and secretly using an illegal radio for gathering and sharing news about the war which the Japanese censored.

Early life
Boudewyn was educated at St Joseph’s Institution and always aspired to become a policeman. In 1939 he joined the Straits Settlements Police Force as a constable and two years later he was posted to Alor Gajah, Malacca, as an inspector. This assignment ended when the Japanese invaded Malaya and Singapore in early 1942.

Wartime espionage
Stealing and storage of secret documents
Boudewyn found work with a Eurasian food contractor who supplied Indian army camps in Singapore. While making his deliveries in 1943 he met a prisoner-of-war from the British Indian Army and learned of the ill-treatment by Subhas Chandra Bose’s Japanese-backed Indian National Army (INA) of those who refused to join the INA. Boudewyn admired the bravery of those who had remained loyal to the crown and wanted to avenge those who had suffered for it.

His new friend told him that documentary proof could be obtained and the two men agreed on a plan to gather this evidence. Boudewyn sold his produce at the INA’s headquarters at Upper Serangoon Road, next to the POW camp. Each day his contact (accounts differ on who this was) would purchase vegetables then later claim some were rotten and return them with documents stolen from an adjutant’s office.

These documents related not only to the POWs’ mistreatment but also Japan’s planned invasion via Burma of India, the ultimate prize among Britain’s colonies. Each day Boudewyn gave a deep bow to the Japanese sentry as he left the camp and his bicycle carrier, where he kept the papers, was never searched. He did this until 1944 when he had all the relevant documents and stored them in an oil drum buried beneath a friend’s tennis court in Chancery Lane.

Eventually the house was seized by the Japanese who converted the tennis court into a vegetable garden. After the war this made locating the drum more difficult, and he ultimately discovered that while he had taken care to bury it four feet deep it was now only one foot below the surface.

Disseminating information among POWs and the public
Boudewyn also rejoined the police under the Japanese and worked in the office dealing with espionage. He was tasked with seizing citizens’ radios, possession of which was punishable by beheading, but saved two for himself. One was stored at the Chancery Lane house and another – daringly – was kept in a laundry basket at Orchard Road police station where he worked. With these he monitored Allied broadcasts and brought hope to prisoners-of-war by transmitting this news to prison camps through his Indian Army contact and others.

He also transcribed this information onto paper with a carbon pencil then produced flyers with a simple ”printing press” using a tray of agar-agar jelly. While walking to work from his home in St Barnabas Road he affixed these with sago paste to lamp-posts and bus shelters, where they were widely read and improved public morale. Before the jelly dried he was able to make about 100 sheets each time. On one occasion he received $50 by submitting his leftover flyers at the station and claiming to have discovered them. He buried one of the radios after a friend warned him that the Japanese were suspicious but he was never questioned or arrested.

Outcome and later career
Japan launched its invasion of India in March 1944 and was defeated four months later. The information Boudewyn had stolen had apparently been relayed to the Allies through other channels. After the war he hoped that the other documents would help to secure the punishment of the INA officers who had mistreated POWs. The papers were handed to Army Intelligence and sent to India for an inquiry but to Boudewyn’s disappointment the case collapsed.

Nonetheless Boudewyn received a letter of thanks from British Army Intelligence for his actions. In 1948 he was awarded the Colonial Police Medal for meritorious service, conferred by Governor Sir Franklin Gimson at the cadets’ passing out parade. For years afterwards he suffered nightmares arising from his wartime experience.

After the war Boudewyn resumed police work. He was promoted to chief inspector in 1948 and later deputy superintendent. He was popular in the force and was among a few selected for an advanced training course in England in 1952. During his career he served as quartermaster for the Criminal Investigation Department, officer in charge of Kandang Kerbau station, commandant of the recently-formed Guard and Escort Unit (which dealt with a wave of kidnapping and robberies targeting the wealthy) and public relations officer.

In 1968 he received the Pingat Bakti Setia (Long Service Medal) from the Singaporean government and retired around 1970.

Family
Parents: Mr and Mrs F. M. Boudewyn
Wife: Theresa Mildred Da Silva, later a cosmetics saleswoman (m.1946)
Children: One daughter and son, Peter (an SBC broadcaster in the 1980s); seven grandchildren as of 1992.







哈尔福德Boudewyn通过萨瑟兰，邓肯写于2010年10月11日新加坡国家图书馆管理局评论文章：InfopediaTalk

哈尔福德洛弗尔Boudewyn（b.1921 - D. 1998年4月26日，新加坡）存放从印度国民军被盗的机密文件，他在日本占领期间冒着生命的一个长期服务的警务人员，并偷偷使用非法无线电收集分享关于日本送检的战争消息。
早期的生活Boudewyn曾就读于圣若瑟的机构，并一直希望成为一名警察。 1939年，他加入了海峡殖民地警队的警员，两年后，他被派往马六甲阿罗牙也，为督察，。这种分配结束时，日本侵略马来亚和新加坡在1942年初。
战时间谍偷窃和存放秘密文件Boudewyn发现与欧亚食品承包商提供在新加坡的印度军营工作。虽然他在1943年交付，他会见了印度陆军从英国囚犯的战争和虐待Subhas钱德拉百色日本支持的印度国民军（INA），那些拒绝加入的INA学习。 Boudewyn敬佩那些一直忠于冠勇敢，想报复那些遭受了。
 他的新朋友告诉他，可以得到证明文件和两名男子同意一项计划，以收集这方面的证据。 Boudewyn职训局的上实龙岗路的总部出售他的产品，未来的战俘营。他每天接触（帐户上谁，这是不同的），购买蔬菜，再后来声称有些人烂，并返回他们从一名副官的办公室被盗的文件。
这些文件相关的通过不仅虐待战俘，但日本的计划入侵缅甸，印度，英国的殖民地之间的终极大奖。每天Boudewyn了深深鞠躬，日本哨兵，作为他离开营地，他的自行车的载体，在那里他保存的文件，是从来没有搜查。他直到1944年，当他所有相关文件，并存储在赞善里的一个朋友在网球场下方埋油桶。
最后房子被检由日本，转换成一个菜园网球场。战争结束后，这使得定位更加困难的鼓，他最终发现，虽然他照顾埋葬四英尺深，现在是唯一一个在地表以下脚。
传播战俘和公众之间的信息Boudewyn也重新加入根据日本警察和在办公室处理犯有间谍罪工作。他的任务是抓住公民的收音机，其中藏有被斩首的处罚，但保存为自己的两个。之一是存储在赞善里的房子和另 - 大胆 - 保持在他工作的乌节路派出所的洗衣篮。有了这些，他监测盟军广播和战俘的战争所带来的希望，这个消息传输，通过他的印度陆军接触和其他战俘营。
他还转录到纸张上，然后制作一个简单的“印钞机”使用的琼脂果冻的托盘的传单与碳铅笔这一信息。他边走边从他的家中工作，在圣Barnabas路西米粘贴贴有这些灯柱及候车亭，在那里他们广泛阅读，并提高公众的士气。果冻干前，他能够使每次约100张。有一次，他在车站提交他剩余的传单，声称已经发现了他们50元。他埋收音机后，一个朋友警告他说，日本是可疑，但他从来没有质疑或逮捕。
成果和以后的职业生涯日本发动入侵印度在1944年3月和4个月后，被击败。 Boudewyn窃取的信息显然已通过其他渠道转达给盟军。战争结束后，他希望其他文件将有助于确保职训局人员曾虐待战俘的处罚。文件交给陆军情报和发送到印度的询问，但Boudewyn的失望的情况下崩溃。
尽管如此，Boudewyn收到了一封感谢信，为他的行动由英国陆军情报。 1948年，他被授予立功的殖民地警察荣誉奖章，授予总督富兰克林Gimson学员会操传递。对于年后，他遭受了从他的战时经验而产生的恶梦。
战争结束后，Boudewyn恢复警务工作。在1948年和以后的副监狱长，他被晋升为总督察。他是流行在警队之间于1952年在英格兰的高级培训当然选择几个。在他的职业生涯中，他担任军需刑事调查部，负责Kandang Kerbau站，最近成立的民警卫队和护送组（针对富人的绑架和抢劫的浪潮处理）和公关人员司令人员。
1968年，他收到来自新加坡政府Pingat Bakti实达建筑（长期服务奖章），1970年左右退役。
家庭家长：先生和夫人F. M. Boudewyn老婆：特里萨米尔德里德席尔瓦，后来化妆品售货员（m.1946）儿童：一个女儿和儿子，彼得（SBC公司在20世纪80年代的广播业者）; 1992年7孙子。