(For a picture of my uncle who has an uncanny resemblance to me please scroll to end of page.)
I felt compelled to do a memorial drawing for my uncle and
came upon this idea for it.
Because the POWS were in camp in Changi, I picked a coconut -leaf layout, ala attap-screen for my backdrop.
The flowers are made up of 3 tulips, a stem of orchids and 2 roses placed in a tin cup.
A white candle burns on the right side. A simple wooden cross with a poppy flower sits at its base.
The words at the base reads as: Qui Dominus, Rexus, Patriae (in Latin) which means For God, King,
Country……….
My uncle’s dog tag hangs on the cross and it reads: Singapore Volunteer Corps (S.V.C.), his name and company. He was from the
Eurasian Company. I’m just guessing that his how his tags would have read…
On the opposite side of his tags would be his date of birth, blood group and maybe also his religion.
This memorial would be a quick set or a make-shift one put
up by a close friend of his…….that is how I wanted to present my drawing. ..” A
memorial set up by his mates”
Very often I would pull out his photograph which shows him standing with a mate of his.
I always “see myself” in that picture. I even shaved off my moustache to better compare our appearance and there is no
mistake, an uncanny resemblance. Maybe because of this, I was so compelled to draw him something special.
I guess its also special for the rest of the Grosses’ wherever they are.
If only I could know more about this uncle of mine….I can only imagine his mannerisms,
behaviour and even the sound of his voice. At present, my best guess to hearing the sound of his voice will have to be close
to how my father Tommy Grosse sounded. Im guessing again that he was about 19-21 years of age in that
picture and around mid 20s when he died in the hands of the Japs as a POW.
One can only wonder ..”Did he have a sweetheart as he marched off to the front?”
Then again,the war front was
at our doorsteps during its worse moments and with that thought,”Did he and many others from his company ,did they
get to see their sweethearts before they were taken in by the Japs?”
Please direct all enquiries on this, and the previous image, to Mary Anne Schooling of
Perth, Australia.
Administrator's note: The lack of rank insignia,indicates that both men were privates; Jansen was later promoted second
lieutenant .
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