I was born in 1944, so I was just a baby during World War II. My auntie played a significant role in taking care of me during the war, so most of the family stories from that time came from her. At the time, my auntie was around 12 years old, and my mother was 24 years old. We were all born in the year of the Monkey, according to the Chinese Zodiac. Because they were all young ladies during the war, they had to make themselves ugly so the Japanese soldiers wouldn’t catch them. They used charcoal to darken their faces and wore clothes that hid their bodies.

Our family resided in the Bedok area, occupying the last of six terrace houses in that lane. It was an old, rent-controlled brick house, and the rent was very cheap, about $25 every month. The layout consisted of a sitting room and a bedroom, with the kitchen located directly below. Another five steps down from the kitchen led to a storeroom and a bathing area. If you wanted to use the toilet, you had to go outdoors to a squat toilet. We were so scared every time we had to use that toilet. 

Chinese fishermen hauling a fishing net near the shoreline

1938-1939

Courtesy from Roots.gov.sg (link)

My first grandfather had passed away, and my grandmother had remarried a fisherman. He would catch fish and sell them, bringing home whatever he couldn't sell. Bigger fishes like ikan parang (wolf herring) and snakefish sold well since the rich people bought them but smaller ones like sardines couldn’t be sold. Sometimes, the fishermen would give away the unsold or smaller fish to the poor.

My family ate soya sauce with their food, which consisted mostly of vegetables and tapioca which they planted on their own. It was very simple food. I remember eating one particular type of vegetable that often had worms in it. In addition, we also reared chickens.

My father was a merchant involved in importing and exporting goods. He travelled to various places, such as Sarawak, and returned with goods to sell in Singapore. He also brought young women from overseas to work as maids in Singapore. That’s how he met my mother in Kuching. Their age gap was significant, with my father being much older than my mother when they married.

Every time my father came back, my family would be so happy because he would bring back a lot of delicious things for us to eat. It was a brief respite from the hardships of the wartime years.