Always A Commando covers the life of my father-in-law, Clarence Tan.
Born in 1941, just prior to the Japanese occupation of Singapore, the book begins by journeying through his childhood experiences growing up in a rubber plantation on Kembangan Hill, through his early years at school, and touches upon many of his cultural memories, including those involving his Peranakan heritage. It then moves into his career as a professional soldier, which saw him deployed to the jungles of Malaya at the tail end of the Malayan Emergency, and then to Borneo during the Confrontation (Konfrontasi) between Malaysia and Indonesia. Following Singapore’s independence in 1965, he became one of the pioneers who established the Singapore Armed Forces. While he took on many roles in those early years, it is his work in starting the SAF Commando Formation, and becoming its first Commanding Officer for which he is most remembered.
I wrote this book as a story to my children about the life of their grandfather, whom they call Kong Kong (or 公公, which means “grandad” in Hokkien). The books genesis was a mix of a few things: my years of listening to his stories, my fascination with the history of Singapore, and the realisation that my children are growing up in a Singapore vastly different from the one he was born in.
His life makes for a captivating story, partly because (as it does for all of his generation) it touches upon many of the significant events in Singapore’s transition from a British colony to the thriving independent nation that it is today. Furthermore, it demonstrates how much the island nation has changed, geographically and politically, during just one generation.
With the above point in mind, one of the things that I put a lot of effort into in the writing of this book was to include, what is in a way, a running commentary of those aspects of Singapore history that related to Clarence’s life. For me it is important that readers, including my children, understand the background to the events that he was affected by or directly involved in – not just during his military career, but also during his childhood years. As such, while covering the interesting personal stories from his childhood and military years, the book also provides a concise history of the formative years of modern day Singapore.
In my mind, Always A Commando should be read by a variety of groups of peoples. First of all, young Singaporeans (and older ones too) – for you, it introduces a Singapore that is very different to today’s and will give you a taste of how your own grandparents may have lived. I also hope that many non-Singaporeans – whether expats, tourists, people passing through on business, travellers in transit at Changi, or people from overseas unfamiliar with South East Asia – for you, you will learn about the fascinating history of Singapore, this very modern world-class city, through the life of one of its pioneer citizens.
FInally, and perhaps most importantly, this is not a text book. I’ve made every effort to ensure that, while being factual and accurate, that it is very easy to read. Early feedback has suggested that I have met that target.
I hope you enjoy Always A Commando!