Dad was stationed in Shanghai and Hong Kong before the outbreak of WW2 and ended up in Singapore. Details are sketchy to say the least but this is his story and my 2025  journey to follow in his footsteps, following the route he took to Padang in West Sumatra where he embarked on the SS Tinombo to  safely reach Columbo and on to Bombay.

​P.H. Ward’s Escape from Singapore
 
I left Singapore (with an official authorisation to do so, signed by my Brigade Commander, Brigadier F.H. Fraser, D.S.O. Commander 2nd Malaya Infantry Brigade) on the R.A.S.C. motor launch “Cecilia”, on the evening of Saturday 14th February 1942, with Brigadier Paris, Lt. Col. Douglas, IEME, S/Condr H.W. Hollins R.A.S.C. and approximately 42 others.

On Sunday 15th February, apart from encountering some British male civilians (Government employees we ascertained, whose morale was at rock bottom) aiming for Sumatra as were we, and a Japanese recce plane which gave us the “once over” but didn’t return, we passed a quiet day.

Brigadier Paris and Lt. Col. Douglas both die following enemy action ex-Padang. During those last few days in Singapore I had been been confined (quite literally – no telephone calls or any contact with the outside world allowed) inside the YMCA in Orchard Road. I had the nostalgic pleasure of visiting the YMCA in June 1979 and found that it hadn’t changed very much structurally as far as I could make out.
 
Note: Dad visited us whilst we were living in Singapore and I could easily have accompanied him on a similar journey to re-trace his steps but Dad never really talked about this episode in his life.

On reaching the coast of Sumatra, we sailed up the Djambi River to the town of Djambi (now spelt Jambi) where the kind and most helpful Dutch authorities exchanged our (by now) unsuitable launch for a flat-bottomed river craft and also gave us a goodly supply of provisions, (by this time we’d consumed all our tinned “M and V” {Meat and Veg} from Singapore) from a local godown.

​We continued to Muaratebo where we had a route march and tonsorial “treatment” by the local barber. The journey continued by boat, motorcoach and railway to Padang by way of Sawah Lunto. The journey by coach through the Padang Highlands was hair-raising and memorable for the wrongest of reasons.”
 
Brigadier Fraser escaped aboard the Dutch ship Rooseboom, which was sunk off Sumatra. Although he survived the sinking along with about 80 other passengers in one lifeboat, he did not survive the shocking 28-day ordeal of drifting 100 miles. There were only five survivors.
 
Note: Dad was lucky to have been issued a berth on a much slower and smaller vessel which, fortunately, was less likely to have been a satisfactory target for a Japanese submarine. We'll never know why Dad wasn't allowed a berth on the SS Rooseboom with the Argyll and Southerland Highlanders with whom he'd left Singapore before their overland crossing of Sumatra. Dad suggested he was required to stay in Padang to assist with administration duties.

After a few days in Padang, where elements of the A.I.F. seemed to be well established under the command of Major-General Gordon Bennett, we left round about the evening of 26th  February (I’m guessing, really) on the SS Tinombo, a Dutch East Indies coastal freighter more commonly seen on the Timor, Celibes, New Guinea run – that sort of area.

​On board we were allotted ‘hold’ accommodation and a supply of rice (only) for the voyage. We later learned, though not confirmed, that the ship had already been en route from Padang to Bombay, when she had been sent back to Padang on the orders of General Wavell in order to collect up ‘remnants’ (which included Dad).

We arrived in Bombay, as far as I can remember, around 14th March, after a brief call heightened by excellent sandwiches from some British ladies at the Transit Camp Colaba, where we were kitted out completely as we had all left Singapore with only what we stood up in, plus rifle and ammunition, and looked after exceedingly well, the R.A.S.C. and R.A.O.C. went to Agra to the vacant (Akbar Barracks) from where subsequent postings took place.
 
I have a map of my route through Sumatra. On arrival in India, I was ‘requested’ by GHQ to send a full report as a ‘Far East Straggler’ (for such we were officially designated for pay purposes etc. – well they had to call us something!)
 
Note: Later, Dad told us that when he was about to leave Singapore he gave his Bible (or Book of Common Prayer) to a soldier who had to stay behind. This soldier was captured by the Japanese. After the war Dad was in a Dentist’s waiting room in Bristol. He read in a magazine there, about a soldier who was captured at Singapore who was trying to contact a soldier who had given him a Bible before he left Singapore.  Dad made contact with this ex-soldier & it was the man he had given the Bible to. This man said that the Bible had helped him get through his incarceration with the Japanese. Dad said that he could keep the Bible.
 
He also told us that he was on a train near Agra with a fellow soldier. They were both smoking their pipes. When dad left the train, he forgot his pipe. Years later he was travelling on a train in England when he noticed a man smoking a familiar looking pipe. He asked the man where he got the pipe from and was told that he found it on a train in India during the Second World War. It was Dad’s pipe!

I found the above publication a fascinating read and gave me a greater insight into my Dad's escape to freedom. There were three references to the boat Cecilia:

Page 96: Another vessel at sea that night was a medium-sized yacht, the Cecilia, with Brigadier Paris on board together with some of his Argylls.

Page 131: When the officers learnt that General Percival was considering the possibility of surrender they made plans to save as many of their men as possible. Those believed to have escaped on the Cecilia included: Brigadier Paris with more of his Argylls including Major Angus McDonald, Captain Michael Blackwood and Private Hardy.

Page 195: Cecilia - Described as a motor launch but may have been a yacht sailed on February 15th with 44 selected passengers on board including the names mentioned above. Most of her passengers subsequently joined the ill-fated Rooseboom and drowned after the torpedo attack four days later.

This account of the struggle for survival after the sinking of the Rooseboom was based on survivor and Argyll and Sutherland Highlander Walter Gibson's book, The Boat and taken from his obituary in the Times On Line (April 27th 2005):
 
“On the third night out from Padang a torpedo struck the Rooseboom, which very soon capsized and sank, taking most of her 500 passengers with her and leaving only one lifeboat seaworthy. This boat, designed to hold 28, was now occupied by 80 of the 135 who had survived the sinking. The remainder clung to lifelines and floating debris.
 
The senior surviving soldier, Brigadier Paris, took charge of discipline in the boat, while informing the survivors that the Dutch captain of the Rooseboom, who had also survived, was in overall command. The best of discipline was futile in the face of the privations that now ensued. Men and women went mad with thirst. Many threw themselves overboard rather than face further suffering.
 
In Gibson’s account, a gang of renegade soldiers positioned themselves in the bows and at night systematically pushed the weaker survivors overboard to make the meagre rations go further, until attacked by the others and flung overboard themselves. Brigadier Paris died, hallucinating before he fell into his final coma. The Dutch captain was killed by one of his own engineers.

The numbers of the living dwindled rapidly. By the time the lifeboat fetched up on Sipora, a coral island off Sumatra (a mere 100 miles from their starting point of Padang), only Gibson, a Chinese girl, Doris Lin, with whom he had developed a bond during those terrible weeks, and three Javanese remained. One of the latter drowned in the surf as they tried to get ashore. The remaining Javanese disappeared. After a period being tended by natives Gibson and Doris Lin were found by patrolling Japanese. He was returned to Padang as a POW. He later learned that she had been shot as a spy by the Japanese.
[Taken from Wikipedia]

Portable Hyperbaric Chambers are capsules constructed of lightweight but very durable materials which are airtight  with a zipped entrance for the person to gain entry to it. They are considered to be bulky and heavy and not always carried to higher altitudes.

I believe all treks and expedition operating to a Very High Altitude (defined as 3500m – 5800m) should carry a portable hyperbaric chamber. Beyond high base camps though, they will be classed as bulky and heavy so the base camp is where they would be located on more technical and higher expedition routes.

I once had to use a portable hyperbaric chamber for a person who was very ill with severe AMS at Gokyo Lakes (5000m) and thankful that I had access to this equipment. We had oxygen available but it was a limited supply and didn't last the night. It kept him comfortable until the daylight medevac flight to Kathmandu where he was diagnosed with HAPE.

At an altitude of 5000m, the simulated altitude inside the PAC when pressurised is approximately 3250m. The guidelines for a person suffering from altitude related illnesses are: STOP - REST - TREAT - DESCEND. Often it is impossible to make a safe night time descent with the casualty so the portable hyperbaric chamber allows the casualty to achieve the descent requirement whilst waiting for a daylight medevac flight.

The portable hyperbaric chamber is inflated with a foot pump resulting in an increase in barometric pressure within the chamber for simulated descent which is monitored by utilising an altimeter inside the chamber.

The process is labour intensive as the foot pump is used every 5 seconds for the chamber to remain correctly inflated. Outside of the chamber, the casualty must be continuously monitored by another team member through the access window.

Portable hyperbaric chambers have been proven to treat all forms of altitude illness. A casualty can be removed temporarily during the night if required but the positive effects of being inside the chamber do not last long once outside of the chamber.

​Descent is always the most important factor to consider.

The following advice applies to portable hyperbaric chambers:

1. The portable hyperbaric chamber needs to be on a tough groundsheet to protect it from stones and rough ground.
2. Insulation mats
3. Sleeping bag.
4. Pillow to keep the shopulders slightly raised.
5. Drinking water.
6. Urine bottle.
7. Vomit bag.
8. Altimeter to fit into the monitoring sleeve above the zip.
9. Walking poles can help those on the pump to maintain their balance.
10. Warm clothing.

1. REC High Altitude First Aid (4hrs)
2. REC Trekking First Aid (8hrs) which includes specific country briefing
3. REC L5 Travel & Expedition First Aid (16hrs)
4. RGS Off Site Safety Management (15hrs minimum)

​Contact Helen Menhinick at BRYN WALKING for further details or myself at [email protected] 
​Private courses are available on request.

This 16hr REC Advanced First Aid course was for 9 participants who were all highly qualified and very experienced outdoor professionals. Their primary role is to train new army recruits in a range of outdoor adventurous skills.
Bryn Walking advanced training courses have a maximum of 9 participants.
Alan Ward (International Mountain Leader) was the Course Tutor.
A two day course (16 hours). The Travel and Expedition First Aid course is designed to introduce a systematic way of advanced first aid for managing casualties in remote areas and at high altitude. Topic learning and practicals intermixed with scenarios of real situations. The course includes:

• Development of skills gained at emergency level: Primary & Secondary Surveys, Choking, CPR and AED

• In-depth review of emergency care topics and practical revision to demonstrate competence

• Advanced techniques • skills • development

• Review of special interest topics by the candidates

Course Content: The course is progressive by building on each session, introducing new outdoor scenarios to test all techniques for:

• Environment: hazards • cold • heat • chemicals • poisons • light • toxic substances

• Escort: vital signs • psychological • monitor • fluids • stretcher • splints • pain control

• Illness: chest pain • stroke • asthma • epilepsy • diabetes • poisons • hyperventilation • mental • hyponatraemia • sepsis

• Scenarios: triage • incident management • emergency plans • action cards

• Travel: dislocations • wound management • tropical diseases • gastric illnesses • altitude (incl. PAC)

The Assessment
This Travel & Expedition First Aid course is assessed in various ways including: REC L2 Individual Test Paper, Structured assessment of outdoor scenarios, a REC L5 Team Challenge Test Paper and continuous assement during the course.
Course feedback: The greatest strengths of this course - 

• Excellent equipment - Content supported by experience and stories
• Delivered at the right pace/manner to the audience
• Educational
• Nice stories - gave context to the subjects
• Applicable to my work
• Scenarios
• Great course with some great stories
• Context
• Practical application
• Theory was good
• Practice was good
• Lots of variety
• Interesting content around the info with case studies etc
• Well Delivered

1. Note from one candidate: "Be aware that self-harm scenarios can be very triggering - those with a self-harm history may not disclose this"
2. Note from another candidate: "Bit of whisky - only joking"​

Having delivered many First Aid courses for National Park Authority staff since 2002, it was a pleasure to offer this First Aid training yesterday by Bryn Walking. Alan Ward (International Mountain Leader) was the course tutor.

Core subjects delivered:

• Primary & Secondary Survey D*RS ABC DE
• Choking
• CPR
• AED

Bryn Walking's two instructors have delivered over 250 REC Outdoor First Aid (including EFAW & FAW) courses in addition to specialist courses such as:

• High Altitude First Aid Workshop (4hrs)
• Trekking First Aid (8hrs) with specific country destination awareness
• Travel & Expedition First Aid (16hrs) - previously classed as REC Level 5

​These courses have been delivered throughout the UK and in Nepal, Morocco and Indonesia.

Additionally, the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) Off Site Safety Management (OSSM) course is available - the next course is at the Cwmcarn visitor Centre on January 13th/14th.

Equipment used by Bryn Walking:

1. CPR training manikins: Laerdal QCPR manikins with feedback technology to help instructors improve both CPR training quality, classroom efficiency and learner engagement. The technology delivers instant feedback to candidates and produces a review of performance once candidates have completed 4 cycles of CPR on adult, child and baby manikins.
2. Choking equipment includes the Choking Charlie manikin, Actfast Choking Vests and the recently introduced LifeVac, a revolutionary anti-choking device. A recent Outdoor First Aid course to NHS staff impressed the participants when they all used the LifeVac anti-choking device.
3. AED units are the very effective Prestan AED UltraTrainer.
4. Realistic scenarios employ a wide range of training aids based on training experience since 2002. 

Rescue Emergency Care (REC) was established in 1986 and is one of the United Kingdom's Specialist First Aid Training organisations. A quality assurance scheme ensures quality First Aid training is delivered and Bryn Walking courses also comply with ISO9001:2015 Quality Management Systems to:

• Improve quality
• Manage processes
• Reduce costs
• Stay competetive