What was school life like during the Japanese occupation on Christmas Island from 1942-1945? Which language was banned at school? The newspaper article below, dating to 1946 and featuring the Island’s Headmaster/teacher, starts off this story. Interestingly, his idea of student punishment was quite enlightened for that time. Reading past the article, we learn that during the occupation, the children had to develop some habits under threat of a smack. Later, they needed to be rid of these habits! What were they? And, with a school left bare after the Japanese departure, what sort of supply list did the headmaster prepare? See some cover examples of the school books used at that time on the Island. Did the Headmaster/teacher stay?
No Santa Claus on Christmas Island
“Chinese and Malayan children on Christmas Island do not hang up their stockings or receive, a visit from Santa Claus,” said Chinese school teacher Chee Seng Kee.
Mr. Chee and his wife, who are on a holiday trip, reached Fremantle from Christmas Island in the S.S. Islander today. He said that religion was not taught in the schools, and while the few European children on the island received gifts, the Chinese and Malayan children did not. The Chinese, however, had New Year celebrations, which fell between the end of January and the first week in February, while the Malayans had ‘Hari Raya Puasa Day’ to mark the end of a fasting period.
Houses were decorated, friends visited and all the children dressed in new clothes and boots. Mr. Chee said that during the Japanese occupation English was banned in the schools, but he and the other Chinese teacher carried on with the Chinese and Malayan vernacular.
The present population of the Indian Ocean island was about 500, but there was a shortage of labour because the normal population was more than 1000. Corporal punishment was seldom meted out to the children because it was felt that such methods lowered the dignity of the teacher and made the children no better. Chinese were punished by the loss of privileges, or by being kept in detention classes. Education was not compulsory but was free.
The Daily News (Perth, WA ) 10 Dec 1946
Mr Chee had lived through the Japanese bombings and occupation of Christmas Island living to tell the tale. Newly married, he had arrived on Christmas Island with his wife, Khoo Paik Choo, on the 8th January 1941. He accompanied her back to Singapore in August of that year so she could live with his mother during the remainder of her pregnancy. Mr Chee then returned to the Island. On the 31st March 1942 the Japanese invaded Christmas Island.
Photo taken in Jan/Feb 1946 inside a European bungalow believed to be used as a school by the Japanese.The traditional Chinese characters on the board basically say “do not take the things that belong here or you will be sued/prosecuted.” The last sentence, which is the writing from the left (top to bottom), signs off as “Ka Si Ma notice to all”. “Ka Si Ma” is Christmas Island. Translated by Sook Yee Gan
National Archives of Australia NAA: R32, CIPC 10/33E
With the last few Japanese leaving Christmas Island on the 24th August 1945, the main party having left in June, Japanese education ceased. On the 18th October the H.M.S. Rother arrived at Flying Fish Cove. Major Van Der Gaast, in his re-occupation report dated 28th October 1945, mentioned Mr Chee and had this to say about the state of educational affairs:
The schoolmaster is to be congratulated on his work. The children, many of whom had not had any previous English schooling, sang “God Save the King” and ”Auld Lang Syne” better than one would expect. Very many of the children speak reasonable English and are well mannered.
Action taken
I instructed Mr Chee Seng Kee to aim at a 5 day week as far as schooling was concerned. Special attention is to be paid to rid the children of any Japanese instruction. There is still far too much deep bowing and heel clicking.
Re-occupation of Christmas Island Reports – National Archives of Australia NAA: MP 1774/1, 1129
Also in the reports, under a heading “Instructions regarding Christmas Island”, Major Van Der Gaast once again stated
The present arrangements [education] are to continue and all efforts must made to eradicate all traces of Japanese education”.
The Japanese indoctrination of children on Christmas Island appeared to be a major concern. The Major also recommended Mr Chee be given some Certificate of good service or merit for his excellent work. Mr Chee was also the Honorary Secretary (English) for the Christmas Island Vigilance Committee that took over the management of the Island when the Japanese left.
The deep bowing that Major Van Der Gaast observed amongst the children and how this came about is explained in the story of Tuang Kheng Meng (Ken) and Wan Kan Ho that features on Christmas Island Stories. Both men were small boys living on Christmas Island during the war. In that story:
Ken … remembers being disciplined for not bowing correctly – often accompanied by the phrase ‘bakayaro’, which means ‘stupid person’ in Japanese.
“If you bow not much or not too low, they would come and ‘bakayaro!’ and they give you a smack,” Ken says.
“We were just kids, what do we know? We don’t know anything.”
Both boys were also sent to the Japanese school that was set up in Flying Fish Cove, which was taught by young Japanese soldiers.
“As we are young, we just learn a, i, u, e, o and na, ni, nu, ne, no,” Ken says.
“Japanese is very simple one, same like English, you would learn words like dog or cat, very simple,” Wan adds.
After the last Japanese left, English school resumed a week later on the 1st September 1945. However, it was only open on alternate days as Mr Chee needed the time to find and grow his own food first.
On the 18th October 1945 Mr Chee, as headmaster of the Christmas Island English School, wrote a school report and submitted his shopping list for a school that was practically bare. This was also the day that additional food supplies arrived on the Island. With the burden of time for finding food removed, Mr Chee could once again resume a normal Monday to Friday school timetable. After a long period of danger and uncertainty, life was finally getting back to normal for the teacher and his students.
Covers of some of the books that Mr Chee ordered in the list above.
Footnote: After the war, Mr Chee returned to Singapore and some years later would be the inaugural Principal (1956-1959) for the newly started Rosyth School. According to a February 1965 article in the Straits Times, he was an Inspector of Schools and was newly appointed as adviser from the Ministry of Education to the Singapore Junior Safety First Council. In 1967 he was awarded a public administration bronze medal.
Explore Further
- Read more historic Christmas Island WW2 newspaper articles and stories.
- To discover WW2 and Japanese artefacts and other historical finds from Christmas Island, visit the Christmas Island Virtual Museum.