Misplaced Pages

#780219

32-613: Patrick Stanley Vaughan Heenan (29 July 1910 – 13 February 1942) was a captain in the British Indian Army who was supposedly convicted of treason , after spying for Japan during the Battle of Malaya of World War II. Heenan was executed by his wardens while in custody during the Battle of Singapore . With the defeat of the British imminent, Heenan had mocked the guards, saying he would soon be free, while they would be

64-561: A day boy , in a stream of students preparing for military careers. Although he was then 16 years old, at Cheltenham he was put in classes with pupils as young as 13. Accounts of his time at Sevenoaks and Cheltenham show Heenan to have been a poor student and – in the words of the Dictionary of National Biography — a "gloomy, resentful misfit disliked by other pupils". He nevertheless excelled at sports, especially boxing , due largely to his impressive physique. According to Elphick, Heenan

96-639: A British regiment, Heenan was not accepted by any Indian Army regiments. He had to do an additional six months with another British regiment before being accepted by the 16th Punjab Regiment . He reportedly performed well in a skirmish on the North-West Frontier , but was later transferred to the Indian Army Service Corps . According to Elphick, this was a device commonly used to get unsatisfactory officers away from prestigious frontline regiments. However, Heenan later returned to

128-681: A Sikh quoit, surmounted by a Tudor crown with a scroll below. The uniform was scarlet with white facings. Multan in the Punjab was chosen as the permanent station for the Training Battalion. The 2nd and 3rd Battalions were captured by the Japanese at Singapore . The 1st, 5th and 7th Battalions fought in Burma , and the 4th Battalion's fought in Africa and Italy. Lance Naik Sher Shah of

160-479: A company. The naval sense, an officer who commands a man-of-war , is somewhat earlier, from the 1550s, later extended in meaning to "master or commander of any kind of vessel". A captain in the period prior to the professionalization of the armed services of European nations subsequent to the French Revolution , during the early modern period , was a nobleman who purchased the right to head a company from

192-602: A few non-Commonwealth air forces use an air force-specific rank structure in which flight lieutenant is OF-2. A group captain is derived from the naval rank of captain. Canada is a unique exception. Due to the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, the air force rank titles are the same as those of the Canadian Army. However, like their Commonwealth counterparts, rank braids are pearl grey and increase in half strip increments. The decision

224-417: A mining engineer named George Charles Heenan (1855–1912). The older Heenan is described by some sources as an Irish republican , although he seems to have had a long association with New Zealand , including selection for regional representative cricket teams in the 1880s and 1890s. There is no conclusive evidence that George Heenan was Patrick's father, or that George and Anne ever married. However, Patrick

256-544: A radio, which was still warm. That was the last we saw of him. He was arrested." The Japanese air raids were assisted by radio transmissions made by Heenan. Among other espionage equipment, he reportedly had a morse code transmitter operated by an alphanumeric keyboard — similar to a Traeger Transceiver — which was disguised as a typewriter. Heenan was sent to Singapore, and was reportedly court-martialled in January 1942. He does not seem to have been formally sentenced, but

288-641: The 1st , 14th and 15th Punjab regiments to form the Punjab Regiment , an existing infantry regiment of the Pakistan Army. The 16th Punjab Regiment was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of the 30th , 31st , 33rd and 46th Punjabis , and 9th Bhopal Infantry . Except for the 46th Punjabis, who were raised in 1900, the rest were raised during the upheaval of the Indian Mutiny in 1857-59. The 30th and 31st Punjabis were raised in 1857, as

320-567: The naval rank of captain , or with the UK-influenced air force rank of group captain , both of which are equivalent to the army rank of colonel . The term ultimately goes back to Late Latin capitaneus meaning "head of [something]"; in Middle English adopted as capitayn in the 14th century, from Old French capitaine . The military rank of captain was in use from the 1560s, referring to an officer who commands

352-450: The 16th Punjabs, but to a different battalion. In 1938–39, Heenan took a six-month "long leave" (an Indian Army tradition) in Japan . During 1941, as fears of a Japanese invasion of Southeast Asia grew, Heenan's unit was sent to Malaya . He was transferred to an Indian Army Air Liaison Unit and was sent to Singapore for training. Following the completion of air liaison training, Heenan

SECTION 10

#1732780487781

384-770: The 22nd Regiment of Punjab Infantry and Van Cortlandt's Levy respectively. The 33rd Punjabis were also raised in 1857, as the Allahabad Levy, while the 9th Bhopal Infantry was raised in 1859, as the Bhopal Levy from the remnants of loyal elements of the Bhopal Contingent. The 30th and 31st Punjabis served in the Bhutan War of 1864-66 and all the battalions saw service on the North West Frontier of India. The 30th and 31st Punjabis along with

416-588: The 7th Battalion was awarded the Victoria Cross in Burma. During the war, the 16th Punjab Regiment suffered a total of 2744 casualties including 990 killed or died of wounds. On the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the 16th Punjab Regiment was allotted to Pakistan Army. At the time, the active battalions were 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th. Jats, Sikhs and Dogras were transferred to the Indian Army and

448-720: The 9th Bhopal took part in the Second Afghan War of 1878-80, while the 33rd Punjabis served in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of 1885-87. The 30th Punjabis served with distinction in the German East Africa , while their 2nd Battalion served in the Palestine Campaign . The regiment raised a total of three new battalions during the war. Another regiment that raised three battalions was the 9th Bhopal Infantry, who were dispatched to

480-537: The AIL unit with Heenan, said the Japanese aircraft always seemed to know the correct recognition codes, despite the fact that they were changed every 24 hours. By 10 December, the Japanese had destroyed most of the Allied aircraft in northern Malaya. Heenan was caught during an air raid. "When we discovered he wasn't in the slit trenches with us we became suspicious," Tavender reported. "We went to his quarters and discovered

512-403: The U.S. Army, lawyers who are not already officers at captain rank or above enter as lieutenants during training, and are promoted to the rank of captain after completion of their training if they are in the active component, or after a certain amount of time, usually one year from their date of commission as a lieutenant, for the reserve components. The rank of captain should not be confused with

544-633: The duties of an officer. This was endorsed by the commander of Cheltenham College's OTC. In 1933, he was commissioned into the Supplementary Reserve. In 1935, Heenan was transferred to the British Indian Army, with the service number 547/AI. His parents' address at this time was recorded as Cheam , Surrey, England. He was put on the Indian Army's Unattached List, and was sent to India . After six months' training with

576-503: The early 1930s, Heenan applied for the Army Supplementary Reserve , the only way he could become an officer without formal qualifications. According to Elphick, had Heenan's illegitimacy been known, it would have prevented him becoming an officer. He was able to join the reserve by presenting his baptism certificate, along with a certificate signed by his school headmaster, stating that Heenan was capable of performing

608-622: The killing fields of France and Flanders in 1914. The regiment suffered heavy losses at the Battles of Neuve Chapelle , Festubert , Givenchy and the Second Ypres . In 1915, they arrived in Mesopotamia , where Sepoy Chatta Singh was awarded the Victoria Cross for exceptional valour. By the time they returned home, only fifteen men remained of those who had sailed for France in 1914. All war-raised battalions were disbanded after

640-559: The memorial, 15 February 1942, was reportedly a standard date assigned to all Commonwealth personnel officially listed as missing during the Battle of Singapore. Captain (OF-2) In some militaries, such as United States Army and Air Force and the British Army, captain is the entry-level rank for officer candidates possessing a professional degree, namely, most medical professionals (doctors, pharmacists, dentists) and lawyers. In

672-550: The monarch would sell his commission to another nobleman to command the company. Otherwise, the only pension for the captain was selling the right to another nobleman when he was ready to retire. Many air forces, such as the United States Air Force , use a rank structure and insignia similar to those of the army. However, the United Kingdom 's Royal Air Force , many other Commonwealth air forces and

SECTION 20

#1732780487781

704-476: The normal sentence for treason by British officers was death. Heenan remained in custody at Singapore for several weeks. The Japanese gradually drove the Allies out of Malaya, and on 8 February they attacked Singapore Island . Within days, it became clear that the battle was being won by the Japanese. In the words of journalist and author Lynette Silver (whose main source is Elphick): Elphick also says that Heenan

736-402: The previous holder of that right. He would in turn receive money from another nobleman to serve as his lieutenant . The funding to provide for the troops did not come from the monarch or their government; the captain responsible for feeding, housing, and provisioning their company. If he was unable to support the company, or was otherwise court-martialed, he would be dismissed (" cashiered "), and

768-516: The prisoners. In response, British military police shot him and dumped his body into the harbour. According to Heenan's biographer, Peter Elphick, these events were suppressed by British Commonwealth military censors . Heenan's mother, Anne Stanley (born 1882), was not married at the time of her son's birth at Reefton, New Zealand . His birth certificate recorded her maiden name as his surname, and did not include any information about his father. A year later, both mother and son moved to Burma with

800-593: The rate of aircraft destruction along a bit after the war began". Elphick also says that word of Heenan's actions spread quickly among British Commonwealth officers, which had a significant effect on morale. By 1998, the families of other personnel listed on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission World War II memorial at Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore were requesting the removal of Heenan's name. His date of death on

832-549: The regiment's new class composition was fixed as Punjabis and Pathans. In 1948, the 1st, 3rd and 4th Battalions fought in the war with India in Kashmir . In 1956, a major reorganization was undertaken in the Pakistan Army and larger infantry groups were created by amalgamating the existing infantry regiments. As a result, the 16th Punjab Regiment was amalgamated with the 1st, 14th and 15th Punjab Regiments to form one large Punjab Regiment. The four regimental centres were also merged and

864-419: The war. In 1921-22, a major reorganization was undertaken in the British Indian Army leading to the formation of large infantry groups of four to six battalions. Among these was the 16th Punjab Regiment . The line-up of battalions for Solah Punjab was: The class composition of the new regiment was Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Dogras. The new regimental badge consisted of a Maltese cross with a Muslim crescent and

896-592: Was baptised in Burma as a Roman Catholic , with the surname Heenan. George Heenan died at Pauk , Burma, in 1912. Patrick's mother then worked as a governess for a family named Carroll. In 1922, the Carrolls moved to England, and Anne Stanley went with them. Mrs Carroll died a few years later, and Bernard Carroll, who was an accountant, married Anne. From 1923 to 1926, Patrick was a boarder at Sevenoaks School in Kent , and in 1927 proceeded to Cheltenham College , as

928-727: Was shot at Keppel Harbour . Military historian Brian P. Farrell believes that Heenan could not have done decisive damage to the Allies but probably cost No. 62 Squadron some personnel and aircraft. Elphick suggests that the British Commonwealth air forces would have been defeated without Heenan's help; their aircraft in Malaya were inadequate compared to the Japanese and airfields in northern Malaya had been located in positions that were for all intents and purposes not capable of being defended. Elphick added that Heenan "must have passed on much helpful information pre-war and he pushed

960-702: Was stationed at Alor Setar , in Kedah , northern Malaya, in June 1941. It was in this area that most of the British Royal Air Force , Royal Australian Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force squadrons in Malaya were based. Japanese forces invaded Thailand and Malaya on 8 December. Sydney Tavender, chairman of the Cotswold branch of the Far East Prisoners of War , and who served in

992-508: Was taken not to restore the historic rank titles for the RCAF due to it being deemed 'too confusing'. 16th Punjab Regiment The 16th Punjab Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. Upon the Partition of India , it was transferred to the newly-raised Pakistan Army . It ceased to exist in this form in 1956 , when it was amalgamated with

Patrick Stanley Vaughan Heenan - Misplaced Pages Continue

1024-556: Was unpopular with other students at Cheltenham and was often in trouble with school authorities. Although he joined the Junior Division, Officers Training Corps (OTC) at Cheltenham, Heenan did not gain any formal qualifications; because of this, he was not able to be admitted to British Army officer training, when he left school at the age of 19. Heenan instead joined Steel Brothers , a trading company with interests in Asia . In

#780219