Adnan bin Saidi (
Jawi: ; 1915 – 14 February 1942) was a
Malayan military officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
of the
1st Infantry Brigade who fought the Japanese at the
Battle of Pasir Panjang in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. He is lauded as a national hero in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
for his actions during the battle. His name is also the namesake for the
Malaysian Infantry Fighting Vehicle (MIFV).
Personal life and family
Adnan was born of
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to:
* Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people
* Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center
* Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
descent in Sungai Ramal (present-day
Bandar Baru Bangi
Bandar Baru Bangi (literal translation: ''Bangi New Town'') is a township situated in Hulu Langat District, in southeastern Selangor, Malaysia.
It is named after the small town of Bangi situated further south. It is located between Kajang and P ...
), near
Kajang
Kajang is a town in Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Kajang, along with much of Hulu Langat District, is governed by the Kajang Municipal Council. Kajang town is located on the eastern banks of the Langat River. It is surrounded by ...
,
Selangor
Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...
,
Malaya. He was the eldest child in his family. His younger brothers, Ahmad and Amarullah, were also soldiers. Ahmad was
KIA
Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
after his ship, HMS ''Pelandok'', was sunk by the Japanese en route to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. Amarullah survived the war and now resides in Kajang, Selangor.
Adnan married Sophia Pakir (died 1949), an Islamic religious teacher. They had a daughter who died soon after birth, and two sons: Mokhtar, who lives in
Seremban
Seremban (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Soghomban'', ''Somban''; Jawi: ) is a city in the Seremban District and the capital of the state of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia. The city's administration is run by the Seremban City Council. Sere ...
, and Zainudin, who lives in
Johor
Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan ...
. Mokhtar recalled that his father "did not talk a lot", was "a strict man and believed in discipline", and was "always serious and fierce ... yet had a good heart. There seemed to be a 'light' illuminating his face."
Battle of Pasir Panjang
In 1942, Adnan led a 42-strong
platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...
from the
Malay Regiment
The Royal Malay Regiment ( ms, Rejimen Askar Melayu DiRaja; Jawi: ) is the premier unit of the Malaysian Army's two infantry regiments. At its largest, the Malay Regiment comprised 27 battalions. At present, three battalions are parachute train ...
to defend Singapore from the invading
Japanese Imperial Army
The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
. They fought at
Pasir Panjang Ridge in the Bukit Chandu area between 12 and 14 February. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Adnan refused to surrender and urged his men to fight to the end. They held off the Japanese for two days amid heavy enemy shelling from artillery and tanks, as well as chronic shortages of food, medical supplies and ammunition. On the last day of the battle, Adnan and his men were left with only a few
grenade
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...
s and had to fight the Japanese with their
bayonet
A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...
s in brutal
hand-to-hand combat
Hand-to-hand combat (sometimes abbreviated as HTH or H2H) is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of weapons.Huns ...
. Adnan was shot but continued fighting.
During the battle, Adnan identified Japanese soldiers who were attempting to infiltrate the Malay Regiment's base in disguise as "
Punjabi soldiers", who were marching four abreast (Japanese style) instead of three (British style).
[Lieutenant Adnan bin Saidi and The Malay Regiment]
Capture and death
Although it is widely agreed that Adnan was killed during the Battle of Pasir Panjang, however the exact details surrounding his death differed between accounts from both sides of the war. The actual circumstances of his death were never officially recorded.
The
Imperial Japanese Army
The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
's official account indicated that Adnan was executed and then hung upside down from a cherry tree after two days of stubborn resistance and refusal to surrender. Other accounts suggest that he might have been tied to the tree and repeatedly
bayonet
A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...
ed to death.
British accounts confirmed that his corpse was found hung upside down after the surrender and this has been repeated in a number of authoritative texts on the
Malayan Campaign
The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between ...
.
Legacy
Adnan is considered a national hero in Singapore and Malaysia due to his courageous and valiant actions at the
Battle of Pasir Panjang.
War memorial
A war memorial plaque honouring Adnan and the Malay Brigade was commissioned by
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean lawyer and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990, and Secretary-General o ...
, the first
Prime Minister of Singapore
The prime minister of Singapore is the head of government of the Republic of Singapore. The president appoints the prime minister, a Member of Parliament (MP) who in their opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of the majority of ...
, in 1995 at Vigilante Drive,
Kent Ridge Park
Kent Ridge Park is a 47-hectare public park located in Kent Ridge, Singapore, between the National University of Singapore and the Singapore Science Park. Due to its undisturbed habitat and abundant plant life, it is a popular venue for bi ...
, Singapore.
A colonial-era
bungalow
A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is either single-story or has a second story built into a sloping roof (usually with dormer windows), and may be surrounded by wide verandas.
The first house in England that was classified as a b ...
at Bukit Chandu was converted into
Reflections at Bukit Chandu
Reflections at Bukit Chandu is a World War II interpretive centre developed and managed by the National Archives of Singapore, located on Bukit Chandu (Malay for "Opium Hill") off Pasir Panjang Road in Singapore.
The centre was officially opene ...
, an interpretative centre about the Battle of Pasir Panjang.
The
Art in Transit programme of
Pasir Panjang MRT station, titled ''Lieutenant Adnan'', by
Ho Tzu Nyen
Ho Tzu Nyen (; born 1976) is a Singaporean contemporary artist and filmmaker whose works involve film, video, performance, and immersive multimedia installations. His work brings together fact and myth to mobilise different understandings of S ...
, features mock posters all around the station and lift shaft for a fictional movie about Adnan, who is portrayed by Singaporean actor
Aaron Aziz.
Portrayal in film
Adnan was portrayed by Malaysian actor
Hairie Othman in the 2000 film ''
Leftenan Adnan''.
He was also portrayed by an unknown Malay actor in the 2001 Singaporean television series ''
A War Diary''.
Aaron Aziz also portrayed Adnan in an episode of the 2004 historical series ''Life Story'' from
Mediacorp Channel 5
Channel 5 (Chinese: 五頻道) is a free-to-air, English-language television channel in Singapore. Owned by state broadcaster Mediacorp, it broadcasts general entertainment, news, and sports programming. The channel's logo is a big white number ...
, which also covers his personal life.
In May 2016, a Singaporean actor
Fadhlur Rahman also played as Adnan in ''
Heroes: Battle of Bukit Chandu'' aired by
Mediacorp Channel 5
Channel 5 (Chinese: 五頻道) is a free-to-air, English-language television channel in Singapore. Owned by state broadcaster Mediacorp, it broadcasts general entertainment, news, and sports programming. The channel's logo is a big white number ...
,
Channel 8,
Suria,
Vasantham and
Channel NewsAsia
CNA (stylised as cna), which is an acronym derived from its previous name, Channel NewsAsia, is a Singaporean multinational news channel owned by the country's national public broadcaster Mediacorp. It broadcasts free-to-air domestically in Sin ...
. In the episodes, there were interviews with Adnan's granddaughter Wan Sofia Zainuddin.
Singapore's Bicentennial 1819-2019
On 5 June 2019, on
Hari Raya Aidilfitri
, nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast
, observedby = Muslims
, type = Islamic
, longtype = Islamic
, significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan
, date ...
,
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Halimah Yacob
Halimah Yacob (Jawi script: ; born 23 August 1954) is a Singaporean politician and former lawyer who has been serving as the eighth president of Singapore since 2017. Prior to her presidency, she was the country's Speaker of the Parliament of S ...
launched commemorative notes featuring Lt. Adnan Saidi along with 7 others in a $20 commemorative notes marking Singapore's Bicentennial celebration, 1819-2019 edition.
References
External links
Adnan Saidi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saidi, Adnan
Singaporean people of World War II
British colonial army officers
Malaysian people of Minangkabau descent
Singaporean people of Minangkabau descent
1915 births
1942 deaths
Malaysian Muslims
Malaysian people of Malay descent
People from Selangor
Malaysian emigrants to Singapore
Singaporean people of Malay descent
British Malaya military personnel of World War II
British military personnel killed in World War II