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The Chartered Company Monument ( ms, Tugu Syarikat Berkanun) is a monument in the town of Sandakan in Sabah, Malaysia dedicated to the British servicemen or employees who were killed at the end of the 19th century. The monument was built by the
To commemorate the death of a British explorer in March 1883, Frank Hatton who died during his expedition to Segama River, the North Borneo Chartered Company announced the establishment of a memorial briefly after his death. The plan was also probably because the body of Hattons cannot be sent home to
''North Borneo – Explorations and Adventures on the Equator''
Scribner & Welford, New York, 1886, pp. 334–335 By the will of the officials, three other names been placed on the stone. A
''"British Borneo – Sketches of Brunai, Sarawak, Labuan and North Borneo"''
Singapore, Government print department, 1891, p. 159
The monument has the shape of a
Old pictures of the government building show the Celtic cross prominently in front of the district office. Also on images from the estate of the American documentary filmmaker
''Down Memory Lane Sandakan''
Retrieved 21 November 2014
British North Borneo Company
The North Borneo Chartered Company (NBCC), also known as the British North Borneo Company (BNBC) was a British chartered company formed on 1 November 1881 to administer and exploit the resources of North Borneo (present-day Sabah in Malaysia) ...
and part of the Sandakan Heritage Trails, a trail
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. Th ...
which connects the historic sights of Sandakan.
History
To commemorate the death of a British explorer in March 1883, Frank Hatton who died during his expedition to Segama River, the North Borneo Chartered Company announced the establishment of a memorial briefly after his death. The plan was also probably because the body of Hattons cannot be sent home to England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Another early British pioneer and explorer, Franz Xavier Wittisheim already been commemorate in June 1882 at the Sibuco River after he gets killed during a strain with the Muruts.
Shortly before the completion of his book "North Borneo – Explorations and Adventures on the equator" in 1885, his father learned that the company's plans had changed:Joseph Hatton''North Borneo – Explorations and Adventures on the Equator''
Scribner & Welford, New York, 1886, pp. 334–335 By the will of the officials, three other names been placed on the stone. A
Celtic cross
The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...
was later added as a memorial to the deceased. William Hood Treacher
Sir William Hood Treacher (1 December 1849 – 3 May 1919) was a British colonial administrator in Borneo and the Straits Settlements. He founded the Anglo Chinese School in Klang on 10 March 1893.
Family
Treacher was the fourth son of Rev. ...
, the Governor of North Borneo noted in his 1891 memoirs: "A memorial cross has been erected in Sandakan for Witti, Hatton, de Fontaine and the officers and soldiers of the Sikh who lost their lives in the service of the Government".W. H. Treacher''"British Borneo – Sketches of Brunai, Sarawak, Labuan and North Borneo"''
Singapore, Government print department, 1891, p. 159
Inscription
The monument has the shape of a Celtic cross
The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...
on a four-stepped rectangular base. The front panels and the side plates bear inscriptions with the names of deceased official of the Chartered Company. Today, the front site has been renovated and the typeface was slightly modernised. The memorial inscription on the front reads:
The monument is located between 1885 to 1890.
During the renovation of the commemorative inscription, there is an error. The year "1883" mistakenly described for the assassination of Dr. Manson Fraser and Asa Sing Jemadhar rather than killed during a deadly attack in Kawang on 12 May 1885.
Site
Old pictures of the government building show the Celtic cross prominently in front of the district office. Also on images from the estate of the American documentary filmmaker Martin and Osa Johnson
Martin Elmer Johnson (October 9, 1884 – January 13, 1937) and Osa Helen Johnson (née Leighty, March 14, 1894 – January 7, 1953) were married United States, American adventurers and documentary filmmakers. In the first half of the 20th cent ...
, the monument is situated in front of the government building. Images from the 1960s show that the place had not changed since then. During the construction of the new municipal administration building, the monument was placed in storage. Its current location is in a prominent spot in the MPS Square, fronting the MPS (Sandakan Municipal Council
Sandakan Municipal Council ( ms, Majlis Perbandaran Sandakan, abbreviated MPS; zh, 山打根市政委员会) is the municipal council which administrates the city and municipalities area of Sandakan in the state of Sabah, Malaysia.
History
The ...
) and the Heritage Buildings as well as the Court House.Will Koh''Down Memory Lane Sandakan''
Retrieved 21 November 2014
References