Sybil Kathigasu
Encyclopedia
Sybil Kathigasu GM
(1899-1948) was a Eurasian
Malayan nurse who supported the resistance during the Japanese occupation of Malaya
. She is the only Malayan
woman to be ever awarded with the George Medal for bravery.
from 1926 until the Japanese invasion of Malaya
.
The family escaped to the nearby town of Papan days before Japanese forces occupied Ipoh
. The local Chinese community fondly remembered Dr. AC Kathigasu and gave him a Hakka nickname "You Loy-De".
radio sets and listened to BBC
broadcasts. The family quietly supplied medicines, medical services and information to the resistance forces until they were arrested in 1943.
Despite being interrogated and tortured by the Japanese military police, Sybil persisted in her efforts and was thrown in Batu Gajah
jail. After Malaya was liberated in August 1945, Kathigasu was flown to Britain
for medical treatment. There, she began writing her memoirs.
Sybil received the George Medal
for Gallantry several months before her death in June, 1948.
, Scotland
. Her body was later returned to Ipoh
and buried at the Roman Catholic cemetery beside St Michael's Church.
A road in the City of Ipoh
was named after Sybil Kathigasu after independence to commemorate her bravery. Today, the shop house at 74, Main Road, Papan, serves as a memorial to Sybil and her efforts.
George Medal
The George Medal is the second level civil decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.The GM was instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI. At this time, during the height of The Blitz, there was a strong desire to reward the many acts of civilian courage...
(1899-1948) was a Eurasian
Eurasian (mixed ancestry)
The word Eurasian refers to people of mixed Asian and European ancestry. It was originally coined in 19th-century British India to refer to Anglo-Indians of mixed British and Indian descent....
Malayan nurse who supported the resistance during the Japanese occupation of Malaya
Japanese occupation of Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak
Throughout much of World War II, British Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak were under Japanese occupation.The Japanese Empire commenced the Pacific War with the invasion of Kota Bahru in Kelantan on 8 December 1941 at 00:25, about 90 minutes before the Attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii at 07:48 on 7...
. She is the only Malayan
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
woman to be ever awarded with the George Medal for bravery.
Background
Sybil Daly was born to an Irish planter and an Indian mother. She was trained as a nurse and midwife and spoke Cantonese fluently. She and her husband, Dr. Abdon Clement Kathigasu, operated a clinic at No 141 Brewster Road (now Jalan Sultan Idris Shah) in IpohIpoh
Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway....
from 1926 until the Japanese invasion of Malaya
Japanese Invasion of Malaya
The Japanese Invasion of Malaya, or Battle of Kota Bharu, began just after midnight on 8 December 1941 before the attack on Pearl Harbor...
.
The family escaped to the nearby town of Papan days before Japanese forces occupied Ipoh
Ipoh
Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway....
. The local Chinese community fondly remembered Dr. AC Kathigasu and gave him a Hakka nickname "You Loy-De".
Freedom fighter
Residing at No. 74, Main Street in Papan, Kathigasu secretly kept shortwaveShortwave
Shortwave radio refers to the upper MF and all of the HF portion of the radio spectrum, between 1,800–30,000 kHz. Shortwave radio received its name because the wavelengths in this band are shorter than 200 m which marked the original upper limit of the medium frequency band first used...
radio sets and listened to BBC
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
broadcasts. The family quietly supplied medicines, medical services and information to the resistance forces until they were arrested in 1943.
Despite being interrogated and tortured by the Japanese military police, Sybil persisted in her efforts and was thrown in Batu Gajah
Batu Gajah
Batu Gajah is a town located in the state of Perak in Malaysia, about 24 km from Ipoh, the Perak state capital.-Origins and History:...
jail. After Malaya was liberated in August 1945, Kathigasu was flown to Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for medical treatment. There, she began writing her memoirs.
Sybil received the George Medal
George Medal
The George Medal is the second level civil decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.The GM was instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI. At this time, during the height of The Blitz, there was a strong desire to reward the many acts of civilian courage...
for Gallantry several months before her death in June, 1948.
Family
Sybil Daly and Dr. Abdon Clement Kathigasu MBE (1892-1972) married in 1919. The couple had two daughters and an adopted son:- William Pillay (b. 1918)
- Olga Kathigasu (b. 1921)
- Dawn Kathigasu (b. 1936)
Death and memorial
Sybil Kathigasu died on 4 June 1948 in Britain and her body was buried in LanarkLanark
Lanark is a small town in the central belt of Scotland. Its population of 8,253 makes it the 100th largest settlement in Scotland. The name is believed to come from the Cumbric Lanerc meaning "clear space, glade"....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Her body was later returned to Ipoh
Ipoh
Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway....
and buried at the Roman Catholic cemetery beside St Michael's Church.
A road in the City of Ipoh
Ipoh
Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway....
was named after Sybil Kathigasu after independence to commemorate her bravery. Today, the shop house at 74, Main Road, Papan, serves as a memorial to Sybil and her efforts.
Published works
- No Dram of Mercy (Neville Spearman, 1954; reprinted Oxford University Press, 1983 and Prometheus Enterprises, 2006)
- Faces of Courage: A Revealing Historical Appreciation of Colonial Malaya's Legendary Kathigasu Family by Norma Miraflor & Ian Ward (2006, ISBN 9789810551414)
In popular culture
- Sybil Kathigasu is played by Jacintha AbisheganadenJacintha AbisheganadenJacintha Abisheganaden , also known as Jacintha or Ja for short, is a Singaporean singer and actress.- Discography :Studio albums* 1998: Here's To Ben - A Vocal Tribute To Ben Webster...
in the TV drama series The Price of PeaceThe Price of PeaceThe Price of Peace is a Singaporean World War II period drama television series first run on TCS Eighth Frequency on 30 June 1997. Although the series was originally in Mandarin, an English dubbed version was also broadcast on TCS Fifth Frequency in 1999. The drama was rerun in 2007 on MediaCorp...
. - Recently,a drama based on her life completed its airing in Malaysia on AstroAstro (Malaysian satellite television)Astro is the brand name of the Malaysian direct broadcast satellite pay television service. It transmits digital satellite television and radio to households in Malaysia & Brunei...
satellite television as a 10-part miniseries entitled Apa Dosaku? (What Is My Sin?). The role of Sybil Kathigasu was played by Malaysian model and actress Elaine Daly, who also happens to be Sybil's grand-niece.