15
Johore February 1950
In late February a shocking event brought the horrors of the Emergency closer to Howard and the people of the district.
Sergeant Jamil Bin Mohammed Shah, the local police chief for the Bukit Kepong area, was a key figure in the planning and management of the response to the communist insurgents. As well as attending the daily Emergency briefings of the regional defence council, known widely as Morning Prayers, the sergeant often met the planters informally in a small local bar, to keep them up to date on security measures. As a Muslim, he didn’t join them in their ritual beer consumption but frequently stayed for a game of cards.
Ever since Sergeant Shah had been treated with contempt by Lieutenant Ellis on the evening Howard had first met the police officer, Ho
