Sybil Kathigasu
Sybil Medan Kathigasu Japanese Imperial Army during the Japanese occupation of Malaya | |
---|---|
Notable work | No Dram of Mercy |
Spouse |
Abdon Clement Kathigasu
(m. 1919–1948) |
Children | 3 |
Awards | George Medal (1948) |
Sybil Medan Kathigasu GM (née Daly; 3 September 1899 - 12 June 1948) was a Malayan Eurasian nurse who supported the resistance during the Japanese occupation of Malaya. She is the only Malayan woman to ever be awarded with the George Medal for bravery.
Early life
Kathigasu was born to Joseph Daly, an Irish-
Marriage and family
While she was practising nursing and midwifery at the
Kathigasu's first child was a son born on 26 August 1919, but due to major problems at birth, died after only 19 hours. He was named Michael after Kathigasu's elder brother, who was born in Taiping on 12 November 1892 and later joined the British Army, and was killed in action on 10 July 1915 while taking part in the Gallipoli campaign.
The devastating blow of baby Michael's death led to Kathigasu's mother suggesting that a young boy, William Pillay, born 25 October 1918, who she had delivered and had remained staying with them at their Pudu house, should be adopted by Kathigasu and her husband. Then a daughter, Olga, was born to Kathigasu in Pekeliling, Kuala Lumpur, on 26 February 1921. The earlier sudden death of baby Michael made Olga a very special baby to Kathigasu, when she was born without problems. So when Kathigasu returned to Ipoh on 7 April 1921, it was not only with Olga, but also with William and her mother who had agreed to stay in Ipoh with the family. A second daughter, Dawn, was born in Ipoh on 21 September 1936.
Their children are:
- William Pillay (25 October 1918), adopted
- Michael Kathigasu (26 August 1919), died after only 19 hours of being born
- Olga Kathigasu (26 February 1921—6 September 2014)
- Dawn Kathigasu (21 September 1936), married William Bruce Spalding in London on 1 September 1956 and later had children.[1]
She and her husband, Dr. Kathigasu, operated a clinic at No. 141, Brewster Road (now Jalan Sultan Idris Shah) in
Freedom fighter
Residing at No. 74, Main Street in Papan, Kathigasu and her husband secretly kept
In July 1943, Kathigasu's husband was arrested. Kathigasu was arrested a month later. They were both subjected to cruel methods of torture from the
Despite being interrogated and tortured by the Japanese military police for two years, Kathigasu and her husband persisted in their efforts and were thrown into Batu Gajah jail in Feb 1945. Kathigasu's husband was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment while she received a life sentence.[2] After Malaya was liberated from the Japanese in August 1945, Kathigasu was flown to Britain for medical treatment. There, she began writing her memoirs.
Kathigasu received the George Medal for Gallantry several months before her death on 12 June 1948.
Death and memorial
Kathigasu died on 12 June 1948 aged 48 in Britain and her body was buried in
A road, Jalan Sybil Kathigasu, in Fair Park, Ipoh was named after Kathigasu after independence to commemorate her bravery. Today, the shop house at No. 74, Main Road, Papan, serves as a memorial to Kathigasu and her efforts.
Published works
- No Dram of Mercy (Neville Spearman, 1954; reprinted Oxford University Press, 1983 and Prometheus Enterprises, 2006) : This autobiography was completed in 1948. However, it was only published in 1954 by Neville Spearman in the United Kingdom and reprinted in 1983 by Oxford University Press. Publishers in Malaysia were not interested in publishing this autobiography until Prometheus Enterprises in 2006.[3]
- Faces of Courage: A Revealing Historical Appreciation of Colonial Malaya's Legendary Kathigasu Family by Norma Miraflor & Ian Ward (2006, ISBN 978-981-05-5141-4)
Legacy and in popular culture
- Kathigasu is played by Jacintha Abisheganaden in the TV drama series The Price of Peace.
- In 2010, a ten-part miniseries drama based on her life was produced by Malaysian satellite television company Astroand Red Communications titled Apa Dosaku? (Malay: What Is My Sin?). Kathigasu's role was played by model and actress Elaine Daly, who also happens to be her grandniece.
- In 2016, Google Malaysia commemorated her 117th birthday with a special Doodle; depicting her in her former Papan residence.[4]
References
- ^ "Welcome to IpohWorld.org Database Search Engine sponsored by iosc.net- Admin System". db.ipohworld.org. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Sybil Kathigasu". WW2DB. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ a b c "Why is Sybil Kathigasu's legacy in tatters?". Free Malaysia Today.
- ^ "Sybil Kathigasu's 117th birthday". Retrieved 2 September 2016.
Sources
- "Edith of Malaya". Time. 28 June 1948. Archived from the original on 20 June 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2008.
- Ho, Tak Ming (2000). Doctors Extraordinaire. Perak Academy. pp. 113–115. ISBN 983-40556-0-9. Retrieved 27 May 2008.
- Weekend journey takes bloggers through Perak’s history Archived 7 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine, The Star, 29 August 2009.