F. G. L. Chester
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Francis George Leach "Gort" Chester DSO
, OBE (14 June 1899 - 18 August 1946) was a British soldier who led several Z Special Unit
operations in Borneo
during World War II
.
, South Africa
on 14 June 1899, the son of Arthur and Edith Florence Rose (née Murphy) Chester, both British. He was educated at Highfield School, Liphook
, Hampshire
, England, and then from May 1914-July 1916 at King's School, Canterbury, Kent. He graduated from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and during the First World War he served in King Edward's Horse
, a cavalry regiment of the British Army
, in 1917. He gained the nickname "Gort" due to his physical resemblance to the British Army Field Marshal
John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort
.
Chester was a rubber planter
in the West Coast area of North Borneo
for twenty years before the Japanese invasion of January 1942. He was in Australia when the Far Eastern war broke out; he rejoined the British Army
and was appointed second lieutenant on the General List on 1 May 1942, this commisison was eventually backdated to 21 June 1941. At some point he was attached to the Australian Army's Services Reconnaissance Department
(SRD) Z Special Unit
.
Chester commanded the first Z Special Unit operation in Borneo
during World War II: Operation Python I
. This operation took place in early October 1943, and reported on Japanese sea-traffic in the Sibutu Passage
and the Balabac Strait of the Sulu Sea
, just to the north of North Borneo. The unit landed on Labian Point in North Borneo, opposite the Tawi-Tawi islands. Chester also provided support for a band of Filipino guerrillas under the command of an American officer, Captain J. A. Hamner. Chester was in touch with the East Coast of North Borneo: "He made many visits to his friends ashore there. He maintained communication with them by means of submarine and radio, and helped form guerrilla bands on the east coast. His visits were not always secret and he often moved rapidly from place to place with the Japanese and a pack of spies in close pursuit." He heard of the plans for an uprising against the Japanese and advised that it be postponed until the Allied forces were in a position to advance into Borneo; his advice was not heeded and the Double Tenth rebellion of the night of 9/10 October 1943 in North Borneo under the leadership of Albert Kwok resulted in the deaths of many Japanese. Thousands more local people died in the reprisals that followed.
Following this operation, Australian authorities recommended that he should be awarded the Distinguished Service Order
(DSO), but after discussions between the Australian and British authorities, it was agreed that since there was no evidence that the unit had come under direct Japanese fire gallantry awards were inappropriate, so he would instead be appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Similarly the awards recommended for the other members of the unit were amended from the Military Cross
for Lieutenant Lloyd James Woods to appointment as Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and Military Medal
s for Warrant Officer II
Alexander Chew and Sergeant Frederick Gordon Olsen were amended to another MBE and the British Empire Medal
respectively. The awards were eventually gazetted
on 26 April 1945, dated 8 March 1945. Others connected with the mission were Mentioned in Despatches, all the awards were given minimal publicity as several of the recipients had relatives who were still interned by the Japanese or were prisoners of war.
Over a year later, in early March 1945, Chester (now holding temporary local rank as a lieutenant-colonel in the Australian Military Forces) commanded Agas I, which landed near Labuk Bay in North Borneo. He then went on to command Agas III which operated in the Jesselton-Keningau
-Beaufort
area of North Borneo. This operation incorporated Stallion IV, which aimed to obtain intelligence of enemy movements along the Jesselton-Beaufort part of the North Borneo Railway
, the Ranau
-Tambunan
-Keningau Road, and the hinterland of Kimanis Bay
. Chester was chosen for all these roles due to his intimate knowledge of the area of operation and his fluency in Malay. In addition, by the time of Agas III and Stallion IV, Chester had agents and known safe contacts in the region. Following these missions, he was again recommended for the DSO, this time successfully. The recommendation describes how, with three other officers and three NCOs, Chester was initially landed from a submarine on 3 March 1945, despite the Japanese land and sea patrols. On landing, they discovered a number of posters with a picture of Chester offering $15,000 reward for his capture—dead or alive—prompted by his earlier mission. This initial landing was between strongly held Japanese positions at Tegahang and Pura Pura, just 3 miles (4.8 km) apart. The natives in this area were hostile, so the party travelled 250 miles (402.3 km) by canoe before being able to head inland and start the main part of their mission to gather intelligence, raise a guerrilla force, and persuade the natives not to provide food and other supplies to the Japanese. On 25 May 1945, Chester was extracted by PBY Catalina
flying boat, so he could brief II Corps staff, he was re-inserted, again by Catalina, along with some additional personnel, on 29 May, to obtain further information for 9th Division. Finally, the recommendation states that at the time of the eventual Japanese surrender, forces under Chester's command controlled two-thirds of British North Borneo. His DSO was gazetted on 6 March 1947, dated 2 November 1946. He was also awarded the American Medal of Freedom.
Colonel J. Finlay of the SRD headquarters in Melbourne
wrote that Chester could "cut his way through close jungle quicker than almost any man alive", but that he had never known him walk more than 100 yards (91.4 m) in Melbourne without summoning a taxi.
At the end of the war Chester briefly went to Australia, and then returned to North Borneo, sailing on the Dominion Monarch on 18 October 1945. He resigned his commission on 30 March 1946 and was granted the honorary rank of lieutenant-colonel. He died of blackwater fever
(a complication of malaria
) at Jesselton (Kota Kinabalu) on 18 August 1946. His gravestone in Kota Kinabalu Anglican Cemetery bears the epitaph "A pioneer of victory in Borneo and a most lovable man." On 6 March 2007 Chester's grave was visited by Tan Sri Datuk Chong Kah Kiat
, the former 13th Chief Minister of Sabah, and at the time Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah and Minister of Tourism, Environment and Development.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, OBE (14 June 1899 - 18 August 1946) was a British soldier who led several Z Special Unit
Z Special Unit
Z Special Unit was a joint Allied special forces unit formed during the Second World War to operate behind Japanese lines in South East Asia...
operations in Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Life
Chester was born in JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
on 14 June 1899, the son of Arthur and Edith Florence Rose (née Murphy) Chester, both British. He was educated at Highfield School, Liphook
Liphook
Liphook is a large village in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 4.1 miles west of Haslemere, on the A3 road, and lies on the Hampshire/West Sussex border.Liphook has its own railway station, on the Portsmouth Direct Line....
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England, and then from May 1914-July 1916 at King's School, Canterbury, Kent. He graduated from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and during the First World War he served in King Edward's Horse
King Edward's Horse
King Edward's Horse was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1901, which saw service in the Boer War and the First World War.-Early history:...
, a cavalry regiment of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, in 1917. He gained the nickname "Gort" due to his physical resemblance to the British Army Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort
John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort
Field Marshal John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, VC, GCB, CBE, DSO & Two Bars, MVO, MC , was a British and Anglo-Irish soldier. As a young officer in World War I he won the Victoria Cross at the Battle of the Canal du Nord. During the 1930s he served as Chief of the...
.
Chester was a rubber planter
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
in the West Coast area of North Borneo
North Borneo
North Borneo was a British protectorate under the sovereign North Borneo Chartered Company from 1882 to 1946. After the war it became a crown colony of Great Britain from 1946 to 1963, known in this time as British North Borneo. It is located on the northeastern end of the island of Borneo. It is...
for twenty years before the Japanese invasion of January 1942. He was in Australia when the Far Eastern war broke out; he rejoined the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and was appointed second lieutenant on the General List on 1 May 1942, this commisison was eventually backdated to 21 June 1941. At some point he was attached to the Australian Army's Services Reconnaissance Department
Services Reconnaissance Department
The Services Reconnaissance Department , also known as Inter-Allied Services Department , Special Operations Australia and Section A, Allied Intelligence Bureau was an Australian military intelligence and special reconnaissance unit, during World War II.Authorised by General Thomas Blamey in March...
(SRD) Z Special Unit
Z Special Unit
Z Special Unit was a joint Allied special forces unit formed during the Second World War to operate behind Japanese lines in South East Asia...
.
Chester commanded the first Z Special Unit operation in Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
during World War II: Operation Python I
Operation Python (1943–1944)
Operation Python was carried out by the Allied commando unit Z Special Unit, during World War II. The objective of the mission was to set up a wireless station near Labian Point in North Borneo and undertake covert operations reporting on the sea lane of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Sibutu...
. This operation took place in early October 1943, and reported on Japanese sea-traffic in the Sibutu Passage
Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi
Sibutu is a municipality in the province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. It is the southernmost municipality of the Philippines. It lies about 14 kilometers east of the coast of Sabah, Malaysia....
and the Balabac Strait of the Sulu Sea
Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipelago. Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to the northeast.Sulu Sea contains a number of...
, just to the north of North Borneo. The unit landed on Labian Point in North Borneo, opposite the Tawi-Tawi islands. Chester also provided support for a band of Filipino guerrillas under the command of an American officer, Captain J. A. Hamner. Chester was in touch with the East Coast of North Borneo: "He made many visits to his friends ashore there. He maintained communication with them by means of submarine and radio, and helped form guerrilla bands on the east coast. His visits were not always secret and he often moved rapidly from place to place with the Japanese and a pack of spies in close pursuit." He heard of the plans for an uprising against the Japanese and advised that it be postponed until the Allied forces were in a position to advance into Borneo; his advice was not heeded and the Double Tenth rebellion of the night of 9/10 October 1943 in North Borneo under the leadership of Albert Kwok resulted in the deaths of many Japanese. Thousands more local people died in the reprisals that followed.
Following this operation, Australian authorities recommended that he should be awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(DSO), but after discussions between the Australian and British authorities, it was agreed that since there was no evidence that the unit had come under direct Japanese fire gallantry awards were inappropriate, so he would instead be appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Similarly the awards recommended for the other members of the unit were amended from the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
for Lieutenant Lloyd James Woods to appointment as Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
s for Warrant Officer II
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
Alexander Chew and Sergeant Frederick Gordon Olsen were amended to another MBE and the British Empire Medal
British Empire Medal
The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...
respectively. The awards were eventually gazetted
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
on 26 April 1945, dated 8 March 1945. Others connected with the mission were Mentioned in Despatches, all the awards were given minimal publicity as several of the recipients had relatives who were still interned by the Japanese or were prisoners of war.
Over a year later, in early March 1945, Chester (now holding temporary local rank as a lieutenant-colonel in the Australian Military Forces) commanded Agas I, which landed near Labuk Bay in North Borneo. He then went on to command Agas III which operated in the Jesselton-Keningau
Keningau
Keningau is a sprawling timber and agricultural town and district located in the Interior Division of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo...
-Beaufort
Beaufort, Sabah
Beaufort which was named after former British Governor L.P. Beaufort is a town and a district located in Interior Division of Sabah in east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. Its population was estimated to be around 61,698 in 2000...
area of North Borneo. This operation incorporated Stallion IV, which aimed to obtain intelligence of enemy movements along the Jesselton-Beaufort part of the North Borneo Railway
Sabah State Railway
Sabah State Railway is a railway system and operator in the state of Sabah in Malaysia. It is the currently the only rail transport system operating on the island of Borneo. The railway consists of a single 134 km line from Tanjung Aru, near Kota Kinabalu, to the town of Tenom, in the...
, the Ranau
Ranau
Ranau is a district as well as a town in the East Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo and it is situated in the West Coast Division of Sabah...
-Tambunan
Tambunan
Tambunan is a valley district located in the Interior Division of the state of Sabah. The district covers an area of 1,347 km2.. Its population was estimated to be around 27,852 in 2000, based on the 2000 Population and Housing Census conducted by the Department of Statistics, Malaysia....
-Keningau Road, and the hinterland of Kimanis Bay
Kimanis
Kimanis is a fully integrated township and also a parliamentary constituency in the West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. It is located approximately 45 kilometres south of the city of Kota Kinabalu. Kimanis used to be the base for the American company which obtained a lease over North Borneo...
. Chester was chosen for all these roles due to his intimate knowledge of the area of operation and his fluency in Malay. In addition, by the time of Agas III and Stallion IV, Chester had agents and known safe contacts in the region. Following these missions, he was again recommended for the DSO, this time successfully. The recommendation describes how, with three other officers and three NCOs, Chester was initially landed from a submarine on 3 March 1945, despite the Japanese land and sea patrols. On landing, they discovered a number of posters with a picture of Chester offering $15,000 reward for his capture—dead or alive—prompted by his earlier mission. This initial landing was between strongly held Japanese positions at Tegahang and Pura Pura, just 3 miles (4.8 km) apart. The natives in this area were hostile, so the party travelled 250 miles (402.3 km) by canoe before being able to head inland and start the main part of their mission to gather intelligence, raise a guerrilla force, and persuade the natives not to provide food and other supplies to the Japanese. On 25 May 1945, Chester was extracted by PBY Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
flying boat, so he could brief II Corps staff, he was re-inserted, again by Catalina, along with some additional personnel, on 29 May, to obtain further information for 9th Division. Finally, the recommendation states that at the time of the eventual Japanese surrender, forces under Chester's command controlled two-thirds of British North Borneo. His DSO was gazetted on 6 March 1947, dated 2 November 1946. He was also awarded the American Medal of Freedom.
Colonel J. Finlay of the SRD headquarters in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
wrote that Chester could "cut his way through close jungle quicker than almost any man alive", but that he had never known him walk more than 100 yards (91.4 m) in Melbourne without summoning a taxi.
At the end of the war Chester briefly went to Australia, and then returned to North Borneo, sailing on the Dominion Monarch on 18 October 1945. He resigned his commission on 30 March 1946 and was granted the honorary rank of lieutenant-colonel. He died of blackwater fever
Blackwater fever
Blackwater fever is a complication of malaria in which red blood cells burst in the bloodstream , releasing hemoglobin directly into the blood vessels and into the urine, frequently leading to kidney failure...
(a complication of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
) at Jesselton (Kota Kinabalu) on 18 August 1946. His gravestone in Kota Kinabalu Anglican Cemetery bears the epitaph "A pioneer of victory in Borneo and a most lovable man." On 6 March 2007 Chester's grave was visited by Tan Sri Datuk Chong Kah Kiat
Chong Kah Kiat
Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat was the 13th Chief Minister of Sabah, Malaysia. He is also the former president of the Liberal Democratic Party .-History in politics:...
, the former 13th Chief Minister of Sabah, and at the time Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah and Minister of Tourism, Environment and Development.