Frank Cooper Sands was a Scoutmaster from Nottingham, England. He is recognized as a founder of Scouting in Singapore on 2 July 1910, when Sands established two Boy Scout troops for the children of the British colonists. From there, the movement spread to other parts of the Straits Settlements and what were to become the states of Malaysia. He became the Commissioner of the Scout Association Malaya Branch which comprised the British Crown Colonies. (Within British Scout leadership hierarchy, Sands position was equivalent to a County Commissioner. All the Malay States and Straits Settlements were Districts only.) Sands spent the next 40 years helping to create Scouting in the region, and is often called the "Father of Malayan Scouting". It is only after his retirement that the posts of Chief Commissioners for Malaya and Singapore were created by the Boy Scouts Association in London for E.M.F. Payne and Canon R.K.S. Adams respectively. Presently there is an award named after him called the Frank Cooper Sands Award which is given to the best Scouts in Singapore. There are three levels of award: Bronze, Silver and Gold. [1]
1910- Frank Cooper Sands arrived in Singapore in September 1910. [2]
1928 - 1947 - Frank Cooper Sands was Managing Director of Malaya Publishing House Limited(MPH), incorporated on 31 December 1927. The company was carrying on its business as ‘proprietors and publishers of and dealers in newspapers, journals, magazines, books and other literary works and undertakings. Frank Sands reopened the publishing house in 1945 after the Japanese occupation, which left most of the printing equipment removed or destroyed, and the building on Stamford Road badly deteriorated. [3]
He retired from active scouting in March 1948, after 40 years as a scout, 38 years in Malaya and 2 years in England. He is serving 23 years as Scout Commissioner for Malaya. [4]
Awards 1935 - He was awarded Jubilee Medal in 1935, 1937- Coronation medal in 1937 1940 - He was appointed as Justice of Peace or JP [5] 1948- awarded MBE, for public service as scout commissioner for Malaya [6]
The Federation of Malaya was a federation of what previously had been British Malaya, comprising eleven states that existed from 1 February 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957, and in 1963, Malaysia was formed when Malaya united with Singapore, North Borneo, and Sarawak.
The Federated Malay States was a federation of four protected states in the Malay Peninsula — Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang — established by the British government in 1895, which lasted until 1946, when they, together with two of the former Straits Settlements and the Unfederated Malay States, formed the Malayan Union. Two years later, the Union became the Federation of Malaya, which achieved independence in 1957, and finally Malaysia in 1963 with the inclusion of North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore.
Sultan Sir Ibrahim Al-Masyhur ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar Al-Khalil Ibrahim Shah was a Malaysian sultan and the 22nd Sultan of Johor and the 2nd Sultan of modern Johor. He was considered "fabulously wealthy."
Tan Chong Tee was a Chinese resistance fighter based in Singapore and Malaya during World War II. An accomplished badminton player before the war, he joined Force 136 around 1942 after Singapore fell to the Japanese. In 1944, while on a mission, Tan, along with Lim Bo Seng and other Force 136 members, was captured by the Japanese. He was subjected to torture during his captivity. After the war, he returned to playing badminton and later became a businessman.
Tun Sir Tan Cheng Lock KBE, SMN, DPMJ, JP was a Malaysian Peranakan businessman and a key public figure who devoted his life to fighting for the rights and the social welfare of the Chinese community in Malaya. Tan was also the founder and the first president of the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA), which advocated his cause for the Malayan Chinese population.
Sir Thomas Shenton Whitelegge Thomas was a British colonial administrator most notable for his role as Governor of the Straits Settlements in Singapore.
Sir Andrew Caldecott was a British colonial administrator.
Sir Husein Hasanally Abdoolcader Mama was a Dawoodi Bohra by faith and a barrister and politician by profession in Malaya born in Surat, Bombay Presidency, British India. His eldest son Tan Sri Eusoffe Abdoolcader was also a prominent figure in Malaya and was a judge at the Supreme Court of Malaysia.
Wong Peng Soon, was a Malayan/Singaporean badminton player who reigned as a top player in Malaya from the 1930s to the 1950s when it was a single nation. Noted for his smooth but powerful strokes and graceful footwork, he won the singles title seven times in Singapore and eight times in Malaya during this period, as well as being the top player in the All England, the Danish Open, the Indian and Philippines championships to name a few.
The Malayan dollar was the currency of the British colonies and protectorates in Malaya and Brunei until 1953. It was introduced in 1939, replacing the Straits dollar at par, with 1 dollar = two shillings four pence sterling.
This article lists important figures and events in the public affairs of British Malaya during the year 1946, together with births and deaths of prominent Malayans. Malaya remained under British Military Administration until the establishment of the Malayan Union on 1 April.
Lim Koon Teck was a barrister-at-law, industrialist and politician in the Malaya and Singapore. He was the first Asian in the Straits Settlements to be appointed to the Colonial Legal Service. He was a magistrate at Penang and Crown Counsel, Singapore. After resigning government service, he joined the Lee Rubber Company. He was interested in introducing new construction methods, like lightweight concrete, to bring down building costs and was interested in helping to solve Singapore's housing shortage. These directed his commercial and political activities.
Malaysia's armed forces, which encompasses three major branches, originate from the formation of local military forces in the first half of the 20th century, during British colonial rule of Malaya and Singapore prior to Malaya's independence in 1957. The branches have undergone several restructuring, but fundamentally includes the army, navy and air force.
Leong Sin Nam, alias Leong Sin, Leung Sin, Leong Sin Hee, was a Malaysian businessman. He migrated and settled in British Malaya in 1898. From humble beginnings, he worked hard to become a wealthy tin mine owner in Perak. He was a businessman, an active community leader and a philanthropist. He was a Chinese revolutionary with similar aspirations as Sun Yat-sen and a strong supporter of the Chinese war efforts during the Sino-Japanese war.
Joseph Choo Seng Quee, popularly known as Uncle Choo, was a Singaporean footballer and football coach. He was coach of the Indonesia, Malaya/Malaysia and Singapore national teams. He is widely recognised as one of Singapore's best football coaches.
Sir Han Hoe Lim was a Singaporean physician and politician.
Wilfred Lawson Blythe was a British colonial administrator who served as the second Colonial Secretary of Singapore from 30 June 1950 to 30 July 1953.
Sir Alexander Sym Small was a colonial administrator. He joined the Malayan Civil Service and was a cadet in January 1911 and served most of his Civil Service career in Federated Malay States (FMS) and Straits Settlements (SS). He retired as the Colonial Secretary of Straits Settlements in 1940.
Sydney Bacon Palmer was the first chairman of the Malaysian Estates Staff Provident Fund. He also held various roles in the Selangor Turf Club and the Rotary Club of Taiping, and was an advocate for the propagation of the use of natural rubber. He was also a member of the State Council of Perak, a Federal Councillor, president of the United Planting Association of Malaya and an unofficial member of the Malayan Union Advisory Council. He served on various Malayan committees and boards.