My Beloved Grandfather

“Waaa!” A distinctive sound of a baby wailing rang through the air. My grandfather was born. He was born on 3rd June 1924 in the province of Canton, China. My grandfather had seven sisters and he was the only son in the family.

My great grandfather passed away when my grandfather was about three years old. After the death of my great grandfather, my great grandmother decided to migrate to Singapore as it was very hard to get a job in China and she will have a hard time supporting the family. She brought along my grandfather and three of his sisters. Life was very hard and it was very difficult to find a job but my great grandmother prevailed and at last she managed to find a job.

My grandfather soon grew up to be a young man. In 1942, the Japanese attacked Singapore and took over Singapore. During the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese carried out Sook Ching. My grandfather was rounded up with other men to go to concentration camps. My grandfather was very lucky and he passed the screening.

During the war, my grandfather worked as a watchmaker. However, he was not a hardworking person and soon he quit his job. After the war, my grandfather decided to work as a detective in the CID. Detective work was very secretive and so my mother did not know what my grandfather did. My grandfather always had a gun with him. He placed it under his pillow. He did not load the gun so that nobody will get shot while playing with it. My grandfather had a uniform that had a very deep pocket so as to place his gun in.

My grandfather retired from service when he was 40. during my grandfather’s life, he was addicted to smoking. He made his choice to quit when my uncle, the first child, was born. My grandfather was a lovable man with an adventurous heart. He also had a great sense of humour. Every week when we visited him, he would tell us a joke and that would make our day.

I love my grandfather because he had an interesting life. He is a hero. He has gone a long way to support my family and he has built the foundation of the family so that our relationship will remain strong forever.

Sadly, my grandfather passed away on 12 December last year. He was 84 years old. He has passed the family tradition for the next generation to carry on.