Atkinson Clock Tower is the oldest man-made structure in Kota Kinabalu City (KK), capital of Sabah, Malaysia. On 20 April 1905, everyone in Jesselton town (now KK) started to hear this new ivory-color tower chimed every hour. After 115 years, it would have rang over 1 millions times if it never stops. Nowadays Atkinson Clock Tower is the most popular landmark of KK and highly valued for its good representation of British Colonial architecture design.
Picture of Atkinson Clock Tower in 1915. The building is the HQ of North Borneo Railway (no longer there today). Photo courtesy of Sabah State Archives
KK is blessed to have Atkinson Clock Tower. However, it exists due to a sad incident. It was built to commemorate a British, Francis George Atkinson, the first District Officer of Jesselton township, who passed away on this day (6 December) in 1902 because of malaria. Under the support of British government, his friends, colleagues, and mother (Mary Edith Atkinson) raised fund to “erect a handsome Clock Tower as a local Memorial”.
The street opposite Atkinson Clock Tower is Gaya Street, the oldest street of KK
Why choose clock tower as a memorial? Probably it is meant to tell everyone to move on, and the ticking will go on like the heart beat of Atkinson. Symbolically this district officer hasn’t retired and still serving us until today. He has been with us to witness Jesselton bombarded in World War 2, announcement of Malaysia formation in 1963, and the growth of KK from a small village to a bustling city. This 48-foot clock tower was also a beacon to guide the ships to KK harbour. Now Atkinson becomes a “tourism ambassador”, as his clock tower is a main attraction of KK city tour.
The old and new look of Atkinson Clock Tower (1930 vs 1959)
If we visit historical cities such as Rome and Venice, we would be blown away by their classical architecture and nostalgia ambience, as if we enter another time space. Without any trace of bygone era, KK City would be just another featureless concrete jungle without soul. Though there are a lot of far older building in the world, none of them can replace Atkinson Tower, which is timeless and unique.
The wind vane that points to four directions: Utara (North), Selatan (South), Timur (East), and Barat (West)
10 Interesting Facts about Atkinson Clock Tower
Atkinson Clock Tower is one of the 3 pre-war building left in KK (others are Old Pos Office and Welfare Building), all are British colonial structures. Sabah State Museum gazetted it as a cultural heritage site in 1998.
Its clock is operated on dial, cog and pendulum, and needs to be wound up every 6 days by a watchsmith to keep it running. Yick Ming Watch Dealer in Sinsuran has been doing this since 1946.
The chimes come from a big brass bell, which is oxidized but can sound really loud after polished.
Atkinson Clock Tower was illuminated at night to act as a light beacon for ships to enter Jesselton port in the early 1900s.
The brass bell of Atkinson Clock Tower. Photo by Rungitom
You can find picture of Atkinson Clock Tower in four stamps of North Borneo (now Sabah) and Malaysia. (issued in 1918, 1950, 1954, and 2007)
The tower was first built using Mirabau (Merbau) wood and it’s a non-nails structure, then it was replaced by Salangan Batu wood in the 1960s.
After major renovation and repair in 1959, for celebration of Jesselton’s Diamond Jubilee (60th anniversary of establishment of KK in 1899), Atkinson Clock Tower got a new look.
The old documentary reported the cause of Atkinson’s death as “Borneo Fever”. Actually it is Malaria, a disease spread by mosquito and responsible for over 400,000 deaths globally every year.
The little garden with flowers and ornamental plant around the tower is called Ann’s Garden or Inner Wheel Club Garden. It is open in 1961 by Inner Wheel Club of Kota Kinabalu (IWCKK). They also painted rose mural on the stone steps leading to the clock tower.
Picture of Atkinson Clock Tower on the stamps of North Borneo and Malaysia
About Francis George Atkinson
Francis George Atkinson was born on 15 September 1875 and was appointed as the first District Officer of Jesselton in January 1901. He was popular among the government people and was fondly known as “West Coast Atky”. Only 16 months in office, he was infected by malaria, and the fever attack caused a heart failure that took his life on 6 December 1902. He was buried in Labuan.
Atkinson Clock Tower was lit up at night as a navigation guide for ships in early 1900
“By the death of Mr. Atkinson the Government is robbed of one of its best officials and each member of the service loses a friend and companion; for everyone knew “West Coast Atky” and all loved him. Amongst the Juniors of the service – and, like those whom the gods love, he died young, – Mr. Atkinson was regarded with a species of hero worship, as the mainliest of them all, and his fine physique and handsome presence were their pride and admiration. It is no mere assertion to say he had no enemies, and it is equally true that he was the most popular official in the service. Like most physically strong men his good temper and generosity of heart were proverbial and many a time has his heavy hand been stayed by dint of those good qualities from punishing the evil-doer.”
Left: North Borneo Railway HQ destroyed by bomb, Right: Jesselton town after bombing in World War II. Both photos taken on 6 Oct 1945. You can see the damaged Atkinson Clock Tower in the background. Photo courtesy of Australian War Memorial
From the description, you can tell that Atkinson is a friendly, sociable and good-looking young man. He setup the sanitary system to take care of the rubbish and cleanliness of Jesselton, and allocated lands to the natives to build their temple, mosque and church. It’s so devastating that this nice and unmarried young guy died at age of 28. His mother Mary Edith Atkinson gave a two-faced clock to Jesselton town as a tribute to the memory of her son, then they decided to build a clock tower memorial as a remembrance.
Photo of Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu) in 1930s. Note the clock tower at far left. Photo of David Ho
“We only have one life and one body to care of, and we better do it right. You never know what tomorrow may bring and so we better live this life the best we can and be grateful for everything we have.” — Novak Djokovic
Atkinson Clock Tower is located on a knoll next to KK Police Station
Atkinson Clock Tower is located in KK city centre, about 3 minutes walk from the Gaya Street. Its GPS location is 5.98216, 116.07730 (View Location Map).
Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo
Many wish to be Mulan, who kicks the butt of enemies and bring honour to her family. However, the reality is, most people went to war didn’t end well. That’s why Chinese says, “the making of a hero is built on thousands of skulls”. Even Sun Tzu, a military tactician who wrote The Art of War, thinks the best strategy is to defeat the enemy without a battle. In short, war is miserable, the Second World War is the worst and we must not forget that.
Roll of Honour in memorials
Lest We Forget (Meaning: It should not be forgotten)
Sabah is devastated by WWII too. About 16 percent (estimated) of the population of Sabah was killed during three years of Japanese occupation. Therefore, to prevent the repeat of history, a memorial is a visual reminder of the painful lesson and to commemorate those who fought for peace. Every monument is a storyteller, whispering the event happened at its place.
Hat / Helmet of Japanese (left) and Australian (right) soldiers in the Second World War
Sandakan Death Marches
Most WWII memorials in Sabah are centred around Death Marches, the most infamous wartime tragedy in Sabah. After North Borneo (now Sabah) fell to the Japanese Imperial Army in early 1942, over 2,400 Australian and British soldiers were imprisoned in Prison of War (POW) camp in Sandakan. They were forced to do labor work but treated violently and not given enough food. By September 1944, each man received only 5 to 7 ounces of rice per day!
POW route of Sandakan Death Marches
Between January and June 1945, fearing the approaching of Allies invasion, the Japanese army made 750 British and 1,650 Australians POW to walk 250 Kilometres from Sandakan to Ranau on foot, in three groups. Majority were in bad shape but had to carry the supplies and ammunition to trek through the hills and jungles. The enemy beat or kill those who fell behind or tried to escape. Only six Australian POW survived Death Marches by the end of war because they escaped and rescued by the locals. You can check out the website of Lynette Ramsay Silver, an Australian historian, for more reading.
List of World War II Memorials in Sabah
The following is a list of the Second World War memorials in Sabah. Most of them are built at the actual site where the events took place. Some memorials have become the popular landmarks in local.
Open in 1999, Sandakan Memorial Park is built on the former ground of the Sandakan WW2 POW camp, which imprisoned about 2,500 British and Australians by 1943 (some were from Singapore and Java). In 1945, Death Marches started in this camp. By the time the POW reached Ranau, most of them already died on the way. This memorial park is well-managed and has a gallery on the Death Marches, wartime relics and a scale model of the original Camp.
Memorial service for WWII is held in Sandakan Memorial Park on 15 August every year.
Sandakan Memorial Park is the No.1 war memorial of Sabah to visit. Memorial services are held annually in this park on 25 April and 15 August for Anzac Day (an acronym for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) and Sandakan Day (same day as Victory over Japan Day) respectively.
Monument, wartime relics (excavator) and Death Marches gallery in Sandakan Memorial Park
As the end point of the Death Marches, Kundasang War Memorial is dedicated to the British and Australian soldiers who perished in the Sandakan POW camp and their Death Marches from Sandakan to Ranau. I think Kundasang War Memorial is the most beautiful war memorial park of Sabah. It looks like a castle on a knoll.
Kundasang War Memorial is the ending point of 250-Kilometre Death Marches (from Sandakan to Ranau)
This 60-year-old memorial has four gardens, namely, The Australian Garden, English Rose Garden, Borneo Garden and the Contemplation Garden. There is information booth to learn more about the Death Marches and stories about it.
English Rose Garden (left) and Australian Garden (right) in Kundasang War Memorial
The Last POW Camp Memorial is the final station of the Death Marches. In June 1945, 189 men who survived the Death Marches were kept in this camp near Liwagu Valley. However, they all died later, except four who escaped.
The 1,047 stones on the ground are from the Liwagu River near the camp, each represents a POW. The four rocks on top of the monument represent the four survivors (who escaped).
The monument is a stele of concrete on a large concrete surface that embedded with 1,047 river stones, each symbolise individual prisoner of war who died before or after they reached this site.
Japanese bayonet used in the Second World War. It is a symbol of brutality.
Keningau War Memorial is also known as Cho Huan Lai Memorial, which is erected on the spot where five civilians who were executed on 6th July 1945. They were Mr. Cho Huan Lai (Chinese Name: 卓还来), Council for Republic of China; Dr. V. A. Stookes, a medical practitioner, Sandakan; Mr. C. D. Le Gros Clark, Chief Secretary, Government of Sarawak; Mr. W. H. Webber, a Civil Engineer from Manila; Mr. D. Macdonald, a Planter from Kuching, Sarawak.
Keningau War Memorial with inscription that reads “秉忠蹈義 卓領事暨同難四人紀念碑” (Monument to Cho, Consul, and his four colleagues)
Cho is a respectable man admired by the local Chinese. Japanese kept trying to convince Cho to work with them, so they can control the Chinese community. Cho refused. He had the chance to flee when he was detained by the Japanese. However, he worried that the local Chinese would be punished for that, so he chose to stay and was executed with his British and American colleagues near the former airfield of Keningau. On 31 July every year the locals would gather here to pay tribute. You can read more about the story of Cho in this article (in Chinese).
5. Petagas War Memorial Garden
Location: Kota Kinabalu (GPS: 5.921095, 116.053994, View Map)
This is one of the most heroic uprising of Sabahans fought against Japanese occupying forces. Led by Albert Kwok, 324 members of the Kinabalu Guerillas, most were machete-armed men, launched Double Tenth Revolt on 9th October 1943. The surprise attack killed dozens of Japanese and the guerillas gained control of Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu) and Tuaran for 2 days. However, they were rounded up by the Japanese reinforcement later and massacred on 21 January 1944.
Front of Petagas Memorial Garden with signage in Malay, Chinese and English languages
The park is now a nice memorial garden built exactly on the site where they were machine-gun down and beheaded. In the centre of the park is a 7-foot marble memorial stone bearing an epitaph for the Kinabalu Guerillas and a plaque listing the names of the fallen heroes, which consists of Chinese and various ethnic groups. Memorial services and wreath laying ceremony are carried out here on 21 January every year. Read more Double Tenth Revolt…
Petagas War Memorial Garden. The enclosed grass area is where the members of Kinabalu Guerillas killed and buried. The metal plates on four sides of the monument are information about the massacre and its background (in Malay, Chinese and English languages), and an epitaph with roll of honour.
In June 1945, Australian forces landed in Sabah and proceeded to attack Japanese troops in Beaufort town, a strategic base for liberation campaign. On 27 June, Australian 2/32nd and 2/43rd Battalion began their assault and faced strong resistance from Japanese on a forested slope.
Starcevich VC Memorial in Beaufort town
Seeing his comrades pinned down by heavy machine gun fire, Tom Starcevich charged forward and eliminated four enemy posts almost single-handedly. For his bravery, Starcevich was awarded the Victoria Cross medal (the highest honour in Australian military). The citizens of Beaufort erected a monument at the battle site as a gratitude to the Australian warriors. Read more abouthis story…
Because of his courage in Beaufort battle, Tom Starcevich was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for Australian forces that time.
During WW2, Japanese viewed Malaysian Chinese as a thorn in the flesh because they funded China in war against Japanese invasion. After they took over Sabah, they kept an eye on Chinese and found out 30 Chinese meeting US soldiers after a raid on 27 May 1945.
Sandakan Massacre Memorial. Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas (source)
On the same day, they arrested and executed these Chinese, most of them are local elite of an underground movement. One of them is Khoo Kim Cheng, a Chinese community leader in Sandakan. The Sandakan Massacre Memorial was built on the spot where the massacre took place.
The Sandakan War Monument is established by the British and located in Sandakan town (near Sandakan Heritage Museum), to commemorate the citizens who lost their lives during the Second World War. Now it’s one of the historical points of the Sandakan Heritage Trails.
Sandakan War Monuments in old (left) and new (right) locations
The English inscription on the monument reads: “This Site Is Set Apart For A Memorial In Honour Of Those Citizens Of This Town Who By Reason Of Their Loyalty Lost Their Lives During The Japanese Occupation 19th Jan. 1942 – 17th Oct. 1945”.
Quailey’s Hill Memorial is built for remembrance of an Australian POW, Allan Quailey who was killed by the Japanese guards on 16 February 1945 during the first Sandakan Death Marches because he was unable to walk anymore. He was one of the 2,428 Australian and British POW who died at Sandakan, Ranau or Death Marches.
Quailey’s Hill Memorial inside Sabah Tea Garden
In 2005, Lynette Silver identified the spot inside Sabah Tea Garden, where he spent his last moment of life. On 14 July 2007, the monument was inaugurated there.
Allan Quailey Clarence was buried as an unknown soldier until his identity is recovered in 1999.
10. North Borneo War Monument
Location: Kota Kinabalu (GPS: 5.981641, 116.074699, View Map)
The North Borneo War Monument was erected on 8 May 1923 during British colony, making it the oldest war monument in Sabah. It was a memorial to mourn the fallen British soldiers during the First World War, then extended to include the Australian soldiers in World War II, and later also the Malaysian armed force sacrificed in the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation between 1963 and 1966.
A cannon base was placed about 3 metres from the obelisk, but replaced by plaque (It used to be a cannon model).
This 3-in-1 obelisk monument is located in city centre of Kota Kinabalu, in front of KK City Council (DBKK) building.
A bamboo replica of North Borneo War Monument shows its original design and location in Gaya Street. The monument is moved to Tugu Street about 100 Metres away.
This memorial is built on the actual spot where an Australian POW, Albert Neil Cleary passed away. Neil Cleary ran away from Ranau camp and was recaptured. The Japanese guards chained him to a post and tortured him for 11 days without any food or water. He finally died at age 22 on 20 March 1945, after such a long, painful and slow suffering. Gunner Cleary Memorial is adjacent to the Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) church near to Ranau town.
Everyone, even the enemies, has a family waiting for their return. Nobody wants war, only extremists glorify wars and love to create conflicts. The past generations had paid for our peace and freedom with their tears and lives. After a visit to a memorial, I would not complain about my life.
