Kinabalu Guerillas

Although several accounts have been written about the ill-prepared British defenses against the Japanese invasion of Malaya, less has been heard about the situation in North Borneo, now Sabah, where local officials were told not to offer any resistance at all. As a result, the Japanese takeover from 1st January 1942 onwards was accomplished with few casualties. However, resistance to the occupation soon grew. And one of them is the Double 10th Guerilla Group, led by Kuching-born Albert Kwok.

Albert Kwok, a Chinese, was born in Kuching, where his father was a dentist. He went to Shanghai for his education and escaped from there when the Japanese invaded the city. He travelled much in China, visiting Nanking, Hankow, Canton, and elsewhere. He studied Chinese medicine and joined the Chinese Red Cross. He was particularly successful in treating that prevalent and distressing complaint known as piles.