Pillbox losing ground to sea erosion

A losing battle: Historians looking at the state of disrepair of one of the pillboxes at Permatang Damar Laut in Bayan Lepas. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star

GEORGE TOWN: With each wave that pounds against the coast of Permatang Damar Laut, the clock is ticking on the last standing World War II pillbox in the area.

Erosion is slowly taking its toll on the structure on the beach.

Standing slightly over two storeys high, the concrete defence structure has two main chambers at the lower level with openings facing the sea, while small square holes above provide ventilation.

The upper level is a lookout point, with an attachment for weapons, which stands between both chambers. It is accessible by a narrow ladder made out of iron rods.

Local historian Clement Liang, 60, said the pillbox was built by the British in the 1940s during World War II, possibly to defend against Japanese forces from the south.

“It was obviously built by the British as the edges and door frames are covered with iron to reinforce the structure. The Japanese army did not build pillboxes.

“The government should inventory and number all of the pillboxes on the island, as well as provide signage explaining each structure so that visitors can learn about them,” he said.

There are reportedly 13 pillboxes on the island and one on the mainland.

“These are historical monuments from the war and evidence that tells the story of the early days of our country.

“Preserving them would not only be for history but could also be good for tourism,” he said yesterday.

Local villager Jamilah Mohd Yusuf, 70, who has lived near the pillbox for 36 years, said erosion has brought the structure closer to water.

“Years ago, the beach was twice as wide and the pillbox sat upright as a tall, magnificent structure.

“Fishermen here regarded it as a landmark and climbed onto it as a lookout point.

“However, in recent years, the structure has started to lean over and parts of it are submerged when the tide comes up,” she said.

There is a similar structure just 300m away which is now partially submerged, but Jamilah said it was once standing on the beach before the sea reclaimed part of the land.

Now, the pillbox stands next to a disused pier in a state of disrepair.

Vandals have splashed paint all over it. However, there are those who have come forward to keep it clean. Among them was a group of about 30 teenagers from Generasi Penang and Penggerak Komuniti Muda.

The movement’s executive director, Joshua Woo, who founded Generasi Penang, said they had scrubbed the structure clean and picked up 10 bags of rubbish along the beach nearby.

“I hope people will stop vandalising this historical structure.

“The government should preserve the relic and build a protective fence around it to prevent further erosion.

“Currently, there is no direct access to this pillbox south of the Penang International Airport compound,” he said.

Last month, Penang tourism and creative economy committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said World War II pillboxes scattered all over the state had to be restored.

He said restoration work for the 14 pillboxes was expected to start this month with about RM800,000 from the state, adding that George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) would be responsible for the restoration work.

Pillboxes are like defensive line bunkers but smaller. They are commonly used during wartime to camouflage remote guard posts.

The British military manned hundreds of pillboxes along the coast of Malaya during WWII in anticipation of a Japanese invasion by sea. The Japanese, however, invaded by land from Thailand.

Each pillbox can hold a couple of soldiers manning machine guns. The soldiers would crouch on the ledge with the ceiling just inches above their heads.