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EVER thought about the dark world of spies? Pause for a moment to consider a morally ambiguous world of espionage, intelligence gathering, selling information, covert operations, betrayal of high stake deception that proves fatal.

James Bond is just movie on an imaginary deadly competent spy.

But real double agents, women spies are no joke, and now modern threat include cyber warfare, state sponsored subversion, chaotic violent colour revolution, regime change etc. 

So in war, trusted friends and workers can be your “Judas”, metaphorically refers to a traitor of profound disloyalty, deceit, selling out and turning against people who rely on you, for maybe a proverbial “30 pieces of silver”.

Actually, if you reflect between the lines on what you are reading, Aussie ‘Z’ Force covert operative Jack Wong Sue paints a vivid account  on such a ‘Judas’ in his book entitled ‘Blood on Borneo’ that led to the attack on Coleman House, Pitas, I think in March 1945, that killed 5 Japanese soldiers in their sleep.          

Of course, from the perspective of Jack Sue, ‘Judas’ is ally, if not hero.

But from the Japanese perspective, their trusted ‘cook’ turned out to be a fatal ‘Judas’.

The setting is in the hey-days of Pitas, North Borneo, when every colonial boss of authority enjoyed the luxury their personal ‘cook’ and servants.      

Same story at the “large” but little known pre-war Pitas Rubber Estate. 

Estate Manager, a Mr Coleman, had his personal cook and a servants’ quarter.

After the Japanese captured Kudat in early 1942 and seized the Pitas Rubber Estate and occupied Coleman House as their headquarters, they retained Mr Coleman’s Chinese cook, right up to the pre-dawn attack early 1945. 

Double agent?

One can safely say towards the end of Japanese occupation, this cook  in the employ of the Japanese turned out to be a ‘double agent’ in favour of the Aussie ‘Z’ Force unit inserted into a village in the eastern coast of the Bengkoka Peninsular called Lokapas, by American submarine.

Jack Wong Sue spends  several paragraphs describing the physique of this cook, calling him a ’ little Chinese guy” – a “veritable roley poley”, a “Mister Five by Five’, an exaggerated satire  of a five feet high five feet wide, short and stout portly built,  heavy set man. 

One day, this cook who was granted leave by his Japanese employer to see family, travelled instead from Coleman House at the west coast of Bengkoka Peninsular to  Lokapas in the east coast of Bengkoka to meet  Agas Commander, Lieutenant Colonal Gort Chester, and offered  his services to Gort’s guerrilla force!  

What a an unlikely volunteer.

Even though the ‘Z’ Force Special Unit in Borneo was duty bound to attack targets primarily through guerrilla warfare, sabotage, organise armed resistance, like Agas whose core mission was to gather critical intelligence, recruit and train locals in high risk actions  against the Japanese behind the line, Jack Sue said his first impression of the Cookie  was ‘ what a joke’, he thought,  when he looked at the his short, stout and heavy set physique just like the comedic Hollywood pair Stan Laurel & Hardy – simply not  the stuff of a guerrilla ! 

A suspected ‘plant’ of Japanese secret police Kempei Tai 

Lieutenant Colonel Gort Chester did his best to be friendly as typical of him, Jack noted but treated this “unusual approach” with caution and suspicions: ‘What if he is a ‘plant’ of the Kempei Tai or secret Japanese army police?    

However, Jack Sue noted: “He (cook) did not lack enthusiasm and spirit was written all over his face. An unlikely looking guerrilla physique was more than compensated by the work he performed (cook) and where he worked (Coleman House).”

“He was a cook at the large Pitas Rubber Estate where more than 80 Japanese troops were based, and he had acted in that capacity  at the former pre-war British owned  Pitas Estate of a Mr Coleman. He had been in the employ of the Japanese for almost two years, and according to him, hated the ‘sons of heaven’, or as he preferred to refer to his masters –‘binatangs’ (animals).   

His approach was to say the least, unorthodox. 

The cook continued to sweet talk the Agas team into accepting his offer. 

“Tuan Chester” said Mister Five by Five in Malay, “Why  are you and your men content to live in this atap (thatched nipa leaves) house like binatangs when there is a beautiful house at Pitas available for you all.”             

Meaning, attack and take over Coleman House.

But Chester was not convinced, not aware of a latest “spying info” the cook was about to tell him. 

When a sceptical Agas chief saw an ‘immense value’  

As Jack writes: “Gort’s reply was simple and right to the point. We are not yet ready to take on a fight with a Japanese force of 80 regular troops. We would have very little chance defeating them, and for what purpose?  We don’t need a comfortable house at the price of heavy casualties among our own men. How can we justify such a cost?”

Jack Wong Sue never named the cook, but simply nicknamed him as “Cookie”.

“Cookie came back with – ‘It’s not very difficult Tuan, it just happens I am aware that all the Japanese troops stationed at Pitas, whether in the home or camped around the rubber estate, are being recalled (transferred) to Langkong within a few days. Most of their heavy weapons, are being transferred already, and Japanese headquarters at Sapong estate (Tenom) near Keningau, intend to replace the 80 front line fighting troop with a 50 Formosan (Taiwanese) or Korean law and order guards.”  

See a ‘Judas’ Cookie at work, from the Japanese perspective?

Jack continues: “This information was of immense value to Gort (L. Colonel Chester)”.

“According to our Chinese Cookie friend, only five Japanese including a First Lieutenant remained at the Pitas Estate home until the arrival of the law and order Japanese troops. The main body had left Pitas and headed west for Langkong by foot; there being no roads those days.”   

Cookie’s bombshell info cross checked and confirmed  

Setting the wheels of action into motion, Gort immediately dispatched two Chinese and two Malay guerrillas to Pitas area to cross check Chinese Cookie’s claims. The four guerrillas duly returned to Lokapas , advising Gort that all the Japanese troops left, leaving only five in occupation of Coleman House.

Meanwhile, after staying many overnights at Lokapas, Cookie had drawn for Gort a mud map of the Pitas home (Coleman House) which was apparently a spacious two level building with all the live-in areas in the upper level.

A central staircase from ground level opened into the middle of a huge open living room with numerous bedrooms bordering the living space.

Cookie, who had obviously thought much on  the matter of ‘getting rid of the Japanese troops’, left a fairly good impression on both Gort and Nick Combe, on his “ingenious suggestions”.    

After which he was prepared to return to Pitas to his regular job so as not to arouse the suspicion of the five Japanese who had granted him a number of days leave to visit his family. 

Precise timing of operation  

His proposed action plan was all the more appealing because of its simplicity.

That is, he would return to his work place and at the  appropriate time and moment, mark  outline of the beds of the upper level bedrooms with chalk given by Gort on the timber ceiling of the lower level, these being the beds occupied by the five Japanese.

The operation would require precise timing.

Cookie explained that he would have to outline the beds only after he had prepared the evening meal for his Japanese masters, and added that the attack would have to take place before sunrise the following morning, knowing that if the raid was ill-timed, the chalk outline could be discovered by the Japanese the following day and his head could be chopped.

After much further discussion and plans to overcome any likelihood of pitfalls, and the unexpected factors  that can and do occur, even the best of plans, a date and time was set for the operation.

A well rewarded ‘Judas’ role  

The burning question is: Did Cookie just volunteer to do this very high risk job FOC? 

The answer is no! As Jack noted: It was agreed that he would be paid a certain attractive fee for his information prior to the attack, and further payment at the successful conclusion of the shooting.

How much? 

“It is inappropriate to state the total amount paid, but suffice to say that he was well rewarded for his efforts,” Jack writes. 

Two ways to Pitas: Over land 

Plans were finally set and all concerned were happy with the arrangements.

All set to leave Lokapas for Pitas, 40 miles away straight line. 

Agas Signal team Fred, Graham and a 6’5” Skeet packed their radio. 

Gort decided that the Signal men would proceed by foot with a party of guerrillas to assist to help carry the radio equipment.

The rest, representing the attack party, plus a handful of Malay and Chinese guerrillas under Tan Teck Bak would proceed to the planned entry point by native boats.

The cross country trek was a tough slog, as Lokapas was described by Jack as completely surrounded by almost impenetrable mountains from 2000ft to 7,000ft, and among the overland party included an unfit Captain Doc but urgency demanded that attack party get there  quickly as so that the operation would be completed by the time the signals team arrived in Pitas. 

Jack Sue by boat

Meanwhile, Jack Wong Sue and Geoff Watts went by a boat skippered by boatman Mohd Sariff who proclaimed the only English he knew “ God Save The King, Buggar America” and didn’t know what it meant either, Jack quipped.

As the dry season was windless the sail boat journey was a total bore, just lolling, Jack described.

Fast forward, the moment of truth arrived, although we are not sure of the exact date, possibly on March 15, 1945.

“The night of the operation was noteworthy for its quietness.  Few nocturnal birds were about and only the occasional bark of a distant crocodile, or the crashing of a wild pig through the undergrowth, disturbed the silence  as we approached the RV (Rendezvous Point) selected by Cookie. 

“Even the dogs and roosters in the kampong that Cookie said was near Pitas, obliged by remaining mute at the appropriate time.                   

Spy Cookie appeared in the dark  

Our party was huddled in two groups under the cover of coffee trees when a lone figure appeared out of the surrounding darkness that turned out to be Cookie, right on time. 

He greeted with a “Selamt pagi Tuan (Good morning sirs) and without further ado, said “Ikut saya (follow me) and led the way through trees surrounding the large expanse of lalang (Coggon grass, a coarse, tall weedy grass) , until we had skirted the area where a halt was made. 

At this point, Tan Teck Bak went in one direction tp position his guerrillas at selected observation points  where they could cover any escape from the building (Coleman House) .

A former Malay police boy – he had served with the British and was known for his soccer skills – was armed with a .303 rifle and posted almost on the back door steps of the building leading to the servants quarters.

Even the possibility that one of the Japanese  might escape  and get back to Langkong to raise the alarm  that would result in hordes of troops descending on Pitas to wipe us out, was unthinkable.    A cook for the Japanese led 4 attackers to the house  

Next, the details of quick sharp focussed attack was reported in last Sunday’s Part 2 of this Special Report.

Readers who have read it may remember what happened – all 5 shot dead, no thanks o ‘Judas’ Cookie, from the Japanese perspective, celebrated from ‘Z’ Force Agas perspective for sure.

But to make sense of that historic bloody shooting drama, we repeat that moment of violence described by Jack Wong Sue.

“Dawn was about to break. A rooster was crowing as Cookie led the remaining four of us ( Lieutenant Colonel Gort Chester, Geoff Watts, Nick Combe and Jack Sue) towards the front of the house, the shape of which was about to materialise with the dawn of daylight. 

There were four of us but five beds to cover. Geoff (Watts) – Nick (Combe)’s radio operator – was allocated to the task of covering two beds in the one room. Armed with machine gun, each weapon having a shaded torch attached to the underside of the barrel to sufficiently illuminate the chalk outlines of the beds, we line up the targets.

The climatic attack – all 5 shot dead 

When all four were positioned and Geoff gave the pre-arranged signal, the crowing of the rooster and the otherwise reigning silence of the dawn hours was shattered by the bolt actions of the silenced Austens on automatic fire.

Volley after volley of 9mm bullets and the occasional whine of ricocheting rounds as the targets were sprayed, creating a strange sensation and sound in the confinement of the basement area of this stilted mansion.

The shooting completed. 

Four Japanese were shot dead instantly, an injured fifth escaped but was later found hiding in the toilet pit and Geoff Watts shot him point blank.

The dead were betrayed by their trusted cook to whom they granted leave to see his family but instead went to see their enemy to plot their death.

In this special report, instead of looking at this none-like-it WW2 episode in North Borneo as a pure historical event, it is a dark story of ‘Judas’, of profound betrayal and death.