MERSING: Mersing is not any extraordinary hamlet. An idyllic seaside city in Johor, it is usually an upcoming vacationer hotspot, with its stunning seashores and blue seas.
The city has a wealthy historical past, owing to its strategic location near the numerous islands of the East Coast. Do you have to ever be passing by means of, contemplate visiting the Mersing Museum.
The museum is within the neighborhood of Mersing’s city sq., near the ever-busy jetty the place vacationers board boats to go island-hopping.
The museum’s white partitions and blue roof are distinctive of most Johor authorities buildings. At first look, the museum is clearly properly taken care of.
The Mersing Museum was opened in Could 2016 by Sultan Ibrahim Ismail of Johor himself, with the preliminary thought for the museum receiving the sultan’s private approval.
For that cause, a big painted portrait of the sultan hangs within the foyer, greeting guests as they enter. On that notice, entrance is free.
The museum receives about 300 guests a month; a powerful quantity given its scale and its location.
Throughout FMT Life-style’s go to, museum volunteer Ahmad Izham defined that whereas the museum is new, the construction by which it stands shouldn’t be.
“The constructing has been round for the reason that Nineteen Twenties. It was an administrative workplace for the native British authorities,” he stated.
Throughout the Japanese occupation, their troops had been housed on the grounds, with their officers utilising the constructing as their headquarters.
Based on Ahmad, there are a lot of explanations as to how the city of Mersing bought its title, however just one is really accepted by native historians.
“Mersing is known as after the Mersinga tree, which was once considerable right here, alongside the shoreline. At any time when the wind blows by means of its leaves, it makes a sure whistling sound.”
He additionally talked about that there’s a in style delusion about Mersing being named after a sure Amir Singh, allegedly a favorite of the Sultan of Pahang.
The parable states that after shedding favour, he fled to Mersing, giving his title to his new place of residence. “Nonetheless,” stated Ahmad, “there’s not a lot concrete proof to help this principle.”
The museum is split into three sections; one focuses on the on a regular basis lives of Mersing’s folks, the following is a seasonal gallery and the third is the Battle of Endau exhibition.
For many guests, the latter is the principle draw of the museum, with its assortment of Second World Conflict artefacts a tantalising sight for navy buffs.
A big info panel tells guests of the Battle of Endau, fought between the British and the Japanese within the waters near Mersing.
This was one of many final engagements fought on the peninsular, with the British totally withdrawing to Singapore afterwards.
On the night of Jan 26, 1942, British plane, flying in from Singapore, attacked a Japanese naval convoy on its option to land troopers on the shore.
Sadly for the British, their Japanese opponents suffered few casualties and downed many extra British planes as a substitute.
A few of these downed planes crashed into the ocean, with their surviving elements recovered many years later by native fishermen.
Outdoors the museum, the engines and propellers of some recovered plane stay on show, with the occasional bullet gap nonetheless seen.
In the long run, the battle was a decisive defeat for the British, with the Japanese efficiently touchdown their troops and sinking a British warship within the course of. Mersing fell on the morning of Jan 27.
The Battle of Endau exhibition contains a assortment of navy gear which possible noticed use again within the day.
Uniforms, firearms, swords and survival instruments are just some issues that guests can gawk at right here.
Adjoining to the Second World Conflict exhibition is a bit of area devoted to the numerous shipwrecks in Mersing’s waters, with recovered treasures populating the shows right here.
And within the different wing of the museum, are on a regular basis objects of yesteryear, with old-timey typewriters and telephones to admire.
Aspiring archivists may also have an curiosity within the framed paperwork right here, which give perception into the executive historical past of the city.
For such a small city, it’s fairly superb simply how a lot historical past Mersing incorporates. Who is aware of what different tales it has but to inform?
Mersing Museum
243, Jalan Ibrahim
Mersing Kechil
86800 Mersing
Johor
Enterprise hours:
9.30am-4.45pm Saturdays to Wednesdays
9.30am-3pm on Thursdays (closed on Fridays)
Contact: 07-798 0627
