By Dr Tan Swee Hee, Dr Tan Yen Yi and Kathy Poh from Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum
Ornithologist Guy Charles Madoc’s passion for birds transcended the grim realities of World War II. Despite being imprisoned in Changi Prison after being captured by the Japanese at the beginning of the war, Madoc penned An Introduction To Malayan Birds, a 146-page manuscript completed in May 1943 by utilising scarce materials and typewriters, based on his memories of his birdwatching adventures in Malaya. This magnum opus was published by the Malayan Nature Society after the war in 1956 and reprinted multiple times thereafter.
Guy Madoc in the mid 1950s, sitting beside a Brown Booby, on the rocky islet of Pulau Perak in the Straits of Malacca where he often visited to observe, record and photograph sea birds. (Photo courtesy of Fenella Madoc-Davis)
When the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) project team was planning thematic exhibits at their Heritage Gallery, we were deeply inspired by Guy’s moving story of resilience – his tireless and unwavering spirit to advance ornithological knowledge in the face of abject adversity. To honour his invaluable contribution and commitment to ornithology, the team decided to feature his story as part of our recounting of natural history-related activities during the war years. A replica of Madoc’s original manuscript is now on display in the Museum’s Heritage Gallery, along with a specimen of a subspecies of the Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius madoci) which was not only named after him but also collected by Guy himself!
Before the LKCNHM was opened to the public, the museum had the honour of hosting Guy’s daughter, Fenella Madoc-Davis, in 2014. She had expressed pride that her father’s legacy continues to inspire interest over 70 years later. The older Madoc’s journey from a prisoner to a celebrated ornithologist reflects his enduring love for nature and commitment to sharing it with future generations. Fenella also took pains to bring the original manuscript of An Introduction to Malayan Birds all the way from the United Kingdom, giving museum staff the rare opportunity to engage with an authentic war relic.
Features of this original manuscript—its leatherbound cover, typewritten text, watercolour paintings and ink drawings—are especially extraordinary given the circumstances of its creation in a wartime internment camp. Recent conversations between LKCNHM, NUS Libraries and Asst Prof. Anthony D. Medrano sparked the idea of digitising this manuscript for posterity, for use by researchers within and beyond the university. A NUS-funded plan for the comprehensive digitisation of the manuscript (hand-carried by Fenella to Singapore) was jointly crafted and put forward to Fenella. With her generous acceptance of our proposal, NUS is most privileged to welcome Fenella and her father’s manuscript back on campus again after a decade. It is hoped that the creation of a digital copy of the manuscript will safeguard its long-term digital preservation and accessibility to researchers.
We are pleased that the NUS Libraries is hosting a dialogue session with Fenella and other panellists as part of her and the manuscript’s return visit to NUS. By bringing Fenella into dialogue with Dr Tan Yen Yi, Research Fellow and Curator of Birds at LKCNHM, as well as Keita Sin, the President and Chair of Records Committee in the Bird Society of Singapore, the session will explore Guy’s work and its broader significance to current-day ornithological research in Singapore.
LKCNHM has also partnered with the NUS Libraries to present an exhibition on the broader history of ornithological research and birding in Singapore, featuring selected books and specimens. Some highlights include publications and bird specimens collected by prominent figures in Singapore’s ornithological history: Guy C. Madoc, Frederick N. Chasen, Dr. Carl A. Gibson-Hill and Loke Wan Tho.
