The Defence Medal

This Defence Medal could have been awarded to Mrs Leh Oorloff for the help rendered to the Prisoners-of-War (POWs). Mrs Oorloff was the eldest daughter of Oh Ghee Choo (founder of the United Pharmacy) and Chong Kim Lian, and she was the wife of an Eurasian doctor, Dr Arthur Felix Oorloff. During the Japanese Occupation, she took shelter with her Japanese aunt, Yoshi Takanoga, and remained safe enough to help the POWs. She sneaked in food, including homemade condensed milk, and medical supplies to the POWs at the Sime Road camp, and supplied nuts (ground into powder) mixed with crushed vitamin tablets, to help the prisoners fight against beri-beri.