The Founder of the Askar Wataniah Hails from Lambor Kiri
Colonel Dato' Yeop Mahidin bin Mohamed Shariff was born on February 20, 1918, in Kampung Lambor Kiri, Bota, Perak. He received his early education in Lambor Kiri and later attended Anderson School in Ipoh from 1928 to 1937.
During his school years, he was very active in sports and became the Perak Amateur Boxing champion in the Bantamweight category. He also represented Perak in football, hockey, and cricket. He was an excellent cricket batsman and was once named Batsman of the Year. For your information, Colonel Dato' Yeop Mahidin bin Mohamed Shariff from Kampung Lambor Kiri, Bota, Perak, was the founder of the Askar Wataniah and indirectly served as its first Director.
He had aspirations to join the Royal Malay Regiment but was discouraged by his headmaster, L.D. Whitfield, who advised him to pursue a career as a senior government officer.
On August 7, 1937, he was accepted into
Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK)
. While at MCKK, he was taught and trained in the duties of a senior government officer.
In 1938, he was appointed as a magistrate in Telok Anson, now known as Teluk Intan, and later became a magistrate in Kajang in 1939. In 1940, he transferred to Kuala Lipis as an Assistant District Officer. While in Kuala Lipis, he joined the Local Volunteer Force and was subsequently commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. In 1945, he was appointed as the commander of the Local Volunteer Force with the rank of Major. He was also offered by Whitehall to attend a military course in London but declined the offer, instead sending his subordinates, Captain Abdul Razak (the late Tun Abdul Razak) and Lieutenant Ghazali Shafie (now Tan Sri).
When the Second World War began, he established an anti-Japanese group known as the Pahang Wataniah Guerrilla force, or Force 136, under the leadership of Major Richardson, who agreed to train the unit. The guerrilla force had 254 members and was led by Dato' Yoep, who was also known as the 'Lion'. A major success of the force that remains in Dato' Yoep's memory was their ambush of the Japanese Army, where a group of 20 locals led by Lt. Yakin successfully killed 30 to 40 Japanese soldiers and destroyed 41 vehicles. This success was the result of the planning and site selection by Dato' Yoep as the leader of the force.
In 1950, the Home Guard was established, and Dato' Yoep was appointed as Deputy Director. The main purpose of the Home Guard was to assist security forces in facing the communist threat. In 1958, the force was disbanded, and Dato' Yoep was appointed as the Chief Food Denial Officer in Perak. When the Askar Wataniah was established to replace the Home Guard, Dato' Yoep was appointed as the first Director of the Askar Wataniah with the rank of Colonel. Additionally, he was also the Chairman of the Armed Forces Boxing and Football associations at the time.
In November 1963, Dato' Yoep left the military to become the District Officer of Kuala Lipis. In 1965, he was appointed as the Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Social Welfare, and in 1967, he joined Felda as the Director of Settler Affairs. He passed away due to old age in 1999. He was a patriot who contributed greatly to the nation and country. Every citizen should emulate his sacrifice and willingness to dedicate his entire energy and soul to the nation.
