MR. j.c. naijen 
John Charles ftauen came to Singapore 
In July 1935 as an Assistant Curator of 
the Cardens. He had previously served 
seven years in Bermuda after completing 
his training as a Student Gardener at Kew. 
He remained in Singapore until July 1939, 
when he was placed in charge of the 
Waterfall Gardens, Penang. When the 
Japanese attacked Malaya in December 1941, 
Mr. ftauen was mobilized as Sergeant in the 
Penang Volunteer Force, and as such was 
taken prisoner in Singapore in February 
1942. He was subsequently sent to work on 
the Siam-Burma railway, where he died as 
a result of blood poisoning in October 
1943. 
Mr. Nauen was an officer of outstand¬ 
ing ability; and as a man he was held in 
affection and esteem by all who knew him. 
He had a very wide knowledge of garden 
plants and their management, excellent 
judgement in their use and arrangement, 
and a great gift in garden design. He 
devoted much thought to his administrative 
work and to the welfare and training of 
those who worked under him. He helped 
considerably to raise the standard of 
horticultural work in the Gardens both at 
Singapore and Penang. He devoted much 
time and thought to the roadside trees of 
Singapore. He helped to found a Gardening 
Society in Singapore, and did good service 
as its first Secretary. He was the leading 
spirit in the organization of the Society’s 
Flower Shows, which were a stimulus to 
professional and amateur growers alike. 
His alert mind, his sense of humour, his 
human sympathy, and his integrity of pur¬ 
pose are the characters by which we remember 
him. His untimely death is a great loss 
to Malaya. 
IQ 
