Mohd Yusope bin Haji Mohd Sharif 1896-1953 (1) Biodata

Mohd Yusope bin Mohd Sharif (Walid) 1896-1953
Malay Entomologist, KL
Mergastua, Melaka

Full name: Mohd Yusope bin Haji Mohd Sharif
Call name: Bapak addressed his father as Walid. I refer to him as Tok Walid.

His father: Haji Mohd Sharif bin Ismail
His mother: Fatimah Mohamad @ Patma (a fair Chinese lady)

Education: Passed Junior Cambridge, Standard 7
Occupation: Entomologist (govt officer)

Residence before WWII: Govt Quarters at 1092 Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur
Residence after WWII: His father's house at 262 Banda Hilir, Melaka (Rumah Banda Hilir)

Died: late July/early August 1953 (1 month before Bapak returned from Kirkby)

Wife: Aishah bt Mohd Amin (Nenek Inchek)
Children: 15 (but 2 died, remaining 13 survived)


From Bapak

Walid's workplace
Pak Rashid and Tok Yusope (Walid) worked in one dept in KL before WWII.

Date of Walid's demise
There were 2 possible dates of Walid's demise:

1. Walid died in July/August 1953, one month before Bapak returned from Kirkby (from me)
2. Walid died in January 1954, 4 months after Bapak returned from Kirkby (from Bapak).

Cause of Walid's demise
Walid died of hypertension (HPT) and atherosclerosis (from Bapak).

Wife - Aishah bt Mohd Amin
Walid married Nenek Inchek who was the daughter of Mat Amin Pasar @ Mat Amin Chow Kit. 
Walid was from Banda Hilir, Malacca and Nenek Inchek's family was from Kg Baru, KL

The hitting incidence & RI
When Nenek Inchek hit her eldest child and caused physical injury (bleeding) to Mak Ainon's head (then a child), Walid was imprisoned (rigorous imprisonment, RI) for 2 months for a crime which he did not commit. This happened before WWII. The relatives in Klang would have more details. In British Malaya, if a govt officer went to prison,  (masuk jail), he would lose his job (kena buang kerja). A man named Shamsudin helped and Walid was reinstated (got his job back).

Residence in KL
Before WWII, Walid and his young family lived in the govt quarters at 1092 Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur. The house had semi-circular windows.

Residence in Malacca
After WWII, Walid brought his family home to 262 Banda Hilir. They continued to live in Banda Hilir.

Narration of WWII
Bapak was 76 years old when he narrated stories of WWII. He died a year later. Some of his narrations and accounts are a bit off and have to be properly examined for correctness.

1. Bapak's account of when his family moved back to Banda Hilir at the time of WWII is off a  little bit and was not coherent. 
2. In another account, he told me the family returned as there was disorder in KL when the war reached KL. 
3. Malacca was a city and not an agricultural land. But the Japanese Kempetei forced them to farm, even on the lands near A Famosa. 
4. They were given cangkul (hoes) and had to grow ubi kayu (tapioca) for food during the war. 
5. This would mean that Walid brought his family home to Banda Hilir earlier before the war or just as the war started in KL. 
6. Geographically, Malacca is further down south of KL.
7. Bapak did not mention why Walid brought back his family to Banda Hilir. 
8. Why didn't they go somewhere else, maybe to Indonesia?
9. In Malacca, looting was rampant as there was disorder and there was no food to eat. I think this could be immediate post-war period, before the British returned to Malaya.

Coronation of QEII 1953
In 1953, the Coronation year, Walid rode in a horse carriage (naik kereta kuda) for a year but went to work with his bicycle.

Terawih
Bapak narrated a story about terawih. He mentioned "jentik" but I can't remember what the story was about anymore.


Source:
Bapak (HARMY = Haji Abdul Rashid bin Mohd Yusope)
13 October 2007