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Not many British schoolgirls have grown up to become revolutionary heroes of distant, eastern nations but Muriel Stewart Walker did just that. Under a multitude of different names – ‘K’tut Tantri’ and ‘Surabaya Sue’ being the best know – she joined in the struggle for Indonesian independence after the Second World War and broadcast its revolutionary message to the world on Rebel Radio. But she did more and smuggled arms, and probably drugs, to help finance the new Republic and experienced bloody battle in the British attack on Surabaya that some have seen as a war crime. She went on to become an intimate of the revolutionary leaders and finally lived to see Indonesia take its place amongst the free nations of the world.
Glaswegian ‘Surabaya Sue’ is virtually unknown in the West and, even in Indonesia, there have always been doubts about her version of events that many have dismissed outright as a blatant mixture of outrageous fantasy and dishonest omissions. Snow over Surabaya happily embraces those doubts and brings a new, spirited account of her adventures in that tempestuous world.
About the author
Dr Nigel Barley (London, UK) studied at Oxford and Cambridge universities before working in the Ethnography Department of the British Museum. He settled on Indonesia as his principal research interest and has worked on both the history and contemporary culture of that area. After escaping from the museum, he is now a broadcaster and writer, with over fifteen books to his name, and divides his time between London and Indonesia.
Summary
Not many British schoolgirls have grown up to become revolutionary heroes of distant nations but Muriel Stewart Walker did just that. As 'Surabaya Sue', she joined in the struggle for Indonesian independence and broadcast its revolutionary message to the world on Rebel Radio.
