 On 30 October 1945, Brigadier A. W. S. Mallaby, the British brigade commander in Surabaya, was travelling about Surabaya to spread the news about the new agreement to his troops.At this time, Mallaby's team were forbidden to carry
any weapons except hand grenades.Later while patrolling, they received information that there was a mass of Indonesian militia advancing to International Bank near Jembatan Merah ("The Red Bridge").