them. He was advised by the Japanese to retire and offered a monthly pension together with medals of honour from the Emperor of Japan. By mid-1945, the Japanese were facing defeat and their forces in Brunei were becoming more violent in their actions toward the populace. Locals were threatened by food shortage during the occupation. A plan was made to save the Sultan and the royal family from the increasing Japanese war crimes. Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin and the royal family, together with loyal palace officials, were hidden by Kasim bin Tamin, the village headman of Tantaya. Istana Tantaya had been built in Kampong Tantaya and the Sultan lived there for about three months until Brunei was liberated by the Australian Army. After the Japanese surrender, the Sultan and the royal family returned to Brunei Town from Tantaya on Thursday at about 3:00 am. He was immediately taken to the British Army Headquarters at Bubungan Dua Belas. From here, he went to Istana Parit. Later reign Due to the ever rising tension between the Sultan and the British resident, High Commissioner's Secretary Eric Ernest Falk Pretty was sent to defuse the situation. In August 1948, Mr Pretty was reappointed as a resident in an attempt to repair the relationship with the Malay states including Brunei. He recommended that the Sultan write a letter to the Secretary of State in hopes of the British government paying more attention to hardship and difficulties faced by Brunei. Mr Pretty also made an effort to build the Sultan a new palace after the previous was destroyed in the war. It was during the reign of Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin that saw Brunei Darussalam have its own national anthem "Allah Peliharakan Sultan", which is similar to "God Save the King" in England. In 1947, the national anthem was composed by Awang Haji Besar bin Sagap and lyrics written by Pengiran Setia Negara Pengiran Haji Mohammad Yusuf bin Pengiran Haji Abdul Rahim. That same year, he bestowed the title "Pengiran Bendahara Seri Maharaja Permaisuara" on his brother, Pengiran Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien. Ahmad Tajuddin initially refused to celebrate his Silver Jubilee as a sign of protest against the residency after William John Peel refused to build a new palace. He was finally persuaded by Haji Mustafa and Malcolm MacDonald to return to Brunei and celebrate at Istana Kecil on 22 September 1949. Illness and death When Sultan Ahmad