The Fall of Singapore

The British marching towards surrender.

I used to think I had a good grasp of world history and I was confident that, in turn, my overall understanding of the world was pretty good.  Then I moved to Asia, and I realized that so much monumental history happened here in the last century that isn't discussed or remembered back home in the west.

Living in Korea and now Singapore, I was introduced to a whole new history.  I used to associate World War II with the European theatre, but after living in Asia for a year and a half and seeing all the monuments and museums, it’s pretty obvious the Pacific Theatre -- as we call it -- is a big deal too.

A recent trip to Changi Museum and Chapel in eastern Singapore proved to be a fascinating introduction to the moving story of the fall of Singapore in 1942.  Long a British colony, Singapore was considered impregnable, a veritable island fortress at the tip of the Malay peninsula.  Singapore was a bastion of the British, surely able to withstand a Japanese army.  It was one thing for the Japanese to take Manchuria, conquering the Chinese and making some noise in the neighbourhood in the process, but it was another matter to beat the supremely advanced British.  Or so they thought.

Concurrently as Japanese bombs dropped on Pearl Harbour, troops were landing on the northern shores of British held Malaya.  Regional British and Indian troops were quickly destroyed, allowing the Japanese to fight their way down the Malayan peninsula, heading to Singapore.  A combination of a battle hardened military, air power, and surprise allowed the Japanese to quickly advance down the Malayan peninsula and capture the entire territory.

From Johor, just a short channel away from Singapore, the Japanese sent infiltrators across to Singapore.  They gathered priceless information on Singapore’s military positions and installations, preparing for a swift surgical attack.

Singapore fell after the Japanese gained air supremacy after dogfights and opened up the beaches for a landing.  With troops landing on the northern shores, artillery raining down from Japanese held Johor, and the island encircled, the allied forces -- and Singaporean civilians -- retreated to a small area in the south east of the island.  Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, cabled to say:

 “The honour of the British Empire and of the British Army is at stake. I rely on you to show no mercy to weakness in any form.  With the Russians fighting as they are, and the Americans so stubborn at Luzon, the whole reputation of our country and our race is involved. It is expected that every unit will be brought into close contact with the enemy and fight it out… ”

Despite such rallying calls, there was nothing to be done.  After landing on the island and winning key battles -- such as the heroic defence of Pasir Panjang or Bukit Timah -- the Japanese now controlled much of the water supply in Singapore and the Allies had lost their fuel and ammunition depots.  After a week of fighting, from February 8th until the 15th, The British finally surrendered at the Ford Motor Factory in Singapore.  It was the largest surrender of British military personnel ever, with 80 000 British, Indian, and Australian troops being taken prisoner.  Churchill would later call it the “worst disaster” and “largest capitulation” in British history.

It’s amazing to see the difference in the city, a mere 65 years later.  Besides a few monuments scattered throughout the city, this past of history has been left behind and people have moved on.  I asked a group of three of my sixth grade students if they knew what had happened in World War II: one knew specifics, one had an idea of something vague, and the last couldn’t answer.