The British troops returned to Singapore on 5 September 1945. On 12 September 1945, huge crowds gathered at the Padang and cheered for the return of the British. In the Municipal Building ( present City Hall ), Japanese military leaders signed the surrender document which was accepted by the Supreme Allied Commander for Southeast Asia, Lord Louis Mountbatten.
The British set up a provisional government called the British Military Administration (BMA) which took charge of governing Singapore until 1 April 1946, it faced the difficult task of rebuilding the country and maintaining law and order. The people faced many problems in post-war Singapore such as overcrowded living conditions, poor sanitation, lack of health services and unemployment. However, the more serious problems were the shortage of food and lack of housing. There were also shortage of water and electricity, and disruption of telephone services. Streets were filthy, unlit and unsafe particularly at night. Japanese prisoners-of-war were put to work to restore electricity, gas and other essential services, and repair the water mains. To solve the food shortage, the British had to clear the harbour first so that ships transporting foodstuff could enter the port. They removed the shipwrecks and mines that had been laid in the sea by the Japanese. The docks were repaired and new warehouses were constructed to store commodities that were brought into the port. Next, the British decided to ration the amount of food given to each person. People's Restaurants were opened to sell food at reasonable prices. Food supplies slowly increased when trade links between Singapore and other countries were re-established. The war had destroyed many houses, leaving thousands homeless. Rents were very high as a result of the shortage of houses. People who could not afford the high rents had to live in small, overcrowded cubicles and squatters. A law on rent control was introduced to stop landlords from raising the house rents and forcing tenants out. The government also conducted some flats to help alleviate the problem of housing shortage. However, these proved unsuccessful in solving the problem.
World War II affected many people in different parts of the world in different ways. Its showed the devastating effects of war and there were numerous examples of how people of all the warring nations suffered. War was also a time when men and women alike demonstrated the strength of the human spirit as many sustained the zeal for life in the face of great challenges and adversity. Ministry of Education Pictures found on "Google Images" Date accessed : 15 Feb 2013
The First Atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 was called 'Little Boy'. As a result ,about 8000.0 civilians died. On 9 August 1945,the City of Nagasaki was bombed and about 45000 people died.The Atomic Bomb used was called 'Fat Man'.In the next few months ,about 50000 civilians died of Radiation Poisoning. After the Atomic Bombs were dropped, the Japanese surrendered shortly.
The Japanese treated us very badly. People were starved, beaten, tortured and executed for no reason. They were made to work until they dropped dead of exhaustion. Women were raped and then killed, or forced to be "comfort women" (prostitutes) for the Japanese Army, in Army-operated brothels. At least they were not murdered immediately. Everybody else in Asia despises the Japanese to this day, not just for what they did, but for the fact that they won't admit it, and see nothing wrong in what they did. See the "Rape of Nanking", where Japanese troops were allowed free rein for six weeks after capturing that Chinese city. 300,000 Chinese civilians died in those next six weeks in Nanking.
When war struck in Malaya and Singapore, it took the population by surprise. Having been fed the inflated propaganda of British might and supremacy, no one had expected the war and even when the first bombs struck Singapore, many thought it was merely an air drill. The mood of complacency and the sense of false security resulted in inadequate preparations being made for the war.
The British strategy and defence plan was based upon a sea-borne attack from the south of Singapore, where fortifications were placed and they depended heavily on the American fleets stationed at Pearl Harbour for the protection of their colonies in the East. So confident were the British that they did not see the need to protect the northern shores of Singapore or to train the local people to fight in case of an invasion. Civil defence was also neglected and this resulted in inadequate numbers of bomb shelters, thus resulting in a high casualty rate when the Japanese aerial strikes and bombing of Singapore began. To boost the confidence of the populace, the British' hyped-up' the invincibility of the Singapore Naval Base with the arrival in Singapore of the battleships, The Prince of Wales and The Repulse. The people did not realise that the naval base had no aircraft carriers or submarines. The Japanese, on the other hand, had adequately prepared for the invasion. The Japanese soldiers were trained for jungle warfare, they had equipment which were well-suited to the terrain, such as bicycles and tanks. The Japanese knew that swift movement and mobility was essential for the success of their invasion. Furthermore, the Japanese realised the vulnerability of the British in the north, where there were inadequate defences; the British had wrongly thought that the Malayan jungle was impenetrable. The Japanese therefore decided to attack Northern Malaya, capturing vital airfields and continued their onslaught down the Malay Peninsula into Singapore. The result is a foregone conclusion as history has proved the wisdom of the Japanese strategists. The fall of Singapore is the greatest military disaster in British history. While General Yamashita, conqueror of Malaya and Singapore became known as "The Tiger of Malaya", General Percival in his inadequacy had to live with the nickname "The Rabbit". http://library.thinkquest.org/C002071/attack.html Date accessed : 15 Feb 2013
The British & Commonwealth forces surrendered at Singapore largely because of the swiftness & surprise in the attacks by the Japanese in the Malay peninsula. Hugely stretched by the potential war in Europe & the actual war against the Axis in North Africa the British lacked the resources to defend the Far East against Japanese aggression. With hindsight it might be argued that surrender was premature, but even then defeat was surely inevitable in the longer term. Had the Japanese attacks not involved the US, brining them into both the Pacific & European conflicts, then Britain & the Commonwealth are under the sort of pressure which may have become intolerable.
The Japanese actually tricked Singapore by lying that a huge troop of Japanese would come and attack Singapore the next day if the British did not surrender. However, the Japanese actually did not have that big troop of army and their supply of necessities were depleting. If the British did not surrender, the losing side might be the Japanese instead.
Thursday, 14 February 2013
In September 1939, war broke out in Europe. Japan, in September 1940, signed a treaty of friendship with Germany and Italy, which called themselves the Axis Powers. While Germany wanted to be master of Europe, Japan wanted to be the master of Asia and the Pacific region. In 1941, more Indian, British and Australian troops arrived in Singapore to defend both Malaya and Singapore from a possible Japanese attack. On 2 December 1941, the battleships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse arrived in Singapore. However, the British could not send more naval and air reinforcements because of its involvement in the war in Europe and North Africa.
In 1937, Japan invaded China.To protest against Japan's attack on China, countries like the United States of America (USA) cut off their oil supply to Japan. Japan then set their sights on Southeast Asia which was rich in oil and other raw materials. The Chinese suffered the most under the Japanese.The Japanese saw them as a threat as there was great resistance when they invaded China in 1937.
In order to defend its empire in the Far East, Britain decided on the 'Main Fleet to Singapore' Strategy. This meant that Britain would send ships from Europe if there was trouble in Asia. However, to maintain the fleet, a huge naval base had to be built in the Far East. Singapore was chosen for the naval base and construction of the base was completed in 1938. To defend the naval base in Singapore, 15-inch guns, usually mounted on ships, were installed facing the sea to prevent any attacks from the sea. Military airfields were built in several places like Fort Canning, Labrador and Sembawang. It was generally thought that Singapore was protected from the north.
Heroes in World War II in Singapore
Elizabeth Choy - She along with a husband Choy Khun Heng supplied medicine, money and messages to affected British civilians interned at Changi Prison during the Japanese Occupation in World War 2. Unfortunately her actions soon got caught up by the Japanese and was captured. She was tortured by the Japanese for critical information at Kempeitai headquarters in Stamford Road for 193 days.
Lim Bo Seng - Who can we forget the hero who never gave out critical information who was none other then Lim Bo Seng. Whom was captured by the Japanese and was tortured for information about his squad till his death and people of Singapore recognized him as a hero.
Mamoru Shinozaki - Despite being once a spy for the Japanese, we was imprisoned by the British till the Fall of Singapore to the Japanese. He then joined the Japanese army as the 1st adviser in Singapore under the Japanese but he was not like the other Japanese soldiers who were cruel. His single act of mercy was that he issued a huge number of good citizen pass to the Chinese and Eurasians so they would not be affected by the Sook Ching Operation which killed a lot of innocent Chinese men and torture of innocent men for critical information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinozaki_Mamoru http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Choy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lim_Bo_Seng Date accessed : 15 Feb 2013
I remembered the date clearly, 8 December 1941, slighty after 4 am, I were rudely awakened by the sounds of explosions. Japanese warplanes had flown over to Singapore and bombed the city. Meanwhile, Japanese soldiers also landed in northern Malaya. In less than 70 days, Singapore fell to the Japanese.
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The Japanese treated us very badly. People were starved, beaten, tortured and executed for no reason. They were made to work until they dropped dead of exhaustion. Women were raped and then killed, or forced to be "comfort women" (prostitutes) for the Japanese Army, in Army-operated brothels. At least they were not murdered immediately. Everybody else in Asia despises the Japanese to this day, not just for what they did, but for the fact that they won't admit it, and see nothing wrong in what they did. See the "Rape of Nanking", where Japanese troops were allowed free rein for six weeks after capturing that Chinese city. 300,000 Chinese civilians died in those next six weeks in Nanking..jpg)
The British & Commonwealth forces surrendered at Singapore largely because of the swiftness & surprise in the attacks by the Japanese in the Malay peninsula. Hugely stretched by the potential war in Europe & the actual war against the Axis in North Africa the British lacked the resources to defend the Far East against Japanese aggression. With hindsight it might be argued that surrender was premature, but even then defeat was surely inevitable in the longer term. Had the Japanese attacks not involved the US, brining them into both the Pacific & European conflicts, then Britain & the Commonwealth are under the sort of pressure which may have become intolerable.
Heroes in World War II in Singapore
I remembered the date clearly, 8 December 1941, slighty after 4 am, I were rudely awakened by the sounds of explosions. Japanese warplanes had flown over to Singapore and bombed the city. Meanwhile, Japanese soldiers also landed in northern Malaya. In less than 70 days, Singapore fell to the Japanese. 
