After the World War II

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
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Date accessed : 15 Feb 2013