War and Military
All Smoke? Opium Propaganda in the Syonan Shimbun
Imperial Japan justified its occupation of Singapore with opium propaganda and prohibition promises.
The Other Men Who Surrendered Singapore
Arthur E. Percival should not have been made the convenient scapegoat for the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Eleven other men had taken the decision with him to surrender Singapore to the Japanese.
Konfrontasi: Singapore’s Experience of an Undeclared War
Opposing the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, Indonesia waged a three-year armed conflict against Malaysia and Singapore.
Collection Focus: A Comic Book Version of Operation Jaywick
The story of Operation Jaywick, a daring attack on Japanese ships at Keppel Harbour in September 1943, is retold in a comic aimed at boys published in London in 1965.
A Clandestine Operation in Keppel Harbour
Disguised as local fishermen, Australian and British commandos launched a clandestine raid on Japanese ships in Singapore’s Keppel Harbour.
In Their Own Voices: Preparing for War in Singapore
Before the fall of Singapore in 1942, people prepared for the imminent war by stockpiling food, building air raid shelters and volunteering in civil defence units.
My Grandfather Was a Rōmusha
During World War II, forced civilian labourers known as rōmushas were used by the Imperial Japanese Army for hard labour. They helped to build the Death Railway.
Cold War Rivalries Fuel Propaganda Battle in Singapore in the 1940s and 1950s
In the post-World War II period, Singapore was a battleground for ideological competition between the Soviet Union and China on one side, and the United States and United Kingdom on the other.
A Royal Wedding Gone Wrong: The 1820 Uprising in Riau That Brought the Bugis to Singapore
Celebrations during a royal wedding in Tanjung Pinang in 1819 led to a terrible misunderstanding that would change the course of history in Riau and Singapore.
They Died for All Free Men: Stories from Kranji War Cemetery
Remembering those who died while fighting the Japanese during World War II.
从国家图书馆文献窥看日本占领时期的新加坡华社
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Fall of Singapore. Featured in this essay is a showcase of items from the Chinese community relating to the Japanese Occupation of Singapore. These are available in the collection of the National Library, Singapore.
The Singapore Chinese Community During the Japanese Occupation
Singapore marked the 80th anniversary of its fall to the Japanese in 2022. This essay features items from the Chinese community relating to the occupation years. They belong to the collection of the National Library of Singapore.
Red Terror: The Forgotten Story of CPM Violence and Subversion in Newly Independent Singapore
The 1970s are often remembered as a time of rapid economic transformation and progress for Singapore, but this period also saw communist bombings, assassination plots and covert information wars.
The Final Hours of the Empress of Asia
The Empress of Asia sank off Tuas in February 1942 while carrying troops to fight off the Japanese invasion. Dan Black recounts its final days.
Witness to History
Major-General Feng Yee represented China at the Japanese surrender ceremony here. Seow Peck Ngiam tells us about his life.
The Vietnam War Through Singaporean Eyes
Four journalists from Singapore covered the Vietnam War for the international news media. Only one survived. Shirlene Noordin has the story.
Trial by Firing Squad
In 1915, sepoys in Singapore revolted against their British officers in a bloody rebellion. Umej Bhatia recreates the final moments of the mutineers as they pay the ultimate price for their actions.
Civilians in the Crossfire: The Malayan Emergency Crossfire
Ronnie Tan recounts the hardship suffered by civilians as a result of the British government’s fight against the communists during the Malayan Emergency.
Fleeing to Uncertainty: My Father’s Story
Barely 13 years old then, K. Ramakanthan and his family escaped with their lives from Perak to Johor during the Japanese Occupation. Aishwariyaa Ramakanthan recounts her father’s harrowing journey.
Don’t Mention the Corpses: The Erasure of Violence in Colonial Writings on Southeast Asia
History may be written by the victors, but what they conveniently leave out can be more telling. Farish Noor reminds us of the violent side of colonial conquest.
The Unresolved Past: Reflections on War and Memory
Why recall traumatic memories of war when it is painful for both perpetrators and victims? Kwok Kian Woon considers the stakes in remembering and understanding war experiences in times of relative peace.
Wartime Victuals: Surviving the Japanese Occupation
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Lee Geok Boi trawls the oral history collection of the National Archives to document how people coped with the precious little food they had during the war.
Iron Spearhead: The Story of a Communist Hitman
Ronnie Tan and Goh Yu Mei recount the story of a ruthless Malayan Communist Party cadre whose cold-blooded murders caused a sensation in Singapore in the 1950s.
In Honour of War Heroes: The Legacy of Colin St Clair Oakes
Who was the architect behind Singapore’s Kranji War Cemetery and other similar memorials in South and Southeast Asia? Athanasios Tsakonas has the story.
Ramen Teh: Food, War and Memory
Eric Khoo tells us how the Japanese Occupation, ramen noodles and bak kut teh became the inspiration for his latest film. Lu Wenshi finds out more.
Warrior Women: The Rani of Jhansi Regiment
A band of extraordinary women rose above oppression and poverty in Malayan plantations to overthrow the British in colonial India. Meira Chand has the story.
Hunting Down the Malayan Mata Hari
Ronnie Tan pieces together the fascinating story of Lee Meng, the Malayan Communist Party female agent who headed its courier network for a brief period in 1952.
Secret War Experiments in Singapore
The story of the Imperial Japanese Army farming bubonic plague-bearing fleas as biological weapons is very much fact, not fiction. Cheong Suk-Wai delves deeper.
The Stories They Could Tell
Old photographs and documents can reveal new things about our history, as Yu-Mei Balasingamchow discovered when she sieved through the National Archives’ war collections.
Voices That Remain: Oral History Accounts of the Japanese Occupation
Oral history accounts of the Japanese Occupation take on added poignancy, says Mark Wong, as we mark the 75th anniversary of the Fall of Singapore.
Surviving the Japanese Occupation: War and its Legacies
A revamped exhibition space opens at the old Ford Factory in Bukit Timah, marking the 75th anniversary of the fall of Singapore. Fiona Tan details its major highlights.
The Sook Ching
February 15 marks the 75th anniversary of the fall of Singapore. Goh Sin Tub recounts the horrors that many Chinese suffered at the hands of the Japanese in this short story.
Building Faith: Wartime Churches in Syonan-to
Christian POWs interned during the Japanese Occupation found ingenious ways to worship. Gracie Lee looks at a book documenting these makeshift churches in war-torn Singapore.
Bahau: A Utopia That Went Awry
The resettlement of Eurasian and Chinese Catholics in the jungles of Malaysia during World War II has been largely forgotten. Fiona Hodgkins chronicles its painful history.
My Grandmother’s Story
An unexpected recollection by her grandmother about her experience of the Japanese Occupation sets Yu-Mei Balasingamchow thinking about unspoken memories and the stories that haven’t been told.
Wartime Propaganda: The Battle for Minds and Hearts
Benjamin Seet shares highlights from his collection of World War II Ieaflets air-dropped by Allied Forces over Japanese-occupied Southeast Asia between 1942 and 45.
