Eddy Blog

The Battle of Singapore during the second world war against the Japanese invading forces lasted 7 days from February 8th 1942 and ended with the surrender of the British forces in Singapore on February 15th 1942 at 5pm. There will be a Remembrance Ceremony on February 15th 2012 at 5pm to be held at the Kranj War Memorial. Veterans of the war and other dignities would be attending. The event is also opened to the public and free transport from the Kranji MRT Station would be provided. I wanted to attend but I am not sure if I would be free on that day and I thought since I was free today, I thought I pop in before that date.

It will take about a 5 minute walk up the narrow road to the Kranji War Memorial located along Woodlands Road

The entrance of the Kranji War Memorial is unmarked

On the right lawn is the State Cemetery which holds the tomb of Singapore’s First and Second Presidents

President Yosof bin Ishak is Singapore’s First Head of State between 1959 to 1965 when Singapore was part of Malaysia and continues to serve as its First President after the separation from Malaysia on August 9th 1965 till November 23 1970 when he passed away. You would find his image all the current series of Singapore’s Currency Notes.

President Benjamin Henry Sheares serves as Singapore’s Second President from January 2nd 1971 to May 12th 1981. I remember seeing President Benjamin Sheares during one of my Red Cross Parade during my primary school. The Benjamin Sheares Bridge and a student residence hall in the National University of Singapore is named after him.

The steps up the Kranji War Memorial

The War Memorial is the final resting place for 4,458 allied servicemen who died during the Second World War in Singapore

During the 2nd World War, the soldiers of the allied forces making up of citizens from all over the British Commonwealth were united irregardless of race and religion in their concentrated effort in repelling the invading Japanese Forces. They lost their lives in fighting for our freedom.

On the both sides of the main memorial and the back are a common grave for a number of fallen allied servicemen during the 2nd World War

In the main memorial are inscribed the names of 24,000 allied soldiers who died during the war and whose body were never found

The Memorial Cross

On the far right side of the memorial lies the bodies of the Armed Forces and Polices who died during the Malayan Communist Insurgency (1948-1960) and the Indonesian-Malaysian Confrontation (1962-1966)

A plague which outline the day by day account of the 7 days of fighting during the second world war in Singapore leading up to its surrender

This is a plague in Memory of Members of Operation Rimau where in September 1944 during the Japanese Occupations, 23 British and Australian Allied Forces travelled by submarine to the outskirt of Singapore Harbour with the mission to destroy Japanese ships. Their vessel was incepted by the Japanese forces resulting in 13 members killed and the rest subsequently executed on July 7 1945

With sadness for the fallen soldiers who defended Singapore and a deeper appreciation for their dedication to fight for our freedom, I made my leave

If you are taking a bus, you can board any of these buses from the Kranji MRT Station on the station side and alight 2 stops after. The Kranji War Memorial opens from 7am to 6pm.

The view of the Kranji War Memorial from the bus stop

I hope that we will never see war again. Too much unnecessary lost of lives where hopes and dreams are cut short. It only leads to misery. Let’s remember what they have done and cherish our freedom. However in difficulties, we saw how much people of all races and religion united against the common enemy.

Maps

View Larger Map