Lest We Forget

Yesterday, February 15, was the 47th anniversary of the Fall of Singapore to the Japanese in 1942. The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. The fighting in Singapore lasted from 7 February 1942 to 15 February 1942. The fall of Singapore (then a major British military base in South East Asia) to the Japanese resulted in the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history. About 80,000 Indian, Australian and British troops became prisoners of war, joining 50,000 taken by the Japanese in the Malayan campaign.

With the British Surrender, the Japanese Occupation of Singapore had begun. The city was renamed Syonan-to (Japanese: 昭南島 Shōnan-tō, literally Light-of-the-South Island). The Japanese sought vengeance against the Chinese and to eliminate anyone who held anti-Japanese sentiment. The Imperial authorities were suspicious of the Chinese because of the Second Sino-Japanese War and killed many in the Sook Ching Massacre. The other races of Singapore, such as the Malays and the Indians were not spared. Singapore residents would suffer great hardships under Japanese rule over the following three and a half years. [source: wiki]

1/6 scale 12-inch Japanese soldiers from left to right: Seaman 1st class, Japanese Imperial Navy by BBI in 2002, Japanese Army Officer and Japanese Infantryman by Cotswold Collectibles, 1999

Japanese Imperial Navy Seaman 1st class "Yamato Ichiro"

Japanese Army Officer with tropical field cap and Katana sword

Japanese Infantryman with the 'Buun-Tchokyu' (good-luck flag) tied to his Model 38 Arisaka rifle.

That's why when Mr Lee Kuan Yew (now Minister Mentor) became Prime Minister, the NS (Amendment) act was passed on 14 March 1967 as the Singapore government felt that it was necessary to build its own substantial military force and not be dependent on others for our country's defence.

February 15 is also Total Defence Day and yesterday marked its 25th anniversary since it was introduced in 1984 to drive the five aspects of total defence - psychological, social, economic, civil and military defence. This year, the campaign gets personal with the tag-line: WHAT WILL YOU DEFEND? and Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean puts it best with his answer: "My Family, My Home, My Country - Singapore!"