Battlefields of Singapore

Off the Beaten Path in Singapore

A cemetery is usually not top of anybody’s list of places to visit for an excursion, and is even more unlikely to be on the itinerary of visitors to Singapore. 

On 15 February 1942, the great British bastion of Singapore fell to the Japanese Imperial Army. The event marked one of the darkest days for the Allied cause during World War II. Today we relived history during our port  of call  in Singapore.  We opted to go off the beaten path to visit Singapore's war sites via the Battlefields of Singapore excursion.


Kranji War Memorial

We boarded our motorcoach and drove to Kranji War Memorial, dedicated to the Allied servicemen and women who died defending Singapore during World War II. The memorial site is multi-ethnic, as nationalities making up the Allied Forces included British, Australian, Canadians, New Zealander, Dutch, South African personnel, and a large number of Indians as well – almost 50% of the names on the memorials are Indian. The memorial is also multi-religious, as Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and Taoists, Confucians, Hindus, Jains and Sikhs are all commemorated.

The main avenue of the cemetery rises gently from the Stone of Remembrance near the entrance to the Cross of Sacrifice, beyond which are flights of steps leading to a hill-top terrace. On this terrace are four memorials. The largest memorial is the Singapore Memorial with the names of 24,346 soldiers and airmen who died during the campaign in Malaya and Indonesia, or in subsequent captivity, and have no known grave. A register bearing these details is kept by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.  The War Cemetery contains the graves of 4,458 of the fallen. More than 850 graves are of unidentified personnel. The Chinese Memorial in plot 44 is a collective grave for 69 Chinese members of the British Commonwealth Forces.

Note:  there weren't restroom facilities at the cemetery, but there were at our next stop.

Old Ford Motor Company

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The old Ford Motor Company factory,  was the site of the British surrender to the Japanese in February 1942. The factory was built by Ford Motor Works in October, 1941, and became Ford's first motor car assembly plant in Southeast Asia. Japanese forces invaded Singapore shortly thereafter. During the Malayan Campaign, the factory's modern assembly equipment was used by the Royal Air Force to assemble fighter planes. The National Archives of Singapore, the new custodian of the historical site, has converted the building to house an exhibition gallery and repository called Memories at Old Ford Factory.

Changi 

Changi was a POW camp that held over 50,000 British and Australian prisoners of war. Our visit there included Changi Chapel, a reproduction of the 1944 Chapel built by Australian prisoners, and Changi Museum.   The museum displays the prisoners' sketches and watercolors, a pair of rail spikes from the notorious Thai-Burma railway where thousands perished, and a quilt made by women inmates.

Note: no photography is allowed inside the museum but you can take as many pictures as you like outside and in the chapel.

Back to the Ship

This look at Singapore history was over as we boarded our motorcoach for the return trip to Sapphire Princess.  We encourage you to venture off the beaten path during your voyage.   This excursion met our expectations and we would recommend this to anyone interested in history or who had already seen the popular sites in Singapore.

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Related Album:

Kranji War Memorial
Former Ford Factory
Changi Museum
Singapore Bay

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History Lesson Near Strasbourg

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The Maginot Line,
named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles, and weapons installations that France constructed just before the border with Switzerland and the borders with Germany and Luxembourg during the 1930s.

The French established the fortification to provide time for their army to mobilize in the event of attack, allowing French forces to move into Belgium for a decisive confrontation with Germany.

While the fortification system did prevent a direct attack, it was strategically ineffective, as the Germans invaded through Belgium, going around the Maginot Line.

Optional Excursion from Strasbourg

We opted to go off the beaten path on the road less traveled to the Maginot Line.  The other choice for afternoon touring was a visit to the wine country of Alsace, France.  Since we'd have our fill of wine during dinners throughout the cruise, and since we'd see many vineyards along the Moselle River, having a live history lesson appealed to us.  The tour was very informative, with a local guide providing the commentary.

What to Expect

Once you enter the tunnels, the temperature drops dramatically, which for us was quite welcome due to the unusual heat wave in Europe this year.  You'll be inside the fortification for a couple hours,  so if you are prone to chill easily, you'll want to take a jacket, sweater, or other warm covering.  It is also dark and damp.

There was a lot of walking on this tour, as well as climbing some steps.   In fact, there were more than one hundred steps up to the turret (left image) and more than two hundred down (right image).  The stairs on the way down were very shallow. 

I had a walking stick from the ship and was able to traverse the stairs, even with my bad knee.   I would not recommend the tour if you have extreme difficulty walking or with stairs.

There is a small museum, which you can explore at the end of the tour.  The ticket window has a few souvenirs that can be purchased.  Don't forget some money for the tour guide, since he really makes the tour interesting.


^{Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page:}

Strasbourg - Maginot Line

Strasbourg - Canal Boat Tour

Strasbourg - Walking Tour

Strasbourg - Cathedral

 

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65th Anniversary End of World War II

August 14, 1945

Victory in the Pacific

This weekend, ceremonies across the world are being held to commemorate the 65th Anniversary of the end of World War II.   On Aug. 14, Emperor Hirohito made an announcement over Japanese radio that the empire had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, effectively ending World War II.

This photo was taken at the National Liberation Museum outside Arnhem during our Tulip Time River Cruise (AMA Waterways).   This museum, close to Arnhem, Nijmegen, and the German border, is a place where you can experience history.

1941 - 1945 were dark years in the history of the world.  Sadly many young men and women were killed on foreign soil or even in their own homelands.   For those that survived, vivid pictures remained.   Many of the veterans would not even speak about the war.  My father was one that wouldn't talk about it.

That generation is slowly fading away, and with them the information about what they endured during the war years.    Museums are our only hope of keeping this memory alive, for despite it being a terrible memory, it is a part of our history.

A cruise to Europe is a fabulous opportunity to explore more about World War II.    We've written about some of our experiences in past columns.   It's back to school time now and many children will be studying history out of a book.   Why not bring that to life for them by planning a cruise to Europe?    Contact me for help planning a trip.

Sadly, there still are wars going on in our lives - I can only imagine the joy of August 14, 1945, as peace was declared.   Hopefully history will repeat itself in a positive way - by ending war.   

I won't try to report on all the 65th Anniversary celebrations here in this column.  If you are interested, do a search on the web for more articles commemorating this day in history.