Changi Cantonment | The Long and Winding Road

NHB’s 24th heritage trail is a window into Changi’s intriguing past

27 03 2024

Changi is many things to me. It is a place, unspoiled in some parts, of great natural beauty, a place of much history, and most of all, a place whose magic is timeless. Changi has given me many moments of joy. I frequented Changi as a young child, and in my youth. There were many Sundays by the beach, strolls through the old village and then concretised version of it. I have also had many stay in the area’s government holiday bungalows and even had a party for my National Service Run-Out-Date (now referred to as Operationally-Ready-Date) at one that quite sadly, was demolished not too long ago. Even if a huge chunk of the Changi that was dear to me as a child was taken away by the development of Changi Airport, the space Changi has on offer, its calming views of the sea, and places in abundance which modernity seemed to have forgotten, it continues to be my favourite place of escape to this very day.

Changi Point, where time seems to slow down, and where time seemed to have passed very slowly, is where focus has been placed in the the Changi Heritage Trail, the latest in the National Heritage Board’s (NHB) series heritage trails. This and the 23 heritage trails before it, are a wonderful gift that NHB has given to us in Singapore. Through them we gain a much deeper appreciation of everyday places in Singapore and gain a better understanding of what made them what they’ve become. We also learn about the interesting tales that may be embedded in these places, their communities, and how their connections with the place may have developed over time.

Changi’s past, or at least its documented past, goes back to the early 1600s, when it was marked in maps as Tanjong Rusa. A Portuguese map, produced by Malacca-based Manual Godinho de Erédia and published in 1604 to aid in the discovery of the legendary islands of gold, depicts this, as does a 1607 Dutch map made by the de Bry family that records a ferocious sea battle fought in 1603 off the coast of Tanjong Rusa between the sea powers of the period, the Dutch and Portuguese. Both this maps, show how Changi was recognised as a strategic location, well before it became an essential component of the coastal defence systems built in the 1930s to protect the Naval Base in Sembawang.

This, as well as a wealth of other intriguing aspects of Changi’s past, captured in the 23 wonderful sites that the trail features, is contained within the trail’s well-researched companion guide booklet. There is also a trail map, in which one finds suggested routes of discovery organised around three themes: Bungalows and Beaches in Changi, War and Peace in Changi, and Gateways and Communities in Changi, all of which are give a great sense of what is really a unique part of Singapore, what it was, how it developed, and most importantly for me, a painful wartime past that should never be forgotten. The latter is why it is important to share stories of Changi. One way this is also done is through the annual Battle for Singapore commemoration. It is also why I think what’s left of the old Changi should be kept the way it is.

Soft copies of the companion guide and map can be downloaded from https://go.gov.sg/roots-changi-heritage-trail. The map will be made available in all four languages from June 2024. Limited printed copies of the companion guide are also be available at Siglap Community Club, Changi Chapel and Museum, and Asian Civilisations Museum.

Highlights of the 3 Suggested Routes
See also:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4-IMr1uWw6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Bungalows and Beaches in Changi
(1 hour with public transport)
4km

The route explores Changi’s past and present as a leisure destination.

Changi has long been home to Government Bungalows. Bungalows, recreational facilities such as sailing and beach clubs, and holiday chalets are found in present day Changi , many of which have links to the past as a leisure destination and as a military base. Taking a walk along this route will bring you close to some of these places, all of which have a tale or two to tell.

Route Highlights:

Bungalows and Leisure in Changi
The Manasseh Bungalow – the oldest house in Changi
(See also: History Misunderstood)

E S Manasseh’s Holdiay Bungalow, which was a popular spot for honeymooners.

Inside the E S Manasseh’s former holiday home today. The bungalow was taken over by the War Office for a school. It was used later as a transit hotel in the days of RAF Changi and had a brief spell as part of the Cheshire Home in part ofthe 1970s and 1980s.

Changi Cottage
(See also: History Misunderstood)

Changi Cottage, which LKY took a rest in following the stressful days of separation from Malaysia in August 1965, is bes viewed from the boat to Ubin.

Built as a holiday residence for the Governor and other senior officials in 1950, Changi Cottage was a go to place of escape for the Prime Minister and other members of Government in the early years of independence. It can now be rented by members of public for stays.

Changi Sailing Club

Changi Beach Club

Fairy Point Chalet 7, a former married officer’s residence built at the end of the 1920s.

Did you know?
That Fairy Point was named after a wooden bungalow owned by Mr Gottlieb, a magistrate. The bungalow was demolished for a senior officers’ residence known as Fairy Point House or Fairy Point Chalet 7 in 1929. The cluster of buildings on Fairy Point Hill and Batu Puteh Hill next to it was where the first structures built by the War Office came up and is thus the oldest section of the cantonment.

The bungalow, was one of several bungalows put up as retreats in an area of extreme natural beauty. The charm of Changi was already well known in the 1840s, when the government built Changi Bungalow held the reputation of being a “fashionable place for picnic parties”. Built of timber, Changi Bungalow was the predecessor of a series of bungalows that the government has maintained in and aorund the site of Changi Cottage until this very day.

War and Peace in Changi
(1.5 hours with public transport)
7.6km

Changi was developed as a military cantonment from the end of the 1920s, in and around which a system of coastal defence was also placed to defend the maritime entrance to the naval base.

Changi Point in particular, contains a wonderful set of military structures that were designed to maximise the comfort of soldiers in the tropics. The structures were templates for barracks across the rest of Changi built in the 1930s, as well as Gillman Barracks and Nee Soon Barracks. Changi was also where a prison came up in 1936, which was placed at the southern end of an area that was used to hold internees, both civilian and Prisoners of War (POWs) during the Second World War. The period would leave an indelible mark on Changi, which will always be associated with the depravation, pain and suffering of captivity. There are also many stories of resilience, of the triumph of the human spirit in the face of great adversity. It is in Changi Chapel and Museum that many of these stories are now told.

The War and Peace route is a great way to discover these stories and also understand Changi’s military past a lot better.

Route Highlights:

Changi Prison

Do note that the wall, turret and main gate, which are a National Monument, can only be viewed from the outside. Visits to it have however been organised previously, including one I led to it as part of a Changi Chapel and Museum’s Battle for Singapore 2024 twinned tour. Besides the wall There is also a Singapore Prison Service (SPS) Heritage Gallery, which is a showcase of the service’s journey of transformation. Group visits to the gallery for educational purposes can be made through special arrangements with SPS.
See:
The ship’s boy and survivor of the Empress of Asia attack who became a doctor
A showcase of the Singapore Prison Service’s journey of transformation

A stretch of wall, two corner turrets and a much photographed main gate now feature as a National Monument.

Changi Chapel and Museum

Former Changi Cantonment and RAF Changi
(Only viewable from the main road)
See also:
History Misunderstood
A Beautiful Campus by the Sea

The cantonment at Kitchener Barracks (which housed the Royal Engineers until early 1942) contained the first barrack structures of this kind. Construction of which began at the end of the 1920s up to about 1935. These blocks, mostly along Hendon Road, were later repurposed to housed units associated with HQ Far East Air Force (FEAF) as part of RAF Changi from 1946 to 1971.

A tour for Battle for Singapore, 2024, during which I explained how an air strip was put in by the Japanese forces (with POW labour) and how and why that came to be used for landing heavy transport planes after the war ended. This would form the basis for the establishment of an air station, RAF Changi in the former army cantonment.

Amongst those held as POWs, there are some who spoke of being tasked with the gruesome task of clearing the remains of the victims of Sook Ching at Changi Beach (the beach beyond the footbridge at Changi Village, where a Sook Ching marker can be found)

Former Changi Hospital
(Only viewable from outside the fence)
(see also: History Misunderstood and Revisiting the Past)

Old Changi Hospital (seen here during a Discovering Singapore’s Best Kept Secrets visit that I organised in collaboration with SLA) has its roots in the RAF Hospital established in 1947 as part of RAF Changi. The three-floor Block 24 seen here, was originally a barrack block of Kitchener Barracks. The taller six-storey building, Block 161, was an addition to the hospital in 1962.

Did you know?
That Changi Hospital was where more than a thousand RAF babies were welcomed to the world?

Many who were born there come back to have a glimpse of their place of birth, as do many who were warded at the hospital. The hospital was best remembered for the views and the environment that it provided for rest and recuperation and had the reputation of being the best in the RAF.

Gateways and Communities in Changi
(2 hours with public transport)
12km

It is often the communities and the people that make a place. This is also the case in Changi, which was home to a varied lot. Beyond the military personnel, Changi supported a multi-racial community. Some worked for the military in areas such as catering and housekeeping. There were also those who ran businesses catering to the day-to-day needs of the soldiers and airmen, including tailors, sundry shopkeepers, photo stores operators, and food and beverage establishments. Changi Village, grew out of this and the modern version of it provides a reflection of this past.

Route Highlights:

Changi Point Ferry Terminal

Jetties and landing points have long been a feature of Changi Village. The image is of one of the two jetties at Changi Village from which passengers could hire boats to Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong, Johor and elsewhere, c. 1930s-40s
(The Hebblewhite Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)

Changi Point Ferry Terminal, 2015. The ferry terminal which is near the village is a successor to the landing points of the past and provides a link to Pulau Ubin and also Pengerang in Johor.

Changi Point Footbridge and Sungei Changi (Changi Creek)

A wooden footbridge once carried people over Sungei Changi (Changi Creek) from the village to the beach. This was replaced by a concrete bridge in the 1930s, which has become quite an icon in Changi Point.

Changi Beach

Changi Village

Changi Milk Bar, 1947-48 (Image Courtesy of Royal Airforce Changi Association)

Charlie’s Corner’s owner Charlie Han’s father co-founded the Changi Milk Bar, a popular spot for RAF Servicemen in the old Changi Village.

Sree Ramar Temple

A member of the temple committee sharing about how he grew up in the village near where the mechanised car park is today. He looked forward to rainy days so that he could play in the water.

The temple today

Former Kampongs of Changi

While the physical reminders of the coastal kampongs of Changi may have disappeared, what remains are the memories of those who lived in them. Mdm Isiah Majid, a former resident of Kampong Ayer Gemuroh recalls the fresh water spring that the village was named after and was well known for. She also recounted popular village activities such as “berkarang” or coastal foraging and how kapur (slaked lime) was produced from burning cockle shells in Telok Mata Ikan. Kapur is used in producing whitewash, which was sold to villagers and shoe whitener.

There were also coastal villagers around Changi Point, along the area of the boardwalk (Changi Point Coastal Walk) near the sailing club, where Kampong Batu Puteh was. Two graves along the boardwalk are a reminder of the kampong, which on maps had a mosque and a cemetery.

Changi Airport

Did you know?
That in 1946, plans were made for a civil airport in Changi that in a 1948 announcement, was to be the “world’s best airport”?

While the idea was abandoned soon after as there were concerns on the sandy subsoil, it would be a prediction that would be fulfilled some 4 decades later. Changi continued to be developed by the RAF. In 1952, the military airfield actually welcomed the first civil passenger jetliners calling at Singapore on regular services (Kallang Airport’s runway had been deemed inadequate). Paya Lebar would be built in 1955, and in 1981 Changi Airport, considered by many to be the world’s best or among the world’s best was opened.

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Tags: Changi, Changi Airport, Changi Beach, Changi by the Sea, Changi Cantonment, Changi Chapel and Museum, Changi during the war, Changi Gaol, Changi Garrison, Changi Heritage Trail, Changi Hospital, Changi Point, Changi Point Coastal Walk, Changi POW Camp, Changi Village, Forgotten Places, History of Changi, Kampong Ayer Gemuroh, Kitchener Barracks, Memories of Changi, National Heritage Board, Old Changi Hospital, Old Places, Old Singapore, Photographs, Photography, POW Experience, RAF Changi, RAF Changi Hospital, Singapore, Sook Ching
Categories : Changi & Somapah, Growing Up, Heritage Sites, Heritage Trails, History, Military Sites, Photography, Photography Series, Reminders of Yesterday, Seascapes, Singapore, Walks, Windows into Singapore, World War II Sites

Old Changi Hospital — a chance to visit for the 80th Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore

9 02 2022

The three blocks that make up the former Changi Hospital are probably some of the most misunderstood buildings in Singapore. Much has been speculated about them and how they were used during the Second World War, leading to the buildings having gained a reputation for something that they are not.

Just what role did two of the hospital’s original blocks play? Why were they built in Changi? How were they part of the overall strategy for the defence of Britain’s possessions in the Far East? What happened in them during the war? These are questions that I hope to answer during a specially arranged visit that will permit us to have a look at the buildings behind the security fence for a tour that I will be conducting in conjunction with Changi Chapel and Museum’s (CCM) programme being organised to mark the 80th Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore.

Block 24. What role did it originally play?

Two sessions of the tour will be conducted on 19 Feb 2022, which will begin with a docent-led tour of CCM through which will provide participants with a better understanding of Changi as a military site, how it became associated with captivity – both military and civilian, and provide a deeper appreciation of the experience of the civilian and military internees. Following the docent-led tour at CCM, participants will travel by coach to the site of the former Changi Hospital where my section of the tour will begin.

In a hospital ward with a view that will change the perspective of what the hospital was and what it meant.

Registration for the tour will begin at 10 am on 10 February 2022. Please visit https://ccm1-och22.peatix.com/ for more information, tour times and to register. Information can also be found on the CCM website. I will also be doing two tours of the former Tanglin Barracks (Dempsey Hill) to explore its connections with the Second World War, one on 12 February and another on 5 March 2022, both from 9am to 10.30am (more at this link).

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Tags: 80th Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore, Barrack Buildings, Battle for Singapore, Battle for Singapore 2022, Changi, Changi by the Sea, Changi Cantonment, Changi during the war, Changi Garrison, Changi Point, Heritage Tour, Jerome Lim, Kitchener Barracks, Old Changi Hospital, Old Changi Hospital Tour, POW Experience, Prisoners of War, Royal Artillery, Second World War, Singapore, The Long and Winding Road, Wartime Heritage, World War II, World War Two
Categories : Architecture, Architecture, Changi & Somapah, Changi Chapel and Museum, Discovering Singapore's Best Kept Secrets, Forgotten Buildings, Forgotten Places, Heritage Sites, Heritage Trails, Military Sites, Museums, Reminders of Yesterday, Singapore, State Property Visits, Unseen Singapore, World War II Sites

The refreshingly revamped Changi Chapel and Museum

12 05 2021

Booking of visits slots to Changi Chapel and Museum:

https://nhb.vouch.sg/ccm

Located close to Changi Prison and in the Changi area where tens of thousands of Allied Prisoners-of-War (POWs) and civilians were held captive during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore from 1942 to 1945, Changi Chapel and Museum (CCM) is a place to remember the experiences of those held and a site of pilgrimage for the families of those held captive. Closed for a huge revamp since 2018, CCM will reopen on 19 May 2021 with a with a refreshingly new feel, a new logo, and offer an experience that will be a lot more immersive.

The new look Changi Chapel and Museum – a huge improvement from its previous incarnation. The visitor services area, which spots a new look logo, with the CCM monogram shaped like a POW chapel. The logo is also designed to resemble prison bars.

For those held in Changi, the period of captivity, was marked by immense suffering and pain, and for some, death. Disease, malnutrition and the inhumane and overcrowded conditions under which both POWs and civilian internees were subjected to, contributed to this. In all that adversity, there are also many stories of resilience and resourcefulness, of hope, and ultimately, of survival. Some of these stories have been brought out by CCM through a combination of artefacts, personal accounts and through the use of multimedia. On display are 114 artefacts, and in them the individual stories of hope and resilience. Of the 114, 82 are newly acquired or loaned. These new artefacts also include 37 that have been obtained through donations or loans from the public, including several that have very generously come from the families of former internees.

A morse code transmitting device hidden in a matchbox, which shows the ingenuity of prisoners held in Changi.

The revamped museum features eight exhibition zones, as compared to five in the CCM’s previous incarnation as the Changi Museum. Some of the highlights found within these eight zones are given below. Another highlight of the museum is the replica chapel featuring the Changi Cross. The replica chapel, representative of the various chapels of captivity and modelled after St George’s Church, was constructed in 1988 and was originally on the grounds of Changi Prison. This was moved to the present site in 2001. Made from the casing of a 4.5” howitzer shell and strips of brass from camp workshops, the Changi Cross was a feat of the POWs’ resourcefulness and ingenuity. Designed by Reverend Eric Cordingly, it was made by Staff Sergeant Harry Stogden with Sapper Tim Hemmings using a sharpened steel umbrella spike to engrave the badges of the four regiments making up the congregation of St George’s POW Church. The cross has been loaned on a permanent basis to Changi Chapel and Museum by Reverend Cordingly’s family.

Opening and Admission

CCM will open from Tuesdays to Sundays from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm (Last Admission is at 5 pm).

Admission to CCM will be free for all Singaporeans and Permanent Residents.

Tourists and Foreign Residents will be charged $8 for adults and $5 for students, and Special Access. Children 6 years and below enjoy free entry. and above senior citizens (60 years and above). Visitors will enjoy $2 off admission with a valid ticket stub from the National Museum of Singapore. There is also a family package of $24 for a family of 5 with a maximum of 3 adults.

For the period of the opening from 19 to 30 May 2021 when all visitors will enjoy free entry.

Changi Chapel and Museum Opening Weekend (22 and 23 May 2021)

Priority Admission with Pre-booked Timeslots

Due to crowd regulation for safe-distancing, visitors are advised to pre-book their admission by timeslots (930am, 1130am, 130pm and 330pm) for opening weekend on 22 and 23 May.

Visitors with pre-booked admission slots will be given priority admission to the museum, but will however be required to visit during the selected time. Timeslots can be booked for up to a maximum of 5 person. Booking opens on 17 May 2021, 12 noon.

Crowd levels can be check via the museum website or chatbot before their visit and those without pre-booked entry timeslots may be required to return at a later time.

Do note that there is limited paid parking lots available at the Changi Chapel and Museum and there is also no public parking available in the vicinity. As such, visitors will be advised to take public transport or private car hire to the museum.

Opening Weekend Programmes include guided tours of the gallery and a recorded orchestral performance based on the experiences of prisoners of war for which pre- registration is required.
Registration for Opening Weekend programmes will also allow priority admission to the museum and there is not need to further pre-book admission by timeslots separately. Registration of programmes will begin on 17 May.

More information is available on the opening weekend programmes and registration details, please visit www.changichapelmuseum.gov.sg and CCM’sFacebook and Instagram pages.

The Eight Zones

Zone 1: Changi Fortress

The first zone, Changi Fortress, provides some context for how Changi became a place of internment in tracing how Changi developed from an area of swamp and forest, into a place for leisure and then into a military cantonment, setting the scene for the role that Changi played during the war. Here the visitor will be greeted by a projection that sets the context for the museum’s narrative as well as maps, and photographs related to Changi’s early days.

The Changi Fortress zone, where visitors will encounter a projection show that sets the context of the museum’s narrative.

A view of a forested Changi in 1869 – a print **View in Changi** that was published in *Skizzen aus Singapur und Djohor* (Sketches of Singapore and Johore) by Austrian diplomat and naturalist Eugen von Ransonnet.

Zone 2: Fallen Fortress

The next zone, Fallen Fortress, looks at the Fall of Singapore and its aftermath. Among the artefacts of interest is a well preserved chronometer from the HMS Bulan, a cargo ship that was involved in the evacuation. It left Singapore on 11 February 1942 with a load of civilian evacuees, arriving safely in Batavia after steaming for four days during which time it was attacked.

Zone 3: The Interned

The third zone looks a the stories of the men, women and children who were interned. Some 48,000 of whom were marched to Changi in the days after the surrender with the civilians interned in Changi Prison and the troops in various camps in the area.

Among the artefacts of note is a 1941 Christmas dinner menu from the USS Joseph T. Dickman, a troopship carrying Private Albert Riley of the 195th Field Ambulance Unit, Royal Army Medical Corps, provides a sense of how blissfully unaware and unprepared the troops arriving in Singapore were for the ordeal that was to follow. Also of interest is signed shirt with some 30 names written on it, 22 of whom were known to have survived the war. Found on the shirt is an attempt to document what went on, such a an incident involving Pte Lewer’s fall into a sewer.

The display of artefacts in the third zone.

A Christmas dinner menu from the USS Joseph T. Dickman, which carried Private Albert Riley of the 195th Field Ambulance Unit, Royal Army Medical Corps.

A shirt with names written on it. Out of 30 names found on the shirt, 22 were known to have survived the war.

A close-up of the shirt shows an attempt to also document some of what went on, such as an unfortunate incident involving a Pte Lewer falling into a sewer.

Zone 4: Life as a POW

The Life as a POW recalls how life would have been as a prisoner. Changi Prison is a focal point with remnants of the prison — a place of civilian internment up to May 1944 when civilians were moved to Sime Road Camp. The prison served as the POW camp after this.

The highlight of the zone is a recreation of a Changi Prison cell complete with an actual door from the since demolished old prison. The small cell, intended to hold a single prisoner, held up to four prisoners during the period of internment. The re-created cell includes speakers at various points at which historical recordings of conversations between the internees.

A Changi Prison door. A mirror placed beside the door gives the impression of a long row of cells.

Historical recordings of conversations between the internees at various points in the cell offer a glimpse into their living conditions and daily experiences.

A captors-eye view through the peephole of the prison cell door.

Zone 5: Resilience in Adversity

The Resilience in Adversity zone provides a look at the hardship that the internees faced and how they responded to it. Among the hardships recalled in this zone are the work camps that the POWs were sent away to, including those on the so-called Death Railway on the Thai-Burma border. Also recalled was the Double Tenth Incident which began on 10 October 1943, involving the interrogation of civilian internees by the Kempeitai in Changi Prison and the likes of Elizabeth Choy in the old YMCA. The incident occurred after the successful Allied commando raid behind enemy lines in the harbour known as Operation Jaywick.

The zone is probably where the most visually impactful section of the CCM also is — where the replica Changi Murals are found. The original murals, five of which were painted, were the work of Stanley Warren from September 1942 to May 1943. Warren, who was down with dysentery and renal disease and a patient in the POW hospital at Roberts Barracks, summoned what little reserves were left in his strength to paint the biblical scenes. This became a source of hope and solace for his fellow POWs. The display, which I am glad has been retained (there was some thought initially of using video projections instead) is supplemented by multimedia panels that tell their story. I was fortunate to have visited the actual murals, which are in Block 151 in the former Roberts Barracks — now within Changi Air Base (West). More on my visit in 2013 and the Changi Murals can be found in “A light where there was only darkness”.

Also on display in the zone are objects fashioned by prisoners out of available materials such as toothbrushes and several other new highlights of the museum such as a Kodak Baby Brownie Camera and a 400 page diary that was maintained by civilian internee Arthur Westrop. The diary, “A Letter to My Wife”, contains entries written as if they were actual letters to his wife, who was in Rhodesia. The diary, which Westrop kept hidden under the floorboards, survived a raid on his cell during the Double Tenth Incident.

Resilience in Adversity looks at some of the hardships faced. One of the worst periods in POW life came when POWs were sent away from Changi to work camps which included the Thai-Burma or Death Railway (notice the representation of the rail tracks on the ground).

Also recalled was the Double Tenth Incident, involving the interrogation of civilian internees by the Kempeitai in Changi Prison and the likes of Elizabeth Choy in the old YMCA. The incident occured after the successful Allied commando raid behind enemy lines in the harbour known as Operation Jaywick.

Diary of Arthur Westrop 1942−1945, Gift of the family of Arthur Westrop, Collection of the National Museum of Singapore.

Zone 6: Creativity in Adversity

Creativity in Adversity looks at how creative expression played a huge role in helping prisoners cope with their circumstances. Art and craft, theatrical performances, music, sports and even educational pursuits, played an important role in the process and the zone showcases some of the efforts in this area.

Among the internees were womenfolk, who found comfort in sewing quilts for the wounded. The quilts were also an ingenious method of messaging, as it allowed the women to tell their husbands that they were alive. In each personalised embroidered square, were expressions also of love patriotism, and identity.

Also found in the zone are works of art, efforts to create props for theatre, books that were used for learning including a Malay-English dictionary, and a word map of names of numerous places and objects, written on this piece of paper by Leading Aircraftman Ronald Bailey that provides an insight into a life cut short by a stint on the Death Railway. Bailey died aged 23, in 1943.

An exact replica of the British Changi Quilt made in2003 by the Asian Women’s Welfare Association. The original quilt is with the British Red Cross.

An interactive panel showing how a ventriloquist’s dummy was made by prisoners.

The Changi University provided education for many POWs in the early days of internment.

A message sent by a wife that tells a story of hope and love.

The word map of names of numerous places and objects, written on this piece of paper by Leading Aircraftman Ronald Bailey. This provides an insight into Bailey’s life and the places that he connect with. Bailey died in 1943 on the Death Railway aged 23.

Zone 7: Liberation

Liberation, which followed the surrender of Japan on 15 August 1945 and the subsequent British reoccupation of Singapore, brought a three and a half year chapter of captivity to an end. The zone is where the immediate aftermath and its impact on internees is looked at. Artefacts in the zone include a samurai sword presented to a POW and a letter from King George VI to POWs.

A letter from King George VI addressed to captives.

A samurai sword presented to a POW by a Japanese officer at the end of the war.

Zone 8: Legacies

In the final zone, Legacies, the legacy of Changi as a prison camp, is remembered. Here, the names and stories of the internees call be called up on interactive screens. There is also a running count of internees and view some artefacts that were produced to remember how they had survived the internment.

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Tags: Changi, Changi Cantonment, Changi Chapel and Museum, Changi Chapel and Museum Reopening, Changi Gaol, Changi Garrison, Changi Prison, Civilian Internment, Events, POW Experience, Preview, Prisoners of War, Remembrance, Second World War, Singapore, World War II, World War Two
Categories : Changi & Somapah, Changi Chapel and Museum, Forgotten Places, Heritage Sites, Museums, Photography, Photography Series, Reminders of Yesterday, Singapore, Windows into Singapore, World War II Sites

A beautiful campus by the sea

20 04 2021

A peek into the beautiful BNP Paribas Asia-Pacific Campus. Established in 2014, the campus occupies two beautifully restored former barrack blocks of the former (Royal Engineers) Kitchener Barracks in Changi. The two blocks, currently Block 34 and 35 and formerly B an C Blocks, were among the first to be built in the Changi Cantonment that was developed from the end of the 1920s into the late 1930s and provide an excellent example of how such buildings could be restored and repurposed in the light of the recently announced Ideas Competition for Changi Point and old Changi Hospital (see also: Ideas sought to repurpose Old Changi Hospital, enhance surrounding Changi Point area).

The former B-Block, together with the former H-Block (now Block 24, which in 1947 was repurposed as RAF Hospital, Changi), were in fact the first barrack blocks to constructed in Changi and were completed by 1930. The cantonment also included barracks for the Royal Artillery at Roberts Barracks — now within Changi Air Base (West) and for the infantry at Selarang Barracks, as well as smaller camps for various Indian Army units.

In the 1920s, Britain had moved to establish a large naval base in Sembawang to defend its Far East interests in the face of rising Japanese ambition. The setting up of the cantonment followed this decision and was carried out to install, maintain, man and secure coastal artillery being placed around the eastern mouth of the Tebrau or Johor Strait to protect the naval base against naval attack.

The cantonment, which sustained some damage in the lead up to the Fall of Singapore but remain largely intact, was evacuated on 12 February 1942. Singapore fell on 15 February 1942 and with Japanese forces overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of surrendering Allied troops in Singapore, they found a solution to accommodating some of these troops in the emptied barracks in Changi. On 17 February 1942, close to 50,000 British and Australian Prisoners-of-War (POWs) were marched to Changi and placed in the various camps. The troops forming the last line of defence in Singapore, the Singapore Fortress Southern Area troops, which included some volunteer units, were allocated Kitchener Barracks. The Australians were kept separately in Selarang. POW hospitals, which were set up in former field hospitals in Roberts and Selarang, were consolidated at Roberts Barracks — this is where the Changi Murals were painted.

The POWs would initially have little contact with their captors, who got them to wire themselves into the various camps. Discipline was maintained by the officers among the POWs, who also took it upon themselves to keep the morale up. Sports, theatrical performances and even university classes were organised — there were several professional sportsmen amongst the ranks and also lecturers from Raffles College who were with the volunteer units and in Kitchener Barracks, the Southern Area College operated. With the Fortress troops — who were not involved in the retreat down Malaya — being amongst the fittest of the POWs, the men of the camp at Kitchener were among the first to be picked for the Japanese organised work teams, many of which would be sent to provide labour in places like the Thai-Burma ‘Death’ Railway. The numbers in Kitchener dwindled to the point that it could be closed as a POW camp in May 1943, followed by Roberts in September 1943. In May 1944, the POWs, which included those who had survived the Death Railway, were concentrated at Changi Prison, which had previously been used as a civilian internment camp (the civilians were moved to Sime Road Camp).

The two camps would then be occupied by Japanese units involved in the construction of the Japanese airstrip at Changi (operational at the end of 1944), around which the Royal Air Force would establish RAF Air Station Changi (RAF Changi) in 1946. The blocks of the former Kitchener Barracks were then used by the RAF, with RAF Hospital Changi being established in 1947. Among the renumbered blocks, Block 35, housed HQ Far East Air Force (FEAF) Command. The various roads within the former Kitchener Barracks were renamed after RAF Air Stations. Following the British pull-out in October 1971, the barrack buildings (except for Block 24 and 37), were used by the Singapore Armed Forces as Commando Camp. Of the various barrack developments, only the former Kitchener remains largely intact today.

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Tags: Architecture, Barrack Hill, Beautiful Places, Beautiful Singapore, BNP Paribas Asia-Pacific Campus, Changi, Changi by the Sea, Changi Cantonment, Changi Point, Changi POW Camp, Charmingly Changi, Colonial Architecture, FEAF Hill, Kitchener Barracks, Military Architecture, Military Heritage, Military SItes, Old Changi Hospital, Old Singapore, POW Experience, RAF Changi, Royal Air Force, Singapore, World War II, World War Two
Categories : Architecture, Architecture, Changi & Somapah, Changing Landscapes, Forgotten Buildings, Forgotten Places, Heritage Sites, Military Sites, Photography, Photography Series, Reminders of Yesterday, Singapore, Singapore Architecture, Undiscovered Singapore, Unseen Singapore, World War II Sites

History Misunderstood: Changi Point

5 04 2021

Set in scenic surroundings in Singapore’s rustic north-eastern corner, the area we refer to as Changi Point, is one in which I have found great joy in. It is an area of much beauty with much of its natural geographical features intact and wears a charm that is little changed from the time I first interacted with it more than half a century ago. Over the years, I have also discovered that the area is one with quite a history; a history that is even recorded in maps of a 17^th century battle off Changi. Also as fascinating is Changi Point and its more recent past, one that goes back to the early decades of Singapore as a British East India Company trading port.

Changi today – with a view towards Pulau Ubin

Remote and inhospitable and with its surroundings dominated by mangrove and terrestrial forests in British Singapore’s earliest years, Changi Point’s charm must have already been in evidence then; so much so that several adventurous souls amongst the gentry recognised its potential as a spot for a retreat. Among the first to see this was Mr Gottlieb, who put up Fairy Point bungalow on what could be thought of as the prime of prime locations on the seaward side of an elevation he christened Fairy Point Hill.

Fairy Point – the site of Mr Gottlieb’s Bungalow

In addition to Mr Gottlieb’s place of escape, the government had also had a bungalow built. Besides serving as a stay-over location for officers sent to the remote area for surveys, its use was extended for leisure purposes. By the mid-1840s, Changi Bungalow – as it had come to be known, had gained the reputation of being a “fashionable resort for picnic parties”. Constructed of wood, the bungalow had to be rebuilt several times over the years with its last iteration being demolished in 1965. The expansive grounds of the bungalow is an area that until today, has been in the hands of Singapore’s successive governments and amongst the structures now found on it is the 1950 built Changi Cottage, as well as several other holiday facilities.

One holiday home from Changi’s past that is still standing is a bungalow that belonged to Mr Ezekiel S Manasseh, who is often confused with Sir Manasseh Meyer. A founder of Goodwood Park Hotel, Mr E S Manasseh is better known for his mansion in Tanglin, Eden Hall, which is the British High Commissioner’s residence today. Mr Manasseh also maintained a holiday home in Changi Point. Located on the left bank of Changi Creek, he often extended its use to newlyweds for their honeymoon early in the 1900s. The bungalow stands today as the CSC Clubhouse.

Muslim graves at the foot of Batu Puteh Hill – a reminder perhaps of Kampong Batu Puteh.

Around this time (the early 1900s), a Japanese owned hotel also made an appearance along the beach just east of Fairy Point in the area of a Malay kampung named Kampong Batu Puteh. The wooden hotel, which was perched on stilts that extended across the foreshore, was rumoured to have offered more than a getaway and was rumoured to have been a place of ill repute. Whatever the hotel may have offered, time would soon be called on it with events on the world’s stage setting a new course for Changi Point.

While the Great War of 1914 to 1918 did not affect Singapore directly, its impact was and would be felt in many ways, not least through the fluctuations in the price of rubber through the war. There was also that episode of the insurrection that began at Alexandra Barracks during Chinese New Year in 1915 that was founded partly on a rumour being spread among the Sepoy Muslim mutineers that they were being sent to Mesopotamia to fight fellow Muslims. Among Britain’s allies who responded to calls for help were some 190 Japanese resident volunteers, and another force of 142 from two Japanese naval ships.

Memorial to the victims of the 1915 Mutiny at Victoria Concert Hall

The Imperial Japanese Navy had been on the rise for a number of decades. Having acquired knowhow to build its own naval hardware as well as in naval tactics from Britain and France, by the time the war started, the Japanese navy was in a good position to support its allies in the Entente. Japan actions in the naval arena would also however lay its ambitions bare, especially in regard to German held territory in China. The sense of discomfort in Britain grew in the post-war period with Japan having the third largest navy in the world after the United States and Britain. By 1921, a decision had been taken by Britain to protect its Far East interests through the construction of a huge naval base in Singapore.

HMS Bulwark off the northwall of the Naval Base in the 1960s – the northwall is where the far end of the shipyard is today (source: http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_203.shtml).

A consequence of building the naval base in Singapore, and having it sited in Seletar – as the Sembawang area was also known as, was in the placement of coastal artillery around Changi to defend the base against naval attack. Changi, located at the eastern entrance to the Tebrau or Johor Strait, was hence, strategically sited at the entrance to the naval base. With the need to install, man, maintain and protect the guns, Changi was also developed as a military cantonment.

An extract from a 1935 map showing positions or intended positions of Defence Electric Lights at the eastern entrance to the Straits of Johor (including those at Pengerang) and their coverage (National Archives of Singapore online).

The first section of the cantonment was built at Changi Point. Work progressed in in a stop-start manner, first from 1927 to 1930 and again from 1933 to 1935, due to the evolving political situation in Britain. Being the first barracks on site and located in a prime location, this section became the home of Royal Engineers’ units as Kitchener Barracks. There would also be barracks constructed for the Royal Artillery at Roberts Barracks and for infantry units at Selarang Barracks. In addition to these, a few other camps were also established for the rank and file among the British Indian Army troops protecting the area.

The huge investment in the base and in facilities at Changi and elsewhere across the island did little in terms of doing what it was meant to do and on 15 February 1942, the “impregnable fortress” that Singapore had been touted as, fell into the hands of Japanese forces – a mere two months after Japan launched its invasion of Malaya. Except for the feint assault on Pulau Ubin on the eve of the Imperial Japanese Army’s 8 February 1942 invasion of Singapore, and the firing of Changi’s huge coastal guns against advancing Japanese troops, Changi would see little in terms of military action in the lead up to this inglorious fall. Contrary to popular belief, the guns were used with at least one of the monster guns of the Johore Battery firing about eighty rounds before its rifling started to protrude. Although the guns were fired, they did little to stop the advance. The armour piercing rounds that they were supplied with in anticipation of a naval assault, were ineffective against ground forces. On 12 February 1942, with Japanese forces made rapid progress coming down the down and west, the order was given to units defending Changi to pull back to Singapore’s urban centre. The cantonment and its lightly damaged buildings were left empty, and Changi’s guns destroyed. It would be some days later, on 17 February 1942, that Changi would come into the spotlight.

The spiked No 2 Gun, one of three 15″ guns of the Johore Battery.

The Fall of Singapore left the Japanese invasion forces with quite a big headache. With tens of thousands of surrendering British and Australian led personnel from units that made the retreat down Malaya and troops defending Singapore, they were overwhelmed. There was the need to accommodate, secure and maintain the discipline among the Prisoners of War (POWs) and a solution provided by Changi and its abandoned cantonment. On 17 February 1942, some 50,000 prisoners-of-war or POWs, were made to march to Changi to occupy its various barracks and camps.

Barrack Hill in Kitchener Barracks – part of the POW camp for Southern Area forces from Feb 1942 to May 1943.

The former Kitchener Barracks was used to accommodate members of the Southern Area forces with some 15,000 Australian POWs occupying Selarang. The POW hospital was also to be centralised in Roberts Barracks on 26 February 1942, one of two sites – the other being Selarang – at which hospitals were established prior to the Fall of Singapore and immediately after the POWs were moved to Changi. It would be in the chapel at Roberts Hospital that the famous Changi Murals would be painted. The murals still exist today. Found in Block 151 in Changi Air Base West, they are quite unfortunately out of bounds to members of the public. In the early part of camp life, there had apparently been minimal contact with their captors, with prisoners being tasked with wiring themselves into the various barrack areas as well as taking care of their own discipline.

Block 151. Now in Changi Air Base West, this was one of the Roberts Barracks blocks that served as the POW Hospital from February 1942 until September 1943.

Life as a POW in Changi, and in Kitchener Barracks was tough for many reasons and not least through the lack of food and nutrition as well as the diseases that the POWs were exposed to due to conditions in captivity. Still, many found the strength to go on through the activities that were organised. Sports became a means to provide distractions to the routine of life as a POW – at least in the first year of captivity. Among the ranks were several professional sportsmen, including Johnny Sherwood, a footballer who played in the war time FA Cup final. The sports fields and facilities that the barracks in Changi had been provided with proved useful with cricket and football matches being played on them. Theatrical performances were also organised and college level courses. In Kitchener, classes of the Southern Area College were taught by academics, some of whom were from Raffles College. Several were members of volunteer units which had been placed under the Fortress Singapore command.

The Changi Padang – it was used for sporting activities during the first year of POW captivity.

In the many comparisons that were made by POWs at Changi, there is a consistent theme of how life may have been hard, but was in fact “heaven” compared to what many were to face elsewhere. Throughout the initial period of captivity starting in April 1942, work teams were organised and sent to various of Singapore to work on building and construction projects. Teams would also be sent to the Thai-Burma Railway, which the Japanese were constructing to provide a supply line to support their push into Burma and towards the Indian subcontinent. Often described as the “Death Railway” it was where the POWs really suffered, being put to hard labour. Besides an extreme lack of nutrition, POWs also suffered from deliberating diseases, with many succumbing to them.

River Kwai, Kanchanaburi in Thailand in Dec 1984, the area was where many POWs were sent from Singapore to work on the Death Railway .

Kitchener Barracks, being where the bulk of the troops defending Singapore were being held – as opposed to troops that had made the retreat down Malaya – had the healthiest POWs and hence, was where many of the members of the first working teams were drawn from. By May 1943, POW numbers had dwindled to the point that Kitchener Barracks was closed as a POW camp and in September 1943, Roberts was similarly closed, with the POWs and the POW Hospital being concentrated at Selarang Barracks. Both Kitchener and Roberts Barracks were taken over by Imperial Japanese Army units who were involved in the construction of an airstrip at Changi. This started with POW labour in September 1943 and by the end of 1944, the airstrip was operational.

While all this was happening, returning POWs from the Death Railway were placed at Selarang Camp and also at Sime Road Camp. A change in POW administration would however see the POWs concentrated in Changi Prison and its grounds from May 1944. Civilian internees, who were being held at Changi Prison from February 1942 to May 1944 were moved to Sime Road to make way for the POWs.

The main Changi Prison gate – one of the structures of the prison that has been kept. The prison was a site of civilian internment from Feb 1942 until May 1944, following which POWs were moved in.

One of the myths that have been spread about Changi and the POW experience is that of the hospital in Kitchener Barracks being a place of torture by the Kempeitai. There is however no basis for this myth. Not only was there no functioning hospital in Kitchener Barracks during the period of captivity, there are certainly not reports or accounts that exist. Instances of torture by the Kempeitai did however take place in the wake of Operation Jaywick, which involved a commando raid on Japanese shipping in Singapore harbour. During what has been termed as the “Double-Tenth Incident”, civilian internees at Changi Prison were suspected of aiding the commandos through radio transmissions. Several were interrogated and executed in exercise that would involve the arrest and subsequent torture of Elizabeth Choy at the YMCA in Orchard Road.

Changi would find a new purpose after the war. The Royal Air Force (RAF) found the airstrip that the Japanese had added particularly useful in landing transport aircraft bringing in much needed supplies. This would lead to the strengthening and subsequent use of the runway for the RAF’s heavy aircraft and the setting up of RAF Changi, an air station that would become the RAF’s principal air station in the Far East. The former Kitchener Barracks, would become the headquarters of the Far East Air Force (FEAF) command, with Barrack Hill, renamed FEAF Hill. The roads in the area, were also renamed after RAF air stations.

To support the new air station, more accommodation was also added across the area, starting with several single floor bungalows. A number of semi-detached accommodation would also be added. Many of these buildings can still be found. In addition to this, a hospital was set up for the RAF on FEAF Hill. This initially involved the former sick quarters on top of the hill (renamed Block 37) and the former H-Block – a three-storey barrack block of Kitchener Barracks which was turned into a ward block 24. Separated by a flight of 91 steps, transfer pf patients between the two blocks required an ambulance. The construction of a third block – the six storey Block 161 (with four usable floors) – with lifts and walkways to connect the two older blocks in 1962, helped ease that burden.

Blocks 161 and 24 of the former Changi Hospital.

Following the pull-out of British Forces in 1971, the former barracks were put to use in several ways with the barrack blocks along Hendon Road accommodating Singapore’s Commando Unit and several of the accommodation units being turned into holiday facilities for civil servants. Sports and recreation clubs, such as the Changi Swimming Club, the Beach Club and the Sailing Club were also established using existing facilities left by the RAF. One outcome of the development of the air base, is the idea of developing Changi also for civil aviation. There were in fact plans announced in 1948 to develop a world class airport in Changi . That did not quite happen, but the idead came up once more in the 1970s leading to the development of Changi Airport.

One of the post WW2 semi-detached additions, seen in September 1987. These served as married quarters during the RAF days and were converted for use as government holiday chalets in the 1970s.

Today, much of the area of the former Kitchener Barracks and the RAF camp is still intact. Many of the sites and structures completed from 1928 to 1935, including barrack blocks and residences are still standing. Some, such as have gain prominence having been used by Raintr33 Hotel and Changi Hospital. There are also some still in use, such as BNP Paribas APAC Training Centre, Coastal Settlement, and the recreational spaces such as the former Officers’ Club – now the Beach Club and the Yacht Club – now Changi Sailing Club. There are also the oldest structures – the officers’ residences at Batu Puteh Hill and Fairy Point Hill, including one, that sits on the site of Mr Gottlieb’s demolished bungalow. The collection of barrack structures of the former Kitchener Barracks, are perhaps the last, almost complete set of structures from the interwar militarisation of Singapore that is still around, structures which tell a story of Changi’s development, of war, and of how through a series of twists and turns, it became a key aviation staging ground for the RAF and then for Singapore.

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Tags: Changi, Changi Cantonment, Changi Point, Changing Landscapes, Fairy Point, Kitchener Barracks, Military Architecture, Military Heritage, Military History, Military SItes, Military Structures, Old Changi Hospital, Old Places, RAF Changi, RAF Hospital Changi, Scenic Spots, Singapore
Categories : Architecture, Aviation Milestones, Changi & Somapah, Changing Landscapes, Forgotten Buildings, Forgotten Places, Heritage Sites, History, Reminders of Yesterday, Singapore, Undiscovered Singapore, Unseen Singapore, World War II Sites

Colonial Changi – a virtual tour

8 11 2020

Join me on a virtual tour of Colonial Changi (including Old Changi Hospital) during Temasek Polytechnic’s Global Community Day, from 9 to 15 November 2020 (public virtual tours available on 15 November at this link).

The former RAF Hospital Changi – a point of interest on the virtual tour.

Changi, a promontory at the eastern tip of the main island of Singapore is marked in maps that date back to the early seventeenth century. It is however, its development during the colonial era that is perhaps most significant. That saw its transformation from a remote, forested and swampy corner of the island into one of Britain’s most important air bases after the second world war.

While a large portion of the area is today used by the air force as an air base, for leisure and recreation, there is much that exists that tells us the story of colonial Changi development. A wealth of information does in fact exist in structures still around such as former barrack blocks, former holiday homes, and purpose-built military residences as well as objects, sites and geographical features.

Married Soldiers’ Quarters – developed as part of Changi’s militarisation

The virtual tour will trace Changi’s development from a village and recreational retreat through the 1800s into the early 1900s into a military cantonment — that featured in the early part of the Japanese Occupation during the Second World War as an Prisoner-of-War camp — and beyond that into a principal air base and the aviation hub that is well-known today.

More information can be obtained at this link .

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Tags: Changi, Changi Beach, Changi Cantonment, Changi Village, Changing Landscapes, Global Community Day, Military Architecture, Military History, Military SItes, Military Structures, Old Changi Hospital, Old Places, RAF Changi, Second World War, Singapore, Temasek Polytechnic, Virtual Tour, World War II, World War Two
Categories : Changi & Somapah, Forgotten Buildings, Forgotten Places, Global Community Day, Heritage Sites, Heritage Trails, History, Reminders of Yesterday, Singapore, Temasek Polytechnic

The real story behind Old Changi Hospital

11 09 2017

The real story behind Old Changi Hospital, isn’t about what the place seems to have got an unfortunate reputation more recently for. The former hospital, which has its roots in the RAF Hospital set up after the war in 1947, is a place that many who were warded or who worked there remember with fondness.

The hospital, with a reputation of being one of the best military medical facilities in the Far East, is also well remembered for the wonderful views its wards provided of the sea and that it was felt aided in rest and recovery.

Members of the public got to learn about the background to the hospital and how some of the basis for the more recently circulated myths are quite clearly false during a visit to the site as part of the Discovering Singapore’s Best Kept Secrets series of State Property Visits organised with the support of the Singapore Land Authority. More on the visit and the series can also be found at the links below.