ritish did not stationed a lot
of troops there and the Japanese took advantage of the situation by sending
divisions of soldiers across from Johor to Singapore with boats and rafts. The
tanks were also made to float across the Johor Strait. Having
such a large area to defend, the Allied Forces could not stop
the Japanese from invading.
The Japanese repaired the Causeway so that their soldiers and ammunition could be
moved to Singapore. The British Commander, General A.E Percival, planed for
the British soldiers to withdraw to protect the town centre if the situation
was serious. Due to misinterpretation, a number of British soldiers on the
western part of the island withdrew before the Japanese moved into the area. In
the end, the Japanese gained control over Bukit Timah.
On the 11th of February, the Japanese reached Bukit Timah, a place
where the British stocked up food, ammunition, and vehicle and machine parts.
The north-eastern slope of the hill faced a reservoir which
was the water supply for the
British. Intense fighting took place here. Fighting with weapons that were
used for hunting birds and animals, the Chinese Volunteers fought bravely, along
with the Allied Forces. Many casualties were accounted and the Japanese killed
the Chinese found in the nearby village in seek of revenge for their dead
The Japanese reached Pasir Panjang Ridge (known as the Kent Ridge Park in the
present day) on the 13th of February. It was near to the Alexandra
area where the British stored most of their ammunition and the location of the
military hospital. The soldiers from the Malay Regiment, led by Lieutenant (Lt.)
Adnan bin Saidi killed many of the Japanese soldiers. The following day, the
Japanese disguised themselves as Indian soldiers in the British army. Lt. Adnan
discovered that some of the soldiers were not marching in the usual threes, and
so he asked his soldiers to shoot at the imposters, killing several of them and
some fled down the hill. The Japanese soon surrounded the hill and the Malays
were outnumbered. Lt Adnan was shot by the enemy and despite of his injuries,
he continued fighting. In the end, he was captured by the Japanese and been
stabbed to death.
Soon after the Japanese arrived at the Alexandra Hospital. The massacre at the
hospital left no survivals. Soon, the day of the Chinese New Year arrived. A
meeting was held at Fort Canning. General Percival had a discussion with other
generals on how to counter-attack. The other generals were against this idea as
their soldiers were tired and their supplies of food and water were depleting.
In the end, the British decided to surrender.
The period when the Japanese controlled Singapore was known as the Japanese
Occupation. The Japanese Occupation lasted for three and a half years and
Singapore was later named, Syonan-to, which means 'Light of the South' in
Japanese. But this light did not shine brightly as this was the dark period
where many people suffered.
The Japanese imprisoned all the Europeans found in Singapore and they became
the prisoners-of-war (P.O.W.s). The life of the P.O.W.s was tough. Some of them
were sent to Thailand to construct a railroad. They were not given much food to eat and were
made to work long hours. The railroad which was supposed to
take 5 years to complete was forced to be completed in 16 months and this costs
thousands of lives and the railway was known as the Death Railway. The P.O.W.s located
in Singapore did not have a good life either. They were required to clean up the
city, bury the dead bodies and restore water and electricity supplies. The
P.O.W.s had to plant their own vegetables as there was a shortage of food. Due
to the poor health conditions many fell ill and died.
There was no good life for the local citizens as well. They had to bow to the
Japanese soldiers when they came across them. Those who did not do that were
being punished by the Japanese, either beating them up or killed them. The
Japanese were cruel, so cruel that they could throw babies up to the skies and
stabbed them with
their bayonet while they they are fal