The Fall of Singapore

The unbelievable complacency of the British Far East High Command when faced with Japanese aggression resulted in the loss of Singapore, the Gibraltar of the East, plus the capture of some 90,000 British and Allied troops. Churchill called the surrender “our greatest shame”.

Singapore, an island off the south coast of Malaya and formerly ruled by the Johore Sultanate, was ceded to Britain under a deal with the Sultan and Sir Stamford Raffles who established a trading post there in 1816. After the First World War, the island was considered a vital strategic military base for the protection of Britain’s other Far East possessions. In 1937, a major rebuilding of the island’s defences and fortifications had just been completed and the island was now considered impregnable, so much so that it was referred to as “The Gibraltar of the East”.

The years of British dominance in the area had led to a mood of complacency among the officers and troops based there and stories of Japanese military might were discounted with the British believing themselves to be superior soldiers. The Japanese success in the Sino/ Japanese wars was dismissed as two second rate armies fighting each other.

The Japanese however, had bigger plans. They had watched the Western powers divide the riches of Asia between themselves and had steadily prepared to take what they considered their share. The rise in militarism and the adoption of the Bushido code was all part of their preparation to become the dominant force in the region. They saw Malaya as a major factor in their plans as she was then producing some 38% of the world’s rubber and 58% of the world’s tin. To take over these resources and to then capture Singapore would give them a valuable military base in the region as well as undermining British authority.

This complacency was epitomised by a remark made by a young British officer at the time who worried that the new fortifications might deter the Japanese from attempting an invasion, stating,” I do hope we are not getting too strong in Malaya and Singapore because if so, the Japs may never attempt a landing”.

He could not have been more wrong. The fast, efficient defeat of Russia in the 1904 war, plus the ruthless and mindless cruelty of the two Sino/Japanese wars should have sent a warning to the British. The invasion of the Chinese city of Nanking and the orgy of rape and murder that followed had resulted in the deaths of up to 300,000 people and should have sent a message to the world of what was to come. The British complacency continued however, right up to the time of the first Japanese landing in Malaya when the British Governor of Singapore is alleged to have said, “Well, I suppose the army will have to shove the little men off”.

In December 1941, the British government responded to Japanese in South East Asia by sending a naval force to strengthen her Pacific fleet and to add to the defences of her colony of Singapore. The British Military High Command in the Far East had asked for a large force to be sent to Singapore to deter any Japanese hostility, but with commitments in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, only a small fleet could be spared.

The force consisted of the battleship Prince of Wales, the battle cruiser Repulse, plus four destroyers, designated as Task Force Z. The British and American governments had planned that, should hostilities break out with Japan, the US Pacific Fleet based in Pearl Harbour would join with the Royal Navy in Singapore and combine their strength.

The British First Sea Lord, Sir Dudley Pound, wanted to send a much larger force to counter the growing strength of the Japanese fleet, but, with the war raging in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, only the ships comprising Force Z could be spared.

To make matters worse, the aircraft carrier Indomitable which was scheduled to join Force Z to provide air cover, was delayed when she ran aground during her working up in the Caribbean and was sent to an American dockyard in Norfolk Virginia for repair. A replacement carrier, HMS Hermes, was ordered to join Force Z and was on passage from Capetown but was not deployed due to her lack of speed.

On December the 1st, it was announced that Sir Thomas Phillips had been promoted to full admiral and appointed Commander in Chief of the British Eastern Fleet. Churchill then sent a warning, meant to deter any Japanese aggression, by publicly announcing that Force Z was being sent to Singapore. In response, and unbeknown to Phillips, the Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto sent 36 Mitsubishi G4M bombers to reinforce the existing Kenoya Air Group and Genzan Air Group, based in Saigon, the capital of French Indo China. The pilots of these groups immediately began training for an attack on the two British capital ships.

Upon arrival, one of Admiral Phillip’s first acts was to fly to Manila to meet senior officers of the US Pacific Fleet to set out plans for joint operations should the Japanese declare war. During the meeting, Admiral Harte of the US Navy and Phillips agreed that, in the event of war, the combined fleets should gather in Manila as a staging post for operations against the Japanese. Meanwhile, reports were coming in regarding sightings of large numbers of Japanese transport ships and escorts heading south in the direction of Malaya. Phillips proposed that, should the convoys attempt top invade Malaya, he would intercept and attack them with Force Z. Admiral Harte agreed to send the US 57th Destroyer Division to Singapore to join Phillips’ fleet, this force comprising USS Whipple, John D Ford, Edsal and Alden.

Further sightings of the convoys were confirmed when a Royal Navy reconnaissance plane managed to send a quick report of their position before being shot down by a group of Japanese KI-27 fighters. This was the first hostile act of the Pacific War.

At 7.55am on the 7th of December, without any declaration of war, the Japanese sent the first two waves of bombers to attack the American fleet at its base in Pearl Harbour. Within two hours, five battleships were sunk, sixteen other warships were badly damaged, 188 aircraft destroyed, plus 159 damaged. 2403 Americans were killed and 1178 injured in this cowardly attack. At that moment the American Pacific Fleet had ceased to exist as a fighting force. The three US battleships, Arizona, Oklahoma and Utah were beyond salvaging and lay where they sank. in Pearl Harbour. The wrecks were listed as War Graves and have remained untouched to the present day.

Later on that same December day, the treacherous Japanese formally declared war on America and Great Britain and invaded Hong Kong and the Philippines.

On the same day, but recorded as the 8th of December, due to the International Dateline, 31 GM3 Nell bombers of Milhoro Air Group and 34 from Genzan Air Group of the Japanese Air Force, flying from Thu Dau Mot in southern Indo China, attacked Singapore. Their targets were RAF Tengah, RAF Seletar, Sembawang naval base and Kepple Harbour. Thick clouds, poor visibility and rough winds caused most of the formations to become separated and after several; attempts to regroup, Lieutenant Michi Nakanishi, Wing Commander of the Genzan Air Group ordered them to abort the mission and return to base, thereby reducing the impact of a much heavier raid. Only 17 bombers of the Mihoro Air Group reached Singapore on schedule.

The Japanese formations had been detected by a radar station at Mersing in Malaya almost an hour before they reached Singapore. Brewster Buffalo fighters were on standby at RAF Sembawang, but permission to scramble was denied to the pilots of 453 squadron, by Air Chief Marshall Robert Brooke-Popham because he feared that anti aircraft batteries would fire on friendly fighters! Brooke- Popham and his commanders were still totally unaware of the might that faced them. His Order of the Day stated, “We are ready, our preparations have been made and tested, our defences are strong and our weapons sufficient”.

In Singapore, the streets were still brightly lit despite the air raid sirens going off at 04.00 hours, allowing enemy pilots to locate their targets without difficulty. Air Raid Precaution Headquarters (ARP) were not even manned and there was no blackout as police could not find the employee who held the key to the city’s power supply.

The bombers began their attack at around 04.30 and Allied anti aircraft guns opened fire, together with the guns of the warships offshore. A formation of nine bombers flew over without releasing any bombs so as to draw the searchlights and guns away while a second formation flew in at 4,000 feet to release their load. The raiders succeeded in bombing Seletar and Tengah, causing some damage. Bombs also fell on Raffles Place. 61 people were killed with over 700 wounded. All the bombers returned to base unscathed.

This was the first time that the people of Singapore had experienced war right on their doorstep. An eyewitness wrote, “We heard bombing sounds, we didn’t know they were bombing sounds but we heard some explosions. My father got up and went to the window of the house and I was awakened also, and we looked out and so on. We didn’t know what was happening, why these explosions were taking place. But then suddenly, we heard the air raid sirens. But the sirens were sounding after the Japanese bombers had left. They had already dropped their bombs”.

Another wrote, “Of course we were not too alarmed about the whole thing. Of course, it did give us a fright, I mean, first time experiencing air raids. But we all believed I suppose that Singapore was impregnable, and Singapore would not fall blah blah. So we thought that at least the forces were here and would be able to defend Singapore”.

A third eyewitness relates the shock of the attack. “Well, it wasn’t a very nice feeling to, you know, in those days we thought that the British were so mighty that nothing could touch them. It was a nasty feeling to suddenly see these planes coming in 27, or 9 at a time, sailing through the sky with not a bit of opposition and just dropping bombs as they wanted and going off. That was a nasty feeling and sort of hurt one’s pride that this could be done”.

Singapore was spared further destruction for a time as the Japanese concentrated their bombers on attacking British positions in Malaya. The next raid occurred on the night of December the 11th 1941. This was a raid on RAF Tengah by two Japanese K1-21 bombers. The next and more serious raid on the city was on the night of the 29th of December.

Meanwhile, Britain was doing its best to help the stricken colony and during December sent a total of 51 Hurricane Mk 11 fighters to Singapore, together with 25 pilots to form the base of five squadrons to defend the city and take over from the Brewster Buffalos that were being overwhelmed by superior Japanese fighters. By January 1942, they had been formed into two units, 232 Squadron RAF and 488 Squadron RNZAF. On the 22nd of January 232 Squadron destroyed three Nakajima KI-42 “Oscars”, but in the intense dog fighting the Hurricanes were taking severe losses. During the period 27th to 30th of January, another 48 Hurricanes were flown in from the aircraft HMS Indomitable, some to be operated from Palembang in Sumatra and some to Singapore. Many of the latter were destroyed in the incessant bombing of the island.

The bombing stunned the British Far East Command who had no idea that the Japanese had aircraft capable of striking Singapore from 600 miles away. It also came as a surprise to Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, commanding officer in Singapore, who noted, “I hardly expected the Japanese to have any long-range aircraft”. One can only wonder at the complacency and ignorance of the High Command at the time.

Japanese planners had however, made two great mistakes. All three US aircraft carriers stationed at Pearl Harbour were at sea when the attack took place and were therefore able to begin retaliatory action immediately, further, if the Japanese had concentrated their attacks on the harbour’s oil tanks and repair dock facilities, the port would have become totally unusable. In the event, American enterprise ensured that all but three of the stricken fleet were reclaimed, repaired and made ready to fight.

Just after midnight on the 8th of December, signals were now coming confirming that the Japanese were landing troops at Kota Bharu on the Malayan coast and pressing the British and Commonwealth defenders hard. With the threat of Japanese forces overrunning Malaya, This was the first time British and Allied troops had come up against a full scale onslaught by the Japanese army and were totally confident of British military superiority, but were to soon overwhelmed by the speed and aggression of the enemy.

British planners had anticipated that any Japanese attack would come from the sea and had built coastal defences to deter any attempt. They could not imagine an invasion through the swamps and jungle of the Malay peninsula, but this exactly what the Japanese commander General Tomoyuki Yashimoto with his force of 65,000 soldiers did. His army was ordered to take no prisoners as this would slow the army’s advance. A pamphlet was issued to all ranks, stating, “When you encounter the enemy after landing, think of yourself as an avenger coming face to face at last with your father’s murderer. Here is a man whose death will lighten your heart”.

The Japanese now concentrated their bombing raids on RAF airfields and systematically destroyed the majority of its aircraft making it impossible to give air support to the retreating British forces.

Admiral Phillips was ordered to deploy his ships in an offensive role and attack enemy convoys in the South China Sea. Like many of his contemporaries, Phillips did not believe that modern warships could be vulnerable to air attacks and consequently, did not request air cover for his force from the RAAF’s 453 Squadron stationed at Senmawang. This attitude to aviation had been prevalent in the navy since the very beginning when the Wright Brothers offered them an aircraft, only to be told by the Admiralty that, “they could see no place for aviation in navy circles”.

Whilst his belief may have been true in the past (and it was a fact that no capital warship had ever been sunk by air attack while at sea), the news from Pearl Harbour should surely have raised questions regarding Japanese air power. It is thought that a number of factors influenced his decision. Firstly, he did not believe that Japanese aircraft could operate so far from land. He also thought his ships were relatively immune from air attack as his flagship Prince of Wales was fitted with the very latest naval anti aircraft defence equipment, the High Angle Control System. This system had been tested and demonstrated earlier in the year with impressive results, but in the extreme heat and humidity of Malayan waters, the ship’s anti aircraft radar was rendered unserviceable. Technicians estimated that repairs would take a week but, being under pressure to act, Phillips decided to set out to seek the Japanese convoys regardless. Lastly, he was unaware of the capabilities of the latest Japanese bomber and torpedo aircraft and, like many RN officers, underestimated the fighting capabilities of the enemy.

453 Squadron RAAF, which was supposed to provide air cover for Force Z, was not kept informed of its position, even though its leader, Flight Lieutenant, Tim Vigors, had proposed to keep at least six aircraft over Force Z during daylight hours, but this offer was declined by Phillips who had a low opinion of the capabilities of the squadron’s Brewster Buffalo aircraft. After the war, Vigors remained bitter towards Phillips over his failure to call for air support on time, stating, “I reckon that this must have been the last battle in which the navy reckoned they could get on without the Air Force, a pretty damn costly way of learning”.

Admiral Phillips received word on the 8th of December that a further Japanese convoy was on its way to Malaya. His force, comprising, Prince of Wales, Repulse, Electra, Express, Vampire and Tenedos sailed at 17.55 that evening without waiting for the destroyers promised by Admiral Harte that were on their way from Balikpapan. Phillips was hoping that, should a landing be attempted, he could intercept the convoy off the coast of Singora. Ironically, should he have sailed a day earlier, he may have achieved his objective without coming under attack as the Japanese squadrons had not yet been fully deployed. Further and oddly, 453 Squadron was not informed of the fleet’s position or course.

The next morning, the force was overflown by two Japanese reconnaissance aircraft, but the ships did not report this. Later that day they were spotted by the enemy submarine 1-65, who shadowed the British ships for five hours, radioing their position while remaining undetected.

When the reported sightings reached the Japanese 2nd Air Flotilla, its planes were in the process of being loaded with bombs for an attack on Singapore, but immediately began switching to torpedoes. The report also alerted the Japanese 2nd Fleet, comprising two battleships, eight cruisers and eight destroyers, to head south and intercept Force Z.

Just before sunset, Force Z was spotted by a seaplane which had been catapulted off one of the Japanese convoy cruiser escorts. At 18.30, the British destroyer Tenedos was detached to return to Singapore as she was low on fuel. Having lost the element of surprise, Phillips no longer intended to head for Singora, but, at 19.00. changed course in that direction to deceive the shadowing aircraft and then, as darkness fell, steered for Singapore. A short time later, a Japanese reconnaissance plane accidentally dropped a flare over the heavy cruiser Chokai which was serving as a convoy escort. The flare was seen by Force Z some five miles distant who believed they were approaching the Japanese main fleet, confirming Philips’ decision to withdraw. The British fleet was again spotted by the Japanese submarine 1-56 at 03.50 am, who fired five torpedoes. All five missed and the British remained unaware that they had been attacked.

Fearing that the British might find the convoy, a night attack was launched by Japanese torpedo bombers, but failed to locate Force Z. Phillips, learning of another Japanese landing at Kuantan, turned his fleet in that direction, but did not signal his Air Liaison Officer in Singapore of his intentions as this would have revealed his position to Japanese listeners. The Air Liaison Officer had failed to anticipate this. Had he done so, he could have managed air cover from the RAF at Sembawang.

At 07.18 on the 10th, Repulse reported shadowing aircraft and Express was sent ahead to scout the area around Kuantan, but found nothing and reporting, “all is as quiet as a wet Sunday afternoon”. Phillips was unaware at this time that a large force of enemy bombers was looking for him but, being unaware of his change of course for Kuantan, they were searching further south.

Tenedos, having left the force the previous day, was now some 140 miles south east of the main fleet and signalled that she was under attack from enemy aircraft. The attack was carried out by Mitsubishi medium bombers of the 2nd Air Flotilla, based at Saigon, each armed with a 500 kg bomb. They mistook the destroyer for a capital ship and wasted their bombs without scoring a hit.

At 10.15, a scout plane, flying further north than most of the Japanese aircraft, piloted by Ensign Masato Huachi, spotted Force Z and radioed its exact position to the searching bombers who altered course to converge on the British ships. They had spread out during their search and arrived over Force Z in small groups. Running low on fuel, they did not wait to make a coordinated strike, but attacked as they arrived.

The first of these groups, comprising eight Nell bombers, concentrated on Repulse , managing seven misses and one direct hit., which crashed through the upper deck and exploded in the Marine mess and causing a few injuries but no serious damage The ship continued on at 25 knots and was still in fighting order. Skilful handling of the ship by its commander, Captain Tenant, managed to comb and avoid the paths of a dozen torpedoes. All eight of the bombers were damaged by accurate anti aircraft fire.

At 11.40, ignoring the screening destroyers, a further seventeen torpedo bombers arrived over the two capital ships, eight closing in on Repulse and seven on Prince of Wales, who managed to shoot down one bomber and damage three others with her AA guns, while at the same time combing the tracks of incoming torpedoes. Only one of the torpedoes scored what was to be an ultimately catastrophic hit on the battleship, exploding at the point where the starboard propeller shaft exits the hull, causing severe flooding, reducing the ship’s speed to 16 knots and causing a twelve degree list.

The Prince of Wales‘ commander, Captain Leach, flooded the ship in an attempt to reduce the list, but by now the stern was a mere two feet above the water instead of its usual 24 feet. The explosion also knocked out the ship’s electrics which left the pumps inoperable and many of the anti aircraft mounts unable to traverse. With no power to the lifts, the shells had to be passed hand to hand by the crew to service the guns, but the increasing list made it impossible for many of the AA weapons to bear on the low flying bombers.

Limping slowly in a wide circle but still fighting, the warship came under further attacks and eight minutes later was hit again and slowly began to list to starboard.

Aboard Repulse, Captain Tenant was astonished to discover that Admiral Phillips had sent no signal to Singapore requesting air cover. Now, at 11,58, an hour after the attack had begun, he took it upon himself to send a message for help, reading, “From Repulse, to any British Man of War, enemy aircraft bombing, my position 134NYTW22X09″. It was the first and only radio message Force Z had sent since leaving Singapore and was also the only indication that naval headquarters had that Force Z was in trouble.

Within 22 minutes, air cover was on its way from 453 squadron at Sembawang as it scrambled into action. The squadron had been assigned to provide air cover over Force Z from the moment it had left Singapore, but Phillips never once called for their help. The air cover was an hour away from the two ships’ position and would not arrive in time to help.

With Prince of Wales seemingly finished, the remaining bombers turned to the flagship. Captain Tenant worked the ship up to 27 knots and began a turn to starboard to comb the incoming torpedoes as seventeen more bombers began to attack her, coming in at all angles to split her AA fire. The first six planes dropped their torpedoes from long range, but the bombers of the second section closed to 600 yards before releasing their load. Two failed to turn away fast enough and were brought down by the ships’ intense AA fire. Despite this, three torpedoes struck home, causing huge damage and, more seriously, jamming the rudder to starboard, resulting in the ship moving in a wide circle. A fourth torpedo then penetrated the engine room.

The attack lasted just four minutes and was enough to finish her. The list increased to twelve degrees and Captain Tenant gave the order to abandon ship. The crew began to jump over the side as the destroyers came up to assist. At 12.35, just a few short minutes since the first torpedo hit, Repulse turned turtle and sank.

To her credit, Prince of Wales still had some fight in her and continued to fire her high angle 5.25 guns at the high-flying bombers, damaging five of them. Phillips finally broke his silence 22 minutes after Captain Tenant had sent his signal and over an hour after the attack had begun. He signalled, “Emergency, have been struck by torpedo on port side, position NYTW0226R06. Repulse hit by torpedoes, send destroyers”. Strangely he still did not ask for air cover. Some further messages were sent, although rather garbled, one message requested that tugs be sent. The ship now began to sink, and it was obvious it could not survive.

The destroyer Express began to rescue the stricken crew. As she came close, a message was sent from the battleship’s bridge asking, “what have you come alongside for?”. The destroyer replied, “it looks like you need assistance”. She managed to take off many of her crew before she was forced to retreat by the capsizing battleship’s keel.

At 01.18 hours, Prince of Wales capsized and sank, leaving many of her crew struggling in the water. Admiral Phillips and Captain Leach both went down with their ships. Of the 1612 of her crew, 327 were lost. The figure for Repulse was 503 lost from a crew of 1309.

It is difficult to understand why Admiral Phillips elected to sail without waiting for the US contingent. In his defence it must be said that, being aware that the British army and the RAF were fighting for their lives in Malaya, he was anxious to help them. His failure to accept the offered air cover from 453 squadron is a little harder to understand as was the decision to maintain radio silence even when the force’s position was discovered and the bombing commenced.

The loss of both ships had a devastating impact on morale on Britain. Sir Winston Churchill wrote in his memoirs, “I put the telephone down. I was thankful to be alone. In all the war I never received a more direct shock”.

Meanwhile, the fighting in Malaya continued with the British, Australian, Indian and Malay troops retreating steadily. On December the 11th, they were soundly beaten at the Battle of Jitra having been astounded at the speed and ferocity of the Japanese advance who used bicycles as transport through the thick jungle.

The loss of Jitra was a great blow to the Allies as it guarded a large RAF airbase and several smaller ones. The British withdrew in a hurry, leaving behind large amounts of equipment. Their policy of destroying bridges as they withdrew was negated by the Japanese who had equipped all their infantry regiments with engineer units. The Commander of Australian forces in the area later said, “The whole operation seemed incredible, 550 miles in 50 days, forced back by a small Japanese army of only two Divisions, riding stolen bicycles and without artillery support”.

Captured wounded Allied soldiers were killed where they lay, as were any soldiers surrendering. Some unfortunate Australian troops were doused in petrol and burned to death. Japanese brutality shocked the British, but its effectiveness was proved when they captured the Malayan capital Kuala Lumpur on January 11th, 1942. On the same day, the Japanese launched their first daylight raid on Singapore and continued, resulting in thousands of civilian casualties over the next month.

Withdrawing from Kuala Lumpur, the British established a third defensive line on the Muar River, some 100 miles north of Singapore, but by January the 19th, this line also was broken, and Allied troops began to withdraw into Singapore itself.

The British now braced themselves for a Japanese attack on Singapore itself across the stretch of water known as the Johore Strait. The Far East Commander in Chief, General Wavell was ordered by Churchill not to surrender without a fight, with Churchill stating, “There must be no thought of sparing the troops or population, commanders and senior officers should die with their troops. The honour of the British Empire and the British Army is at stake”. The only course of action now was to destroy the causeway joining the city to the Malayan mainland. This was easier said than done as the causeway was 1,000 metres long and 70 metres wide. but some attempt was made to destroy it.

On January the 31st 1942, the last British and Allied troops withdrew across the causeway that separated the island from Malaya. On the 5th of February, a small force commanded by General Yamashita, of eighteen Japanese tanks, attacked Palau Ubin, a small island off Singapore’s north east coast, short on ammunition and food. The move deceived Percival into thinking this was a major attack and forced him to move his ammunition stores to the east of the island. Wavell had already ordered General Percival to prepare for the invasion, but he was still unsure of the enemy’s intentions.

Percival had upwards of 90,000 men under his command, but of these, some 30,000 had already been captured in Malaya. He decided to spread his remaining forces across a 70 mile line to cover the entire coastline of the island, a fatal mistake. Percival had overestimated the size of the Japanese force and his men were spread to thinly and were too far away to respond when, on February 8th, some 13,000 Japanese crosses the Johor Strait in inflatable boats and overran the Australian troops guarding the area.

They then moved to attack the city. and advanced quickly. The next day, the Imperial Guards Division of the Japanese crossed into Singapore at Kranji, via a repaired causeway. Percival still held men back from converging on the city, fearing that more landings would be made throughout the island.

By the time of the invasion only ten Hurricanes of 232 Squadron were based at RAF Kallang, as those at Tengah, Sembawang and Seletar were now in range of the Japanese artillery at Johor Bahru and had moved to airbases off the island. On the morning of the 8th of February, a series of dogfights took place over Sarimbun Beach and the ten Hurricanes were scrambled to intercept a formation of 84 Japanese aircraft flying from Johor to provide air cover for the invasion. The Hurricanes shot down six and damaged a further 14 for the loss of one of their own. Air battles continued throughout the day and by nightfall it was clear that the few remaining Hurricanes could no longer use Kallang as a base. and were instructed by Percival to withdraw to Sumatra.

The Japanese main objective was the Bukit Tinah area. This was the highest point on the island and also the British petrol, oil and supply base. The Allied soldiers fought well, but the Japanese finally managed to breach the Kranji/Jurong defence line and the Allies were forced to retreat to the final defence perimeter around the city stretching from Pasir Panjang to Kaliang. General Yamashita then established his headquarters in the Ford factory located in the area.

On the 13th of February, the Japanese attacked Pasir Panjang Ridge, a key location leading to the Allies’ main ammunition magazine and the Alexandra Military hospital which was marked with red crosses. Japanese troops charged into the hospital, killing a British officer who had come out to meet them holding a white flag. The troops then entered the main operating theatre and killed the patient on the operating table and the staff tending him.

Another group rampaged through the wards bayoneting the patients indiscriminately. They later gathered some 200 patients and staff, tied them together and locked them up in some tiny rooms for the night. The next morning, they were taken in threes outside and executed. On the 12th, General Yamashita ordered the elimination of all anti Japanese elements from the population, move directly against the Chinese population who had allied themselves with the British to oppose the enemy invasion. The Japanese called the order “Dai Kensho” (The Great Inspection), but the Chinese saw its true meaning as “Soo Ching”, literally meaning “cleansing”.

The Kempeitie, the Japanese military police, scoured the island rounding up Chinese men (and sometimes women and children) for screening. Those who did not pass the screening were bundled into trucks and taken to isolated locations and murdered. The killing and torture went on for some weeks and mass graves were dug to hide the bodies. In Siglap alone, five separate mass graves were dug to hide the bodies. In 1962, these graves were opened, and the bodies reburied. The people called the place “The Valley of Tears”. The Japanese later admitted to some 5,000 deaths during their occupation, but the true figure was over 50,000.

By the 15th of February, the situation had become critical for the Allies. There was only enough water supply for 24 hours and the main reservoirs were held by the Japanese. Furthermore, there was only enough rations to last for three days and the incessant bombing was causing casualties faster than bodies could be collected.

On the morning of that day, Percival and his officers met at the Fort Canning bunker, (known as the Battlebox) and agreed to surrender. Percival himself led the surrender party to meet Yamashita at the Ford factory and officially surrendered.

Despite these momentous events the island’s newspaper, the Sunday Times, was still reporting the Governor of Singapore, Shenton Thomas, demanding that, “Singapore shall stand! It must stand!”. The Japanese took over 70,000 prisoners at the surrender, comprising British, Australian, Malay and Indian troops. Some were sent to Thailand where many later died building the Burma railway. Some were sent to Japan as slave labour and many were crammed into Changi and Selerang Barracks.

Churchill called the loss of Singapore “shameful” and “the worst disaster” and “the largest capitulation in British history”.

The 40,000 Indian soldiers were offered the chance of joining the Indian National Army, a puppet force of the Japanese intended to be used in their plan to conquer British India. Those who joined were taken off the island to bases in Malaya. Those who refused were destined for Japanese concentration camps, first to Batavia (now Djarkata) from where they were sent to New Britain and Bouganville. Their treatment in the camps was cruelty beyond belief. They were worked until they dropped, they were starved and beaten and when they could work no longer, they were taken to a shooting range and used as live targets. Any who were not immediately killed were finished with the bayonet. There is also evidence of cannibalism practised on the unfortunate prisoners. For those wishing to know more of these crimes, the book by G J Douds, entitled “Forgotten Victims” covers the subject in graphic detail.

Life was not much better for the civilian population of Singapore. The Japanese now insisted that Singapore be called Synonan-to, meaning “Light of the South”. They imposed food rationing from the start and introduced their own occupation currency known as the banana note, due to picture of a banana tree on its face. The Japanese printed and issued these notes which became basically worthless due to the massive inflation they caused.

The horror continued throughout the war until the 6th of August 1945, when the Americans dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, resulting in Japan’s official surrender on the 2nd of September.

In Singapore, General Itagaki Seishiro signed the first instruments of surrender on the 4th of September while on board HMS Sussex. Eight days later General Seishiro, together with four other Generals and two Admirals, entered the City Hall Chamber to formally surrender Singapore to Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Allied Supreme Commander in South East Asia.

After signing the eleven copies of the surrender document, Mounbatten then addressed the crowd from the steps of the building before raising the union flag to symbolise Britain’s return. For the remainder of her colonial rule the 12th of September was celebrated as Victory Day.

The returning British Military Administration assured Singapore that things would return to normal, but there was growing disillusionment among the people and every scar reminded them that the British were not the solid dependable defenders that they had been led to believe. Post war Britain was also set on releasing her colonies and easing them into self government. The next twenty years would see her Far East possessions dwindle as their peoples sought their own destiny.