Dalforce was a volunteer army formed by the local Chinese community to resist the Japanese invasion during the battle of Singapore. It was named after its commander, Lieutenant Colonel John Dalley of the Federated Malay States Police Force. However, the Chinese ...
The Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute (SAFTI) was the training institute for officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Officially opened on 18 June 1966, it was located at Pasir Laba Road, which is bounded by Upper ...
The Singapore Volunteer Corps began as the Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps in 1854 with the support of then Governor Colonel W.J. Butterworth. Clashes between Chinese secret societies in 1854 led to the formation of a volunteer force to boost Singapore’s internal ...
The Volunteer Special Constabulary (VSC) was formed in October 1946 to complement the Singapore Police Force. The VSC officers have the same powers and duties as regular police officers in various land divisions or specialised units such as Airport Police, Police ...
Sime Road Camp is the site of the former combined operational headquarters of the British Army and Royal Air Force during World War II. Located along Sime Road, the 470-acre site was used as an internment camp during the Japanese Occupation. After the surrender ...
The former Beach Road military camp is located opposite Raffles Hotel, along Beach Road. It began as the headquarters of the Singapore Volunteer Corps (SVC) in the 1930s and later doubled up as the headquarters of the Singapore Military Forces (SMF), which was ...
Fort Siloso, located on the northwestern tip of Sentosa Island, was built in the 1880s on Mount Siloso to aid in protecting the port, particularly the western entrance to Keppel Harbour and the coal stocked nearby. It was part of Singapore’s coastal defence along ...
Seletar Camp was formerly the site of the largest British Royal Air Force (RAF) base in the Far East. Plans for the camp were drafted as early as 1921, with the increasing need to build an airfield and flying boat base in Singapore. It soon became operational in ...
On 18 July 1967, Britain announced its plans to withdraw its troops from Singapore by the mid-1970s. Six months later, the deadline was brought forward to 1971. The sudden pull-out of British forces presented serious problems to Singapore’s defence and economic ...
The Singapore Armed Forces’ tank landing ships, or landing ships, tank (LSTs) in military nomenclature, are often described as the workhorses of the army. This is because they are transport ships capable of carrying tanks, helicopters as well as troops and their ...
Located at 51 Canning Rise, the Fort Canning Bunker (now known as The Battlebox) was built between 1936 and 1941 to serve as a command centre for the Malaya Command, which oversaw British military operations in Malaya during World War II. On 15 February 1942, it ...
The Kempeitai was Japan’s military police force in its occupied territories during World War II (1942–45). Specially trained in interrogation methods, the Kempeitai’s task was to crush all resistance to Japanese military rule, with the powers to arrest and extract ...
The British Military Hospital (BMH) was established in 1938 by the British Armed Forces, serving as the principal hospital for the British in the Far East during World War II. At the time of its opening, it was considered “the most up-to-date and one of the largest ...
Pulau Pawai is an island located south-west of Singapore. Known as Alligator Island during colonial times, the island was described as having a conspicuous summit of about 147 ft, and was extensively fringed with coral reefs. A large reef found in 1946 separates ...
Located in the eastern part of Singapore, Changi Naval Base is one of two bases operated by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), the other being Tuas Naval Base. Built on reclaimed land, the naval facility has a basin size of 128 ha and a total area of 86 ha encompassing ...
Dempsey Road, also known as Dempsey Hill or Tanglin Village, is located across from the Singapore Botanic Gardens, near the Embassy of the United States. It was originally the site of a nutmeg plantation that later became Tanglin Barracks for British troops. The ...
The Sembawang Naval Base was built by the British government during the 1920s and 30s. Opened in 1938, the base was meant to play a significant role in the British Empire’s strategic defences against external threats in the Far East, particularly from Japan. The ...
Fort Canning Hill, previously known as Bukit Larangan and Government Hill, is 156 ft high and located at the junction of Canning Rise and Fort Canning Road. It has been a landmark since Singapore’s earliest recorded history. In the 14th century, it was likely the ...
The Bionix infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) is an armoured troop carrier of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Developed locally, it entered operational service in the SAF in 1999. Its two main purposes are the ferrying of troops to key battlefield positions, and ...
The Japanese surrendered to General Douglas MacArthur on board an American battleship, Missouri, at Tokyo Bay at 9 am on 2 September 1945 – officially ending WWII. Two weeks later, on 12 September 1945 at 11.10 am, local time, another Japanese surrender ceremony ...