5/5 Easy L. 2 months ago on Google • 35 reviews New
This
is
a
must
visit
for
WW2
history
buffs
who
would
like
to
know
details
of
how
Singapore
was
first
lost
by
the
British
to
the
Japanese
and
then
regained
back.
Admission
is
free
for
Singapore
citizens
and
permanent
residents.
At
these
premises
was
located
the
Ford
Car
factory
that
used
to
assemble
cars.
Just
before
the
Japanese
invasion,
spitfire
fighters
were
assembled
here
for
a
short
while
using
kits
shipped
from
England.
As
the
war
loomed
closer,
the
planes
and
their
pilots
were
relocated
to
India
from
where
they
went
on
missions
against
the
Japanese
occupation
forces
in
support
of
the
Kuomintang.
On
15
Feb
1942,
the
Japanese
forces
led
by
General
Yamashita
(who
was
later
executed
at
the
end
of
WW2
for
war
crimes)
accepted
the
unconditional
surrender
of
the
Allied
forces
led
by
General
Percival.
Prior
to
this,
Singapore
defences
were
softened
by
aerial
bombardment
and
artillery
shelling
from
JB.
Unknown
to
the
British,
the
Japanese
were
running
low
on
ammunition
and
Yamashita
called
this
bluff.
The
British
had
a
force
more
than
two
times
the
strength
of
the
Japanese
army.
Singapore
which
was
considered
the
Gibraltar
of
the
East
and
an
impregnable
fortress
was
expecting
an
attack
from
the
sea
and
was
caught
by
surprise
when
Japanese
soldiers
landed
near
Kelantan
and
cycled
their
way
to
JB.
The
surrender
took
place
in
the
former
board
room
of
the
Ford
factory.
This
room
is
part
of
the
display.
The
wooden
table
shown
is
a
reproduction
of
the
original
which
was
donated
in
1964
by
Ford
Malaysia
to
the
Australian
War
Memorial,
Canberra.
The
chairs
are
originals
that
were
donated
by
a
Ford
employee
who
had
retained
them
when
the
plant
shut
down.
Some
sections
of
the
linoleum
flooring
that
were
marked
with
positions
where
Japanese
officers
stood
during
the
surrender
were
also
given
to
the
Australian
museum.
During
the
Japanese
occupation,
this
facility
was
used
to
build
Nissan
trucks
and
service
military
vehicles.
The
British
flag
carried
to
the
room
was
secretly
kept
by
allied
prisoners
at
Changi
prison
and
used
again
when
the
Japanese
surrendered
yo
the
British
on
12
Sep
1945
at
the
City
Hall
near
Padang
field.
The
museum
covers
in
good
detail
what
life
was
like
for
the
civilians
during
3.5
yrs
of
occupation.
Good
collection
took
of
originals
and
copies
of
newspapers,
posters,
ID
cards,
pay
slips,
school
homework,
etc.
Some
of
these
were
donated
by
locals
and
British/
Japanese
citizens.
A
new
section
of
the
museum
covers
the
early
years
after
the
occupation
ended.
1 person found this review helpful 👍