Tag Archives: General Percival

This was a very early blog comment post on another blog. It has been transferred to this blog.

I thought this might be too long to include as a comment on your blog so I have decided to set up a blog page as a comment. From your writings, I can see you have been learning about World War II and how it effected people’s lives. As well as the home front, Allied forces were scattered around the world. British forces were fighting in North Africa, Burma and Singapore. I have some photos to share you might find interesting. All were taken when I visited Singapore in 2010. They show The Battle Box in Fort Canning, the Allied Forces HQ , during the Japanese attack on Singapore and its surrender in 1942. One of the troops in Singapore at that time was my father. He was with the Australian forces and ended up a POW until the end of the war in 1945.

Picture 1:

The main entrance to the underground shelter known as “The Battle Box”

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: The Battle Box, Fort Canning, Singapore

 

Picture 2:

This is a guiding diagram for The Battle Box

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: The Battle Box, Fort Canning, Singapore

 

Picture 3:

I chose to explore The Battle Box by myself. All I met were the mannequin soldiers in the darkened rooms. Considering the heat and humidity of Singapore, The Battle Box has a pleasant coolness unlikely to have existed when full of soldiers.

 Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: The Battle Box, Fort Canning, Singapore

Picture 4:

Lt. General Arthur Percival commanded the Allied Forces. You can see his likeness behind the desk. His decisions guided the Allied defences.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: The Battle Box, Fort Canning, Singapore

Picture 5:

Operations kept track of Allied and Japanese forces during the Battle for Singapore

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: The Battle Box, Fort Canning, Singapore

 

Picture 6:

With munitions running low, the last defence line broken, anti-aircraft guns unable to fire, and growing losses to civilians in Singapore, Lt. General Percival felt compelled to discuss the surrender option.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: The Battle Box, Fort Canning, Singapore

 

Picture 7:

On 15 February, 1942, Lt. General Percival surrendered to the Japanese. Over 80,000 Allied troops fell into Japanese hands. It was the largest surrender of British-led forces in history. Many died during their years of captivity with large numbers going to work on the Burma Railway never to return. Some were also sent to Japan as POWs.

 With the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in August, Japan official surrendered to Allied forces. The photo below was on display. It showed the Japanese commander surrendering to Lord Mountbatten on 12 September, 1945.

 

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: The Battle Box, Fort Canning, Singapore

Now for something a little different.

Read this letter from a Prisoner-Of-War (P.O.W.) held by the Japanese at Changi P.O.W. camp in Singapore during World War II. This was the first letter he sent to his mother after being freed at the end of the war.

 

Changi 6-Sept-45
Dearest Mum,
Free at long last. At last I am able to write to you after three and a half years of silence. It has been a long wait, but all good things come to those who wait.
At present I am in fairly good health. Of course I have had my share of sickness since I have been a prisoner of war. My weight is now about eleven stone so you see I could be a great deal worse than I am. The sicknesses that I have sustained are such that will be quickly dispelled with proper medical treatment and a good diet so you need not worry about it in the least.
There is no need to tell you just how happy I was when I heard the news of imminent release. I can just imagine the excitement at home when the wonderful news was released.
There is really not much I can tell you about my life as a P.O.W. as censorship is very strict but I will try and give you some idea of what I have been doing since release. One of the first things that happened in the camp was the installation of a short- wave radio and hence we have been able to hear the news from the outside world (officially and first hand). Red Cross supplies have been coming into the camp since the news became official, so that rations have been getting better every day and we are told that we will soon be on full European diet. It is a great thing to have plenty of cigarettes again.
It was not long before swimming parades were arranged. Today I went on an organised tour just outside the camp. Two of my mates and myself managed to buy a duck, some eggs and a large papaya (paw-paw) and of course we had the best meal we have had in three and a half years. Well I will have to cut it short here as space is short.
Please give my love to all at home (I can’t mention all).

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As you can see by the date, the letter was written before the official surrender of the Japanese but Allied forces already controlled Singapore. Here are some questions you might consider if interested...

1. How do you think the soldier felt during his time as a prisoner?

2. Was he well looked after by his Japanese captors?

3. Do you think he was lonely or worried being far from home and not able to write to his family?

4. How do you think his family felt while he couldn’t write?

5. How do you think they felt when they got this letter after so long?

 

Picture 8:

There are still many buildings in Singapore that stood during the war but Changi, where so many were held, has changed. As then, it is a prison and has been renovated but the old Changi chapel was moved and incorporated into a memorial chapel and museum. Visitors can sit in the chapel or walk around inside the attached museum.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Location: Changi, Singapore

 

Perhaps some of you have relatives who served in Singapore during World War II. I can't imagine you would be able to have a field trip to Singapore to see Fort Canning and The Battle Box so I hope my post has shown you something from WWII's history very far from your home.