“Singapore in World War II – A Heritage Trail” – 50 war sites in Singapore, and the Rimau 10 Execution Site

Tue 14 Feb 2012 – The National Heritage Board unveiled six new permanent plaques at the Cenotaph near the Padang in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of the start of the World War II. These six add to the 14 existing plaques unveiled in 1995 as part of the 50th anniversary of the end of the war.

These 20 permanent plaques are part of 50 war sites all over Singapore and are presented in the succinct booklet, “Singapore in World War II – A Heritage Trail,” which was researched and authored by Singapore History Consultants and produced by National Heritage Board. [Update: PDF online]

In the booklet, the 50 sites are organised into six themes (“*” indicates a new marker):

1. Northwest: Invasion and the First Battles (8 war sites)

• Sarimbun beach landing
• Lim Chu Kang landing site
• Ama Keng Village
• Tengah Airfield
• Jurong-Kranji defense line
• Kranji beach battle
• The Causeway*
• Kranji War Cemetery

2. Northeast: The Defense Strategy and its Consequences (5 war sites)

• The Singapore Naval Base
• Sembawang Airfield
• Seletar Airfield*
• Punggol Beach massacare
• Japanese Cemetry Park

3. Central: Battle for the Heart of Singapore (4 war sites)

• Battle for Bukit Timah
• Ford Factory (MOFF)
• Bukit Batok Memorial
• Force136* & Grave of Lim Bo Seng

4. South: Final Battles and the Consequences (9 war sites)

• Pasir Panjang pillbox
• Kent Ridge Park
• Reflections at Bukit Chandu
• Alexandra Military Hospital
• Labrador Battery
• Siloso Battery
• Sentosa Beach massacare
• Keppel Harbour*
• Rimau Commandos execution site*

5. City: Remembering the Occupation Years (15 war sites)

• Sook Ching screening centre (Hong Lim Complex)
• Fort Canning Command Centre*
• The Cathay
• Kempeitai Headquarters (YMCA)
• Raffles Library and Museum (National Museum of Singapore)
• Former St. Joseph’s Institution (Singapore Art Museum)
• Padang
• Municipal Building (City Hall)
• St. Andrew’s Cathedral
• Lim Bo Seng Memorial
• Cenotaph
• Indian National Army monument
• Civillian War Memorial
• Singapore Volunteer Corps headquarters (Beach Road camp)
• Kallang Airfield

6. East: The Guns of Singapore and Captivity (9 war sites)

• The Changi Museum
• Changi Prison
• Johore Battery
• India Barracks
• Selarang Barracks
• Robert’s Barracks
• Kitchener Barracks
• Changi beach massacare site
• Pulau Ubin

One of the new permanent plaques is the Rimau 10 Execution Site. Ten commandos of the team who raided occupied Singapore to sabotage shipping were beheaded on 7th July 1945 in the vicinity of this site. The men were subsequently buried at the Kranji War Memorial.

The marker indicating their execution site is located close to the Dover Road entrance of University Town, NUS. It was installed today [Tue 14th Feb 2012] and when I twittered the impending installation, undergraduate David Tan went down to take a look. He took these photos below and said, “According to one of the guys there, the text and medallion on the marker are still unfinished and will be replaced with the real thing next week.”

Links

• NHB Media Release: Six new markers and five resilience trails in commemoration of the battle for Singapore. link
• New World War II markers – Yesterday.sg, with links to the existing 14 permanent markers – link.
• Infosheet: “Success and failure in the port of Singapore— Z Special Unit and the Jaywick and Rimau raids” – Ryebuck Media and ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee of Queensland, 2003 – link
• “Rimau Historic Marker,” by Lynette Ramsay Silver. Date unknown.link