Any discomfort we felt was immediately put to one side on arrival at the best remaining coastal fort in Singapore. It played a significant role in the failed defence of Britain’s toehold in the Far East. From here British troops fought a desperate action to stem the Japanese invasion. In the end they ran out of ammunition. When the order came through to surrender, they were left with no alternative but to do so. As a last act of defiance, very tired soldiers spiked what guns they could and toppled them over the cliffs. Dodging waterbombs we took a good look around and could only admire the bravery shown by these troops. The garrison was a mix of professional soldiers along with recently joined up civilians fighting to hold onto a lifestyle that was slowly slipping away into history. Although they didn’t know it, the end of the British Empire was nigh.

In the tunnels and chambers that extended underground the exhibition went up a notch. In a way we were lucky with the rain as it created an atmosphere that would not have been alien to the defenders of Fort Siloso, a word, by the way, derived from the Malayan for rock. In certain parts we waded through inches deep water to get to the interactive displays. Jane read the information from the plentiful boards. I often wonder if some visitors to attractions we enjoy get fed up with her forever reading things out loud for me to learn. I can’t recall a single moment, in the time since I haven’t been able to read the words myself, a complaint being registered. In the main, people really are most understanding. The display that was most eye-catching, excuse the analogy, was the waxwork of the main protagonists from the British and Japanese armies sitting around the boardroom table at the Ford Factory agreeing the final and absolute surrender. Included in the representations eyeing each other across the table were the leaders of the two forces, General Yamashita, the victor, and General Percival, the vanquished. If only Percival’s intelligence had been better who knows what path the war in Asia, or around the world for that matter, would have taken. I will explain more during our trip to Fort Canning. Yamashita later confessed that he was fearful the British and their allies would eventually discover the truth in the numbers and would not sign the surrender.

On the way out we passed the little vegetable garden which, even today, is probably much like it was back then. I couldn’t help thinking that as the new prisoners left Siloso they would have glanced at the garden in exactly the same way I was. I was going back to a luxury hotel whereas they were off to Changi Prison and, who knew, what future. On reflection what we witnessed this day has to go down as one of the best battlefield tours I have done and, what is more, it was absolutely free. Love a freebie!

Our last full day dawned in Singapore and we headed off, on foot, to Fort Canning Park, originally Bukit Laraganan in, or Forbidden Hill, in Malay. We really hadn’t planned our visit as meticulously as we might have. We wandered around rather aimlessly. But my word, what a treat! We viewed the site where Stamford Raffles had his residence on the island, which subsequently became the official home to the Governor-General, although it was significantly altered over the years. Near to this site there had once been a lighthouse, taking advantage of the natural 48 metres above sea level to warn shipping of impending doom.

From here we came across the impressive old officers’ quarters. Just standing outside on the terrace, you almost breathed the opulent times of a colonial past. I am sure that the officers and, when sometimes accompanied by their wives, would sit here of an evening and enjoy a sundowner or three. Equally, they could stroll along to The Raffles Hotel for a Singapore Sling and, who knows, when unaccompanied by their wives, a Singapore Grip as well. The building has now been turned into a first class museum which highlights the history of the site from as far back as the Bronze Age right through to the British Occupation.

It was the final attraction of the day that blew us away. The piece de resistance, the tour de force or the jewel in the crown, however you wish to describe it, I can’t beat those three. What is more, the staff were all over me when they spied my white cane. They could not have been more accommodating. This was the world famous Battlebox.

All you need to do is download an app for an informative audio tour. When one of the curators saw me struggling with this technology, there was quite a lot of background noise from the visitors, so I was rendered audially blind as well as visually blind, she downloaded it for me. I am sure it is only me but do Americans seem to speak louder than anyone else when they are excited? Apologies to quiet Americans. We started the tour, me with a personal guide to help me navigate steps, low headroom and slopes. Brilliant! How good is this next bit, though? It seemed that it was only my phone that was working with the app. So I changed to speaker mode and we had a case of the blind leading the sighted. They were all huddling around my hand listening in to how Singapore fell to the Japanese in the Second World War.

General Tomoyuki Yamashita pulled off what can only be described as one of the greatest military victories in all history. With a force significantly smaller than British numbers the Japanese stole a march on their enemy by coming through the jungles of Malaya and falling on the island from landward, not seaward as all the intelligence had surmised. Then to cap it all, this same intelligence informed General Arthur Percival that his forces were facing overwhelming numbers. They were not. Finally, on 15th February 1942, Percival was making a furrow in the corridor whilst chain-smoking. I cannot imagine the stress this man was under. He was contemplating the unthinkable. He was considering surrendering to the Japanese. There must have been images of ridicule going through his mind, their must have been images of his family going through his head and, worst of all, he must have had visions of a snorting Winston Churchill informing the British people of the worst defeat in the country’s military history. It would all be laid at Percival’s door. He only had one option: surrender.

Jane went off to the bookshop and got hold of a number of accounts which, unfortunately, were not available as audio books. They were “You’ll Die in Singapore” by Charles McCormac: a remarkable tale of how he escaped from and evaded the Japanese after the surrender; “Tears of a Teenage Comfort Woman” by Swee Lian: probably needs no explanation other than it shows the continued degradation of women and girls by victorious armies; “The House on Silat Road” by Sing S Si-Hoe: the occupation as seen through the eyes of a nine year-old girl which is sometimes, incredibly uplifting among the horror: and “Secrets of the Battlebox” by Romen Bose: a brief description of the role of the British underground headquarters Malayan Command.

On leaving the ticket office at the end Jane sat down to take advantage of the free wi-fi. My personal guide, thinking we were waiting for a taxi, came out for a chat. It turned out that his own father had only just survived execution during the occupation. He recounted the tale of the slaughter of Chinese residents at Changi Beach. It transpired that the man’s father was illiterate so was not considered a danger to the Japanese. He, and others like him, were put to work as slaves for the victorious army. Who said you will never get by if you can’t read or write? I don’t think I will ever forget this man. Quirks of fate that hold the string to life can make it very frayed at times but, just sometimes, it will always remain strong enough to see you through.

This would not be our last encounter with the Battlebox. It would crop up again during our visit to the Siam-Burma Death Railway.

Alas, it was now time to move on. It was a most agreeable five days. We most certainly must not leave it 34 years before returning again. OMG! That would make me 98! So, probably haven’t got 34 years. Off to Malaysia.

A postscript to the above is that we are now planning a return visit for early 2025. We have such a lot more to catch up on.

Find out more
Fort Siloso: https://www.roots.gov.sg
The Battlebox: https://battlebox.sg

White Cane Ratings
Sentosa Island: 🦯 🦯 🦯 3
Fort Siloso: 🦯 🦯 🦯 3
The Battlebox: 🦯 🦯 🦯 🦯 4
Changi Airport: 🦯 🦯 🦯 🦯 4