Chapter 5

Did the Japanese Occupation Change the

Way People Viewed Singapore?

I See I Think I Wonder

I Connect

Jan 1942: Women mourn the loss of their loved ones

during one of the frequent Japanese air raids on
Singapore during which thousands died.

So you think you know the

J.O. well?
Take the Truth or Lie
challenge NOW!

Did the Japanese Occupation Change the

Way People Viewed Singapore?

1942-1945, when
Singapore was under
the rule of the Japanese
military government

Change takes place

when something is
different from its
original state or what it
used to be

Did the Japanese Occupation change

the way people viewed Singapore?
Immigrants +
those born in
Singapore

The different ways in which

people viewed Singapore
1) Singapore as home
2) British as rulers of
Singapore
3) Singapore as an
impregnable fortress

Historical concept: Change &

Continuity
Change takes place when something is
different from its original state or what it used
to be. If it remains the same, there is
continuity.
Something or someone causes change to take
place.

Did the Japanese Occupation change

the way people viewed Singapore?
The different ways in which people viewed
Singapore
1) Singapore as home
2) British as rulers of Singapore
3) Singapore as an impregnable fortress

Singapore as Home:
Before the Japanese Occupation
Group Investigation:
Read Sources A-E and answer the questions in
Annex A:

Source A Account by an Indian immigrant who

came to Singapore to look for work in the 1930s
Their [Indian immigrants] main intention was to
earn money and go back to India. They came to
Singapore not to stay here permanently. Their
main aim was to earn and send money to India,
and go back and live in India.

Source B Adapted from textbook, pages 11-13

The immigrants felt attached to their homelands. They kept updated on the
developments in their countries of origin in the early 20 th century.
For example:
1. The Indian immigrants supported Mahatma Ghandis movement to gain
independence from Singapore through the activities of the Indian Youth League.
2.

Many Chinese in Singapore also contributed funds to China to support the

revolutionary movement in removing the weak and corrupt Qing government.
Some even returned to China to fight against the Qing government. When the
Qing government was overthrown in 1911, many Chinese men cut off their
queues, a pigtail hairstyle that was required by the Qing government, to show
their patriotism towards China.

Source C a news article

taken from the Singapore
Free Press, 3 Oct 1938.
The first paragraph reads, Singapore
Indians, men and women, mostly dressed
in khaddar with Gandhi caps on,
crowded into Farrer Park yesterday to
celebrate the 70th birthday of Mahatma
Gandhi, the Indian leader.

Source D adapted from textbook page 14

There were also people who did think of Singapore as
their permanent home. These were usually those who
were born in Singapore and had lived in Singapore for a
long time. Singapore was where their families and friends
were. Some of them went to English-medium schools and
adopted Western lifestyle. They took pride in being
British subjects. Because of their English education, they
could work in the British colonial service.

Source E S.R. Nathans account, written in 1924

My family has been in Singapore for two
generations. We do not know exactly where my
forebears originated, but it was somewhere in
southern India. I never knew much about my
fathers background we were localised my
mother was very Malay in her style of dress. India
did not figure at all in in our lives.

Answer the following questions:

Peoples views before the Japanese Occupation (Singapore
as home):
1) Were people born in Singapore or did they come from
other countries?
2) Did those who came from other countries want to stay
in Singapore permanently?
3) Did they have family and friends in Singapore?
4) Were they interested in contributing to Singapore or to
other countries?

Singapore as home
1) Were people born in Singapore or did they come from other
countries? Some were born in Singapore, most from other
countries
2) Did those who came from other countries want to stay in
Singapore permanently? no
3) Did they have family and friends in Singapore? Those who came
from other countries had not many family and friends, but those
who were born in Singapore did have family and friends here.
4) Were they interested in contributing to Singapore or to other
countries? Yes (for those who were born in Singapore) and No
(for those who came to Singapore just to look for jobs)

Did the Japanese Occupation change

the way people viewed Singapore?
The different ways in which people viewed
Singapore
1) Singapore as home

2)British as rulers of Singapore

3) Singapore as an impregnable fortress

British as Rulers of Singapore

The British believed that they were superior.
Thus, there was very little local involvement in
the government. Even the well-qualified local
people were not given important positions in
the government. They were only involved as
non-official members in the Legislative
Council and had very little influence over
government policies.

British as Rulers of Singapore

The British were also given privileged treatment.
Source F adapted from account by Francis Thomas, a British teacher in
Singapore in the 1930s:
My starting salary of $400 was far higher than Mr Tan Ah Hungs, even
though Mr Tan was a senior Chinese teacher and had many years of most
valued service. Salary and skin colour were what mattered, not personal
merit and achievement.

Some people questioned this unequal system. For example, the local
non-official members in the Legislative Council tried to negotiate for
more local involvement in the government. Others formed
associations such as the Singapore Malay Union to improve the lives
of the people.

British as Rulers of Singapore

At the same time, there were people who were
less concerned about Singapores political future
and did not question the unequal system.
Stop and think: Why do you think this group of
people were indifferent?

Answer the following questions in Annex

A
British as rulers of Singapore:
1) What was peoples impressions of the
British?
2) Did they respect the British?
3) Did they accept the way the British ruled
Singapore?

1930s: The Japanese threat is looming!

1931: Japan invaded Manchuria
1937: Japan invaded the rest of China.
1938: the USA cut off its oil supply to Japan to
force Japan to end the war. Japan refused and
looked towards Southeast Asia for alternative
sources for raw materials.

Why was the Southeast Asia so attractive

to the Japanese?
Dutch East
Indies:
abundant oil
Malaya:
rubber and tin
Singapore ???

Singapore as an Impregnable Fortress

In the 1920s, the British had realised that Japan was a possible
threat to the British Empire and started preparing to resist
Japanese expansion.
The British
built a large naval base in Singapore to protect British colonies in
Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. This was
completed in 1938.
Installed a series of big guns around the coasts of Singapore to protect
against any Japanese invasion by sea.
Early Dec 1941: Deployed a fleet of warplanes as well as 2 battleships
(HMS Prince of Wales, HMS Repulse) to station in Singapore

Why impregnable Fortress?

1)Natural barrier of the Malayan Jungle

The geography of Malaya is a factor in it
defence. The coastal plains are about fifteen
miles in width and filled with mngrove swamps.
The mountain range which runs from north to
south is covered with dense jungle and vast areas
which are almost unknown. Roads are few and
heavily guarded.
Any invading army would be at the mercy of the
defenders securely hidden in the jungle.

Jungle

 Sharp shooter crew in the Malayan Jungle

The challenges of the Malayan jungle

2) Fortification of the island

15-inch guns mounted on ships and faced the
sea to prevent any attacks from the sea.
There were many guns/cannons mounted at
strategic areas around the island as well as key
offshore island like Sentosa.
Building of military airfields and underground
bunkers.

The Johor Battery,

built in 1939, was the
main artillery battery
of the British coastal
artillery defence
network set up on
the northeast coast
of Singapore.

Fortress and defence

Singapore:
An impregnable fortress

How did people view the British defences

in Singapore?
Account by Ismail bin Zain, a clerk in
Singapore in the 1930s:
They [the British] talked about Singapore as an
impregnable fortress. As far as I knew they
had quite a lot of big guns here and they had
concrete beach defences I thought the defence
was quite good.

How did people view the British defences

in Singapore?
A young British army officer complaining that
the newly completed defences in Singapore
might put off the Japanese from landing there:

"I do hope we are not getting too strong in

Malaya because if so the Japanese may
never attempt a landing.

3) Naval base and Supports

Main fleet to Singapore strategy- Prince of
Wales and Repulse
Naval base built in Sembawang
Many people believed that Singapore was safe
as it was well-protected by the British as the
British were known for their naval power.
They also thought that the white man was
superior to other races

Most advanced Naval base

Answer the following questions in Annex

A
Singapore as an impregnable fortress:
1) Did people feel safe in Singapore?
2) Were they confident about Singapores
defences?
3) Were they worried about war?

Group Activity: SBQ

Please get into group of 4.
In your group of 4, you are to come out with
the answer to the SBQ question assigned to
your group.
Your group has a total of 15 minutes to
complete the task.
The minimum word count for your answer
must be 50 words(min)

What does source A tell you about the British view of

Japanese soldier? EYA.

What do you mean by making fun?

Good? /bad?/ respectful?/disrespectful?
What did they say about the Japanese?
Appearance and capabilities