February 15, 2022, marks the 80th anniversary of ’The Fall of Singapore’, a defeat that many historians consider the worst military defeat in the history of the British Empire.
In this 5-part series I recap the events and aftermath of those fateful three months of the Second World War.
Part 3 covers the final few days of battle from Feb 12th to Feb 14th.
Sources: Reading: The Defence and Fall of Singapore: Brian P. Farrell The Fall of Singapore, 90 Days: Nov 1941 - Feb 1942: Justin & Robin Corfield Singapore 1942: Chris Brown The Fall of Singapore: Timothy Hall The Guns of February: Henry Frei Fortress Singapore: The Battlefield Guide, Marshall Cavendish Sinister Twilight: The Fall of Singapore: Noel Barber Singapore in World War II: A Heritage Trail, NHB
Alexandra Hospital materials courtesy of Tan DingXiang (Alexandra Campus Communications Division)
Footage licensed from the Imperial War Museum
Istana Woodneuk image: Ray Brown 2/30 BN AIF Association
Disclaimer: THIS SERIES IS ALL MY OWN WORK AND BASED ENTIRELY ON SOURCES WHICH ARE LISTED ABOVE. THESE SOURCES SOMETIMES GAVE DIFFERENT TIMES AND EVEN DIFFERENT DATES FOR IMPORTANT INCIDENTS DURING THE FALL OF SINGAPORE SO WHERE THIS WAS THE CASE I CHOSE ONE ACCOUNT TO FOLLOW. THERE MAY ALSO BE A FEW INCIDENTS OMITTED. THIS IS PURELY DOWN TO PERSONAL CHOICE AND TIME CONSTRAINTS IS NOT MEANT TO DIMINISH THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE EVENTS OR ANY OF THE INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED. FINALLY, HISTORY IS SUBJECTIVE THEREFORE SOME OF MY CONCLUSIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS OF EVENTS MAY DIFFER FROM THOSE OF OTHERS. THANK YOU