Dec 8, 1941. Today in Singapore's history, 80 years ago, 17 Japanese bombers attacked Singapore at 4.30am, damaging the Seletar and Tengah airfields, with a number of bombs also falling on Raffles Place. The onslaught claimed 61 lives, and injured more than 700. World War II (WWII) had come to Singapore. Singapore eventually fell to Japanese rule on 15 February.
The revamped Changi Chapel and Museum (CCM) in Singapore will open its doors on May 19, after being closed for a major redevelopment since 2018.
If you are planning a trip to Singapore once pandemic travel restrictions are lifted, put this place on your calendar.
History buffs and WWII enthusiasts especially, from either side of the causeway will no doubt find this a compelling story of the Japanese invasion and its aftermath.
But these stories told within these walls are for everyone to reflect on, transporting you back into the Japanese occupation of British Malaya, where in 1942, tens of thousands of prisoners of war and civilians were interned in the Changi prison camp. It would be three and a half years before they were liberated.
12 05 2021
Located close to Changi Prison and in the Changi area where tens of thousands of Allied Prisoners-of-War (POWs) and civilians were held captive during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore from 1942 to 1945, Changi Chapel and Museum (CCM) is a place to remember the experiences of those held and a site of pilgrimage for the families of those held captive. Closed for a huge revamp since 2018, CCM will reopen on 19 May 2021 with a with a refreshingly new feel, a new logo, and offer an experience that will be a lot more immersive.
The new look Changi Chapel and Museum – a huge improvement from its previous incarnation. The visitor services area, which spots a new look logo, with the CCM monogram shaped like a POW chapel. The logo is also designed to resemble prison bars.
The Straits Times
A chronometer from the HMS Bulan, a cargo ship, from around 1918.ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
A Kodak Baby Brownie camera, which had been hidden by Sergeant John Ritchie Johnston in Changi Prison, is one of the new artefacts.ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
https://str.sg/JCrE
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