British Singapore’s Last Hours

Posted by noelbynature under Museums/Heritage Galleries
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The Battle Box at Fort Canning Hill picks off right where Reflections at Bukit Chandu left off.

Commander of the British Forces, Lieutenant–General Percival has much to brood about. With the valiant but tragic last stand of the Malay Regiment at Bukit Chandu, the British forces have all but been beaten back to Singapore Town and things are looking bleak.

The Battle Box is steeped in history. It is the actual bunker and command centre used by the British Forces during World War II, and much of the refitted interior has been modelled closely from archive pictures. Now outfitted with a sound system, multimedia displays and wax figures, the admission fee includes a 40-minute tour through the nerve centre for the British forces.

Once you step in, you are greeted with the sounds of bombs falling overhead. The stage is set – it is the morning of February 15, 1942 and things aren’t looking good for Singapore.

Nine metres underground, the tour brings you through the various stations of the bunker. Aided by holographic displays, you are magically transported into the offices where coded messages are being transmitted amid the raging battle. You see the grim situation in the war room as the Japanese establish air superiority with overwhelming odds. You understand the dire situation as reports come in with troops pulling back with defeat after defeat.

The climax to the tour is the Surrender Conference, an animatronic re-enactment of the meeting among the British chiefs of staff and their resolution to surrender. The scene, while only 15 minutes long, was based on the minutes of the actual meeting held in the morning of 15 February, 1942 and is held in the very same room.

Part of the appeal of the tour is to be able to walk in the very steps of a once-operational bunker. The Battle Box sits neatly as a follow-up to Reflections at Bukit Chandu and a prelude to the newly opened Ford Factory.

The Battle Box is located at 51 Fort Canning Rise and is open from 10 to 6pm daily. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for children. Last admission is at 5pm.

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