The British, wary of Japan’s growing naval might in the region, began constructing as early as 1923, a naval base for her troops based in Singapore. The work on the base proceeded slowly and most of it only became operational in 1938 following Japan’s move in Manchuria and northern China. Still the base itself was impressive. Its King George VI Graving Dock of more than 300 meters in length was the largest dry dock in the world at the time.

Close to the base was the newly built Tengah Airfield to provide aerial cover for the base and the island. Artillery positions complete with searchlights were also stationed nearby to provide additional fields of cover.

Given the many British forces stationed along the Malayan peninsula, it was believed that should an attack be mounted on Singapore it would be directed at the “soft underbelly” of the fortress – by sea from the south attacking the import port facilities and the city centre.

Above-ground tanks held sufficient fuel for its navy to last six months – long enough, the British hoped, to endure a siege at sea by Japan. Still by 1940, with the war revving up in Europe, few naval vessels were committed to the Far East as a deterrent.

To ward off such an attack by sea, three 15-inch monster guns were stationed on the island. The British Empire had just seven guns – five were in Singapore and the other two were protecting their homeland. This underlined the importance of Singapore in halting a Japanese invasion and remaining a linchpin in the British strategy for preserving its influence in the region.

The three guns stationed in the east of Singapore, close to the present-day Changi Airport, were designated the Johore Battery in honour of the Sultan of Johore who donated ?500,000 in support of the British war campaign.

Even up to late 1941, residents in Singapore, both local and foreign, were unaffected by the war raging across Europe. Life on the island remained largely carefree with the civilian confident the large military presence on the island would make it invulnerable to attack. The war propaganda machine had billed Singapore as Britain’s impregnable fortress of the Far East and many believed any attack would be suicidal for an enemy.

Much of this misplaced bravado was attributed to the 15-inch guns which were unique. With an extreme range of 24 miles (38 km) they were specially installed in Singapore to deal with battleships of over 35,000 tons. However the Japanese decided to mount a more traditional campaign by land snaking down the Malayan Peninsula. As these guns only have armour-piercing ordnance for use against ships, they were largely ineffective in a land war. They did fire upon troop concentrations but as observation on land was difficult, the damage inflicted was marginal. The Johore Battery was abandoned on February 12th 1942 – three days before the surrender of Singapore.

The mood in the country remained buoyant largely due to strict British censorship. The British administration went to great lengths to maintain public calm by making highly optimistic pronouncements and heavily censoring the local newspapers for negative or alarming news. Journalists’ reports to the outside world were also carefully screened. Even up to late 1941, reports to the British cabinet from colonial officials were still unrealistically optimistic.

This euphoria of invincibility was further boosted by the arrival of two signature British warships the destroyer cruiser Repulse and the pride of the British navy the Prince of Wales on December 2 and the four destroyers HMS Electra, HMS Express, HMS Encounter, and HMS Jupiter. However their accompanying aircraft carrier had run aground en route, leaving the warships without benefit of air cover. This was to play a crucial role in the battle for Singapore still to come.