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War Memorial Park
By peace | June 11, 2010
Civilian War Memorial: It is located on a parkland, along Beach Road, opposite Raffles City, in the Downtown Core of Singapore’s Central Region.
This memorial is dedicated to all those who perished during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, 1942-1945. Four vertical pillars soar to over 70 metres symbolising the shared war experiences of the Chinese, Indians, Malays and other races. The remains of unknown victims are interred beneath the monument.
The site was given by the Government of Singapore which also met half of the construction cost. The balance was contributed by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the people of Singapore. The monument was unveiled by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 15 February 1967, the 25th Anniversary of the fall of Singapore to the Japanese.
Among the civilians who lost their lives were numerous Chinese targetted by the Japanese under the Sook Ching (literally “to purge” or ‘to eliminate’) operations. On 18 February 1942, large numbers of Chinese were forcibly assembled at designated mass screening centres. Many were unjustly accused of involvement in anti-Japanese activities, or arbitrarily condemned. No one will ever know how many were taken away and massacred. Unofficial figures put the number of dead at about 50000.
Photograph of the monument showing the “four pillars”
The design itself was conceived by one of Singapore’s most renown architects, Leong Swee Lim (1935-2002) of Swan and Maclaren Architects. The monument was named Civilian War Memorial but more affectionately known as the ‘’Chopsticks’’ memorial with reference to its design. With 4 pillars each with a height of about 61 metres, the monument resembles 2 pairs of chopsticks. The design of the 4 pillars bears a significant meaning – they symbolise the 4 main races of Singapore. Words were inscribed on the base of the memorial. In 4 languages, English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, the words read: “Memorial to the Civilian Victims of the Japanese Occupation 1942-1945″.
War Commemoration
On 15 February each year, people will gather at the memorial to commemorate the many civilians who died in the war since that fateful day when the Japanese Occupation began. Through ceremonies and services, ex-servicemen, family members and groups would pay their respects to the numerous innocent lives lost during those years under the control of the Japanese Forces. 15 February is also marked as Singapore’s Total Defence Day to commemorate the anniversary of the surrender of the British to the Japanese. Schools will bring their students to the War Memorial Park to learn more about Singapore’s history and to enrich their National Education knowledge.
Topics: All Posts, Gallery, Garden Walk, Places, Singapore | 2 Comments »
June 11th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
[...] Photograph of Civilian War Memorial taken on 10 June 2010: A flock of pigeons were spotted on the green pasture… I want to thank this person, Jama, whom I had found on the internet today. She has taken such beautiful photographs (clear and big) of the Civilian War Memorial or War Memorial Park. [...]
June 12th, 2010 at 12:37 am
[...] Rise With Christ Civilian War Memorial War Memorial Park [...]