Individual reflection

CHAN JOEY (02)

I learnt that to have a peaceful and secure country, mindset is very important and everyone should also play their part. Soldiers should always be ready to fight for their country and homeland, they should also be willing to sacrifice themselves for the country. Soldiers should train well and protect the country when there is a war, students should study well and work for the country when they grow older, neighbours should respect and help each other, people using internet should be responsible for what they say and avoid offensive comments. Just like Lim Bo Seng, he did not give out the names of the other members of Force 136 despite being tortured, his mindset and determination is admirable. He also did his part as the leader of Force 136 by not betraying the group.

I also learnt that determination and humbleness is important when responding in time of crisis. Without determination, we will not be able to succeed in everything we do because we will give up whenever things get tough and does not go as smoothly as planned. During World War II, the reason why we fell to the Japanese was because the British was not humble and thought that the Japanese will not be able to attack from the North because it was covered with dense jungle, so their defense was all built facing the sea and left the North almost defenseless. Another reason was because the British were not determined enough to fight the Japanese. The soldiers did not have the morale to fight until the end and wanted to surrender after suffering heavy casualties from a fight on February 13. They neglected the fact that not only did they suffer heavy casualties, the Japanese did as well. If they had the determination to continue fighting, the Japanese's resources will also run out and they will also have to surrender in the end.

CLAIRA NG (04)

I learnt that understanding between different races is very important for a country to be peaceful internally. If there is understanding and sensitivity between different races, race riots can be avoided. There were race riots in the past such as the Maria Hertogh Riot, because there was a lack of sensitivity between the Westerners and the Malays. I have also learnt that everyone has to be responsible so that there will be no conflicts. People tend to express their views on the Internet a lot, however, some people tend to do that without giving it much thought. Small little comments may also cause a big uproar due to certain matters. Hence, people must think twice and be responsible for their comments on the Internet. 

I learnt that having discernment and being determined is the way to respond in times of crisis. During the learning journey, I have learnt that Lim Bo Seng showed discernment by not betraying his Force 136 members. Although he was badly tortured, he did not reveal the names of the other Force 136 members, unlike Lai Teck and a few other members who betrayed Force 136. Elizabeth Choy was determined to help others even through she knew the risk involved. These war heroes' state of mind are admirable and are very good role models. During times of crisis, everyone should help each other and not be selfish. 

GWEN WONG (11)

I learnt that many people have actually worked very hard to keep our country peaceful during the Japanese Occupation , hence we must learn to cherish the country we live in now. At first, i only knew of a few heroes who helped protected Singapore during the Japanese Occupation, it was only through this Learning Journey that I realised that there were many other people who also helped to protect Singapore during the World War 2. From then I realised that if everyone worked together, protecting Singapore would be much easier and Singapore can continue to be a secure country.   I have also learnt that it takes bravery to stand up and help to protect Singapore after learning about the torturous road those war heroes had endured during the Japanese Occupation at the Changi Museum. 

  

One value that I have learnt during the Learning Journey is that everyone should help out together when responding in times of crisis. one example is from the art piece "Two Malarias and a Cholera" displayed in the Changi museum, which show the sick prisoners-of-war helping to carry each other so that all of them can receive medical attention. During the Japanese Occupation, everyone also helped out so that radios could be smuggled in to allow other people to listen to information about the war at their hometown.

TAN YI ZHEN (36)

Through this trip, i have learnt firstly, more information about World War 2 in Singapore, secondly, how the people felt about their problems then, such as not having enough food and feeling inferior to the Japanese. Thirdly, how did they manage to keep positive and overcome all of their challenges.

This learning journey has also affected my view about what is needed to have a secure and peaceful country.  If we want a safe country, we cannot just rely on the government and the Civil Defense Force or the workforce, even the smallest people can make a difference, for example, a student could study hard and help the country in the future, the public, including people using internet, could prevent making unnecessary comments in the internet. Everyone plays a part in keeping our country safe and sound, Singapore is a harmonious country and we should keep it that way.

This learning journey also taught me one value as in how to respond to times of crisis, it is to stay determined and strong. Even though staying determined cant do anything to help us with survival but dealing with this, a good state of mind would. For example, war heroes and heroins like Lim Bo Seng and Elizabeth Choy suffered much torture and pain but they stayed persistent in helping others. Singapore may not be the same as now without these people's contribution and they are good role models to follow when it comes to staying determined in times of crisis. 

Most importantly, i have gained more understanding and everyone has to do their part in keeping our country unified.

GENEVIEVE TNG (38)

I learnt that in order to have a secure and peaceful country, the country must have a strong defense force to ensure the safety of the citizens as well as fighting the enemies if a war broke out. The soldiers of the army must also be well-trained, experienced, courageous, capable and well-equipped with good weapons to defeat the enemy and protect their homeland. The government and the army should also work closely together to think of good war strategies to prevent the country from falling into the hands of the enemies. Citizens of the country can also play their part in defending the country too by joining the civil defense force when they grow up after studying hard. They should also help out with one another and get together no matter if there is a crisis.

I have also learnt that adamancy and indomitable are important. For example, war hero Lim Bo Seng did not give the names of the people, the members of force 136 who fought the Japanese with him although he was tortured. It shows that he was a loyal person. Another example is Elizabeth Choy, the war heroine who refused to confess even if she was subjected to torture. They are not subdued or daunted by the Japanese as they have the indomitable spirits.

One value I have learnt about responding in times of crisis is to not be complacent. When Singapore was under the British and Japan started attacking Asia, the citizens of Singapore were confident that the Japanese would not defeat the British and they thought Singapore was an ‘impregnable fortress’ too as they thought Singapore was protected from the north and there were bombers, cannons and warships in the vincinity. However, the 2 warships, the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse were destroyed by the Japanese. The British had also assumed that the Japanese army, airforce and navy were all inferior and did not expect the Japanese to enter Singapore through the jungles of Malaya by cycling as they believed that the jungles were barriers and were difficult to penetrate. They also did not think the Japanese would attack from the north of Singapore, hence the British were not well-prepared for a landward attack from the Japanese. Eventually, Singapore fell to the Japanese as the British surrendered.

Letter about Lim Bo Seng

I am Tan Chong Tee. I am writing a diary of my best friend, Lim Bo Seng, a brave and responsible leader.

He was born in Nan'an, Fujian, China, as the 11th child but the first son in the family. His father was a building constructor. He married Gan Choo Neo, a Nonya woman, in 1930 and had 8 child, one of whom died in infancy. He came to Singapore in 1925, when he was 16, to study at Raffles Institution and later went on to study business at the University of Hong Kong.


When the Second Sino-Japanese War happened in 1937, Lim and I both participated in anti-Japanese activities such as boycotting of Japanese goods and also raised funds to support the war effort in China. I heard from Lim, then, that he met a British officer who persuaded him to join the British efforts in building up a joint China-Britain network in Malaya, known as Force 136. He then moved on to nationalist China to recruit overseas Malayan Chinese for this job. Lim was held in high regard by the British and other members of Force 136 for his patriotism, leadership and organisational activities. He then became one of the leaders of Force 136. Being the head of the Labour Services Corps, he provided the British government with labourers for the war effort before the Japanese Invasion. 

Lim left Singapore for Sumatra with other Chinese community leaders, on 11 February 1942, and then went to India later on. Lim told me that he managed to recruit and trained hundreds of secret agents, from China and India, through intensive military intelligence missions. After organizing the things in China and India, he then sent the first batch of Force 136 agents to Malaya in 1943, Japanese-occupied then, to set up an intelligence network in the urban areas in Pangkor, Lumut, Tapah and Ipoh. According to certain sources, secret messages were smuggled in empty tubes of toothpaste, salted fish and even in the members' personal diaries. To avoid identification, Lim even pretended to be a businessman at checkpoints. 

When Lim found out that there were traitors in Force 136, he was so devastated. I heard that there was a triple agent, between the British and Japanese, his name was Lai Teck. He betrayed Force 136 and soon after in march 1944, Lim was also betrayed. Lai Teck leaked out valuable information and hence, caused many Force 136 members to be captured, including me. Lim was captured by the Japanese around March 1944, because of Lai Teck.

After I came out of prison, I found out that Lim had unfortunately passed away in prison on 29 June 1944 due to an illness caused by the lack of food and unhealthy living conditions.

I heard that Lim, although severely tortured by the Japanese, he did not reveal the names of the people who worked with him against the Japanese. He also shared food with the other prisoners despite the little amount of food that he had.

I am so grateful to have befriended Lim. He was selfless, discerning and brave. I admire his bravery and loyalty for Force 136, he is indeed a well-deserved leader...

Rest in peace, my old friend... You will live in our hearts forever...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c8hedueAhM

Elizabeth Choy

The Japanese invaded us

It all started yesterday(8/12/1941)...
I was woken up by the air raid sirens that sounded at about 4 in the morning. I thought it was a drill initially, but there seemed to be sound of bombs falling from the gloomy sky.
What's going to happen today...? I feel uneasy...

Sinking of our warships

British warships, HMS Repulse and HMS Prince Of Wales were sunk yesterday(10/12/1941) by Japanese planes. The British lost control of the sea, what will happen next..?

Hiding from the Japanese

We have been living in fear because we have to hide from the Japanese army to prevent them from shooting and bombing us. Whenever a plane is spotted, we have to hide amongst the thicket of rubber trees in long, deep trench dug by families. To camouflage our hiding places, wooden planks were placed across the hole before grass patches were laid above us. We don't know when the sirens will sound so we led our life in terror every single day that passed us by...

The British surrendered

The British surrendered 2 days ago(15/2/1942), we totally lost faith in the British after their surrender. None of us expected that they would surrender, moreover so quickly. We believed them and thought they would continue fighting and even win even though the Japanese army are very strong and powerful, trust us to actually believe them so much... We felt that as long as the British were here to protect us, Singapore would be safe so we were not worried about the safety of our country even when we heard that the situation is turning critical. 
Earlier today, Japanese troops were seen marching into Raffles Place with the prisoners-of-war. 

Beginning of Syonan-to

After we were conquered, the island was renamed 'Syonan-to' which means the 'Light of the South', The Straits Times renamed ' The Syonan Sinbun'.
All of us led our lives in fear and we were afraid of meeting the Kempeitai, Japanese military police sent to restore order in Singapore. If we meet one, we have to show respect by bowing 90 degrees, otherwise we will be beaten up by them for showing "disrespect", if they think we are an anti-Japanese, we might even be shot to death. The Europeans and Chinese were treated especially harsh, the Europeans were felt as a threat to them and the Chinese supported United Kingdom and China in the fight against them and they were perceived as a threat to their rule. 
Along the beginning of 'Syonan-to', my husband and i lost our jobs. English is now no longer a subject in schools so i had to stop teaching, and the Borneo Co. where my husband worked at, ceased to exist...

Sook Ching

The Sook Ching Massacre began around 10 days ago(18/2/1942) and there are more than a few hundreds Chinese killed a day... how many people will exactly be killed by the end of the Sook Ching activity...?

The end of Sook Ching

The Sook Ching Massacre finally ended... how many people were exactly killed? 

Contribution of money

I have received news recently that we, the Chinese, have to contribute $50 million towards Japan's war efforts regardless of whether we are willing or not. How exactly are we going to raise $50 million?

Propaganda campaigns

The Japanese seem to be promoting the Japanese spirit very eagerly. Every morning, the Japanese national anthem can be heard from schools, government buildings and also Japanese companies. Other than that, we can only listen to local broadcasts and watch Japanese movies and propaganda films. Once, I even saw someone being beaten up very badly by a Japanese soldier, after that, I heard that he was caught tuning in to foreign stations.  
The Japanese are forcefully trying to make us learn and follow their culture and language, and we can do nothing but obey...

Food rationing

It seems that every household's food supply is running low because a lot of resources are taken away by the Japanese forcefully. Each household was issued with a 'Peace living certificate' which entitled us a number of ration cards to purchase essential goods. Once a month, we will have to line up at the Kumiai shop (distribution association) for hours to get whatever we need. As a result, essential foodstuffs like salt, rice and sugar were sold at high prices in the black market.

Banana notes

The situation in the black market became worse when the Japanese issued Banana notes out awhile ago, the notes does not even have serial numbers. I have seen, on many occasions, people forging the 'banana notes' to buy essential foodstuffs in the black market because prices are jacked up so high.

Canteen

After we lost our jobs, we were urged by the doctors and nurses who knew us to help run a canteen stall in the Miyako hospital to help provide basic essentials to everyone... We are currently running the stall with the aim and hope of providing fundamental necessities to everyone. We have also been supplying medicine, money and messages to British civillians interned in Changi Jail.

Sending of radio parts

We started sending in radio parts for hidden receivers on a daily ambulance awhile ago. Although we are risking our life for it, we think that it is worth it...

Arrestment of my husband

My husband was arrested today(29/10/1943). I went down to the YMCA building, demanding to see my husband but i was turned away and told to go home. What will happen to him? Will he be fine? When will he be released? Will he be released soon?

After the arrestment

It has been almost 2 weeks since my husband was detained... When will they release him? Is he fine?

Time in "hell"

On 25 November 1943, a few weeks after my husband's capture, a Japanese officer visited my house asking me if i want to meet my husband. I agreed and followed the officer to the YMCA building. My valuables were confiscated upon reaching and then led to a dark cell with about 20 prisoners, all male. The cell was only three by four meters, but it was my home for the next 193 days.

I had to live in those squalid conditions with little food, ventilation and clean water. Inside the cell was a tap and a hole underneath it, meant for toilet purposes. Hence, although there is ventilation, the stench from our sweat, human waste and stagnant water fouled up the small cell making it suffocating. There was also no privacy to speak of - our daily business was conducted there in full view of the 20 others. We were also not allowed to move from our cross-legged seating positions and to speak, but we continued to communicate through sign languages taught by one of the fellow prisoners.

When we were sent for interrogation, we had to crawl through a small trap door at the side. Our captors beat us up, subjected us to electric shocks and pumped us up with water as part of the routine. The feeling of having one's belly pumped full of water and then seeing the water gushing out of the body was unbearable. 

Once, because my interrogators could not get any information out of me, they dragged my husband from Outram prison, tied him up and made him kneel beside me. The Kempeitai made me kneel down on a frame of three-sided wood, tied my hands behind my back and also my legs, so i couldn't move at all. Then, in his full view, they stripped me to the waist and applied electric currents to me. The electric shocks sent my whole body into spasms. Thinking of it now, the shame was totally unbearable but the pain from the electric currents, was much more unbearable compared to the shame. Compared to the shame and pain i felt, i'm sure my husband felt worse watching me from the side, not being able to do anything. 

During interrogations, i was slapped, kicked, spat at and subjected to electric shock treatment but i still refused to give out the names of informants or admit that i am anti-Japanese. Although i was unable to suppress my screams or stop the tears, i insisted i was only helping those in need and always walked back to my cell, determined. 

I wore the same outfit for nearly 200 days, not being able to get a decent shower and we were considered lucky even when we only have little water to wash our faces. Our daily meals were shoved to us through the trap door. Famished, we will finish up even the last grain of rice. The portions were so small that my waist shrank from 25 inches to 18 inches. The most distressing thing is the cries of the badly tortured prisoners outside the cell. Their cries would pierce our ears and hearts...

FREEDOM

I was finally released after nearly 200 days. My eyes could barely open, as i stood directly under the sun, not having seen any sunlight during my imprisonment. My mind went completely blank, the clothes i wore for nearly 200 days smelt foul and my body ached from all the injuries. For a long while, i felt i had just returned from death...

After the war

After the war, i traced my husband's whereabouts to Outram Gaol and together with a British soldier, we freed him. Although he regained his freedom, his health can't be compared to before. I also developed a fear of electricity and electrical appliances after the imprisonment, i would even avoid turning on a switch at all costs. After it all ended, my husband and i were invited to England to recuperate and we are going there in a few days' time...