1X I love museums badge
1X Rice bag goodies bag
1X I love museums mobile strap
1X One bun (various favors) Mine is Kaya while my mum is Coconut.
1X Mineral water bottle
1X Singapore Map
1X Food ration Card
1X S$10 Japanese Banana Money
1X Red paper flower
1X telegram
After that, we board the bus and our journey began. The tour guide welcome us aboard and told us the history of Singapore.
Soon, we reached the Kranji beach. Pictures as shown below.
It was such an wide opening experiences to me. I can able to visual sense and able to feel how it was like during the Second World War!
We are so blessed of what we have today, but can you imagine that how life was difficult when the war is coming? Will you able to protect your homeland and fight for your country? Or will you leave your country in time of needs?
Think that, how many people from differences countries fight for Singapore during the World War II? They are not born and life here and yet, they fight against the Japanese Troops.
People from Australians, British, Canadians, the Chinese, Indian and the Malays fight together as one to protect the foreign land. Especially the Australians, they helped Singapore and both countries had so much close tied within both countries. And those who survived from the war call Singapore as their homeland.
Although the British demolished the causeway, the Japanese troops can swam across the borders so easily. How life threaten it was when the Japanese General, Yamashita Tomoyuki, Commander of the Japanese Imperial Army was at the Sultan can spy Singapore very easily. From the pictures as shown below, it is clearly visually that how near it is between the two countries?
It all happened on the 8th of February 1942 where the Japanese troops landed Singapore at Kranji from offshore Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Picture as shown below.
Our next stop was heading to Kranji War Memorial hall. This is the place where many soldiers from the Air Force, Navy, Army and civilians from around the world who lost their lives during the World War II was placed here to rest.
The tour guide told us that the war memorial represents the three branches of the military- the Air Force, Army and Navy. The columns represent the Army which marches in coumns, the cover over the columns is shaped after of the wings of a plane, representing the Air Force, and the shape at the top resembles of the periscope of a submarine, representing the Navy.
It was a touching moments where you can see so many soldiers and civilians had died and how the Japanese troops was so cruel to kill innocent life so easily. There are 12 columns which curve 24,000 names of people who lost their life and bodies were never found or body which could not even identified.
It estimated about 6,000 graves. Those people who willing to fight and sacrifice their life and should be respected.
The tour guide read out very touching poem for us to listen while we used the red paper flower and make as wreath to pay a respect.
From each of the tomb, it tells you the story of their lives. It was sadden as we see those graves.
Thank you for sacrifice your life to grand a freedom from the cruel war! If you think that you have friends, families or relatives who died from the war, you can visit to the Kranji War memorial to check the register name list.
It is located at 9 Woodlands Road, opening from 0700 hours to 1800 hours. To visit, you could take the local MRT (subway) to Kranji MRT station (NS7) and take about 5 minutes walk.
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