SINGAPORE, Feb 18 — Visitors to the newly re-opened Battlebox bunker at Fort Canning can look forward to a fresh retelling of the story on the fall of Singapore in the early 1940s.
Moving away from the focus on Singaporeans as victims of war during the Japanese Occupation, the new tour will offer insights into the strategic and tactical causes that led to the British defeat in Singapore.
During the hour-long guided tour around the bunker, visitors will learn more about the period leading up to the fall of Singapore from December 1941 to February 1942, with a particular focus on the events within the Fort Canning bunker shortly before the island fell to the invading Japanese forces.
The Battlebox, a nine-metre-deep secret bomb and gas-proof facility, is the largest World War II-era underground military operations complex in Singapore. It originally had 29 specialised rooms under the fort.
Its existence as an emergency underground nerve centre for the British military was known only to a handful of military personnel.
The refurbished Battlebox showcases facilities essential to military operations, such as a communications hub, and various command centre rooms, with life-sized waxed figures depicting important scenes in some rooms.
For example, the surrender conference room in the bunker depicts a scene where British military officials met to decide on the surrender of Singapore to the Japanese on February 15, 1942 — marking the first time a major European army was defeated in Asia.
Jeya Ayadurai, The Battlebox’s director, said that the refurbished bunker will offer Singaporeans a different perspective on how to view World War II.
“For too long a time, we have been victims of the Second World War — we have blamed the British for the fall of Singapore. However, one does recognise that a tremendous amount of investment was made on the defence of Singapore. For 20 years, the (British) empire poured in... millions of dollars and thousands of men to defend the great naval base (in Singapore) which not just defended Singapore, but the entire region,” he said during a media preview yesterday.
Currently, only guided tours will be available for interested parties. Free-and-easy visitors can look forward to a personal multimedia guide in the near future. There are also plans to provide visitors with 3D ambient soundscapes for a multi-sensory experience in the longer term.
The bunker will officially open its doors to the public once again on March 28, after undergoing a S$300,000 (RM890,000) makeover.
It is currently opened for a sneak preview till March 20, with up to five daily guided tours. Tickets for the tour start at S$9 for children and S$18 for adults. — TODAY
