Book Reviews | Gordon Campbell | News Flashes | Scoop Features | Scoop Video | Strange & Bizarre | Search

 


Fall Of Singapore Commemorated

13 February 2012

The 70th anniversary of the fall of Singapore will be marked with a wreath-laying ceremony at the National War Memorial on Wednesday 15 February. The ceremony will be attended by His Excellency Mr Justice (ret.) M.P.H. Rubin, High Commissioner for the Republic of Singapore, the Hon. Nathan Guy, Minister of Veterans Affairs’ and Rear Admiral Jack Steer, the Vice Chief of Defence Force.

Ninety-year old veterans of the battle Clem Randall of Nelson and Hugh Nelson of Paraparaumu are also attending.

What: Wreath-laying ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the fall of Singapore

Where: National War Memorial, Buckle Street, Wellington

When: 11.00am, Wednesday 15 February.

Please note:

Veterans that fought in the Battle of Singapore will be available for interview after the ceremony.

New Zealand will also be represented at a ceremony in Singapore at Kranji War Cemetery, by veterans Bill Mitchell of Oamaru, and Ted West from the North Shore, both aged in their nineties; the Chief of Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Peter Stockwell and the New Zealand Defence Attache in Singapore, Group Captain Tim Walshe.

# # # #

Battle of Singapore background

After the attack on Pearl Harbour, Japanese aircraft arrived over Singapore where the British had a major military base. At the same time, Japanese troops moved south down the Malayan peninsula. The Japanese forces had Singapore under siege by the end of January 1942, and it fell on 15 February 1942. This was the greatest military defeat for the British in 150 years. Over 80,000 British, Indian and Australian troops became prisoners of war, joining 50,000 taken by the Japanese in the Malayan Campaign. Four days later the first of the bombing raids on Darwin occurred, bringing the war very close to New Zealand.

During the conflict 35 New Zealand airmen lost their lives, along with 40 naval officers who died in operations either in Malayan waters or in Hong Kong, which had fallen to the Japanese on Christmas Day 1941. The land campaign claimed the lives of a few New Zealanders serving with the local colonial forces. Roughly 100 New Zealand servicemen and several hundred civilians became prisoners of war in the Pacific. Most POWs were in camps in Singapore, where they endured harsh treatment, and many suffered from malnutrition and disease. Those who were fortunate not to be killed or captured were eventually safely evacuated to Australia.

*******

ENDS

© Scoop Media

 
 
 
 
 
Top Scoops Headlines

 

Selpius Bobii:Tragic Bloodshed in Waghete, Papua - Suspected Serious Human Rights Violations

Ever since West Papua was annexed into the Republic of Indonesia on 1 May 1963, it has been nothing other than a land smeared with blood and at every moment the blood of Papuans has been shed by the continuous killings. More>>

Leslie Bravery: Simon Schama – Ideology Versus Truth And Reason

In the third part of his BBC history documentary The Story of the Jews Simon Schama announced “I am a Zionist and quite unapologetic about it.” That honest but blunt admission advises us that when the subject of Israel/Palestine is under discussion, ... More>>

Ramzy Baroud: South Vs. North: Yemen Teeters Between Hope And Division

On Oct 12, tens of thousands of Yemenis took to the streets of Eden in the South of the country, mostly demanding secession from the north. The date is significant, for it marks the 1967 independence of South Yemen, ending several decades of British ... More>>

Binoy Kampmark: Ralph Miliband: The Illusion Of Radical Change

Radical conservative critiques often suffer from one crippling flaw: they are mirrors of their revolutionary heritage, apologies for their own deceptions. If you want someone who detests the Left, whom better than someone formerly of the card carrying, ... More>>

Hadyn Green: TPP: This Is A Fight Worth Joining

Trade negotiations are tense affairs. There are always interested parties trying to get your ear, long nights spent arguing small but technical points, and the invisible but ever present political pressure. So it was in Brunei late August where the latest ... More>>

Ramzy Baroud: Giap, Wallace, And The Never-Ending Battle For Freedom

'Nothing is more precious than freedom,” is quoted as being attributed to Vo Nguyen Giap, a Vietnamese General that led his country through two liberation wars. The first was against French colonialists, the second against the Americans. More>>

John Chuckman: The Poor People Of Egypt

How is it that the people of Egypt, after a successful revolution against the repressive 30-year government of President Mubarak, a revolution involving the hopes and fears of millions and a substantial loss of life, have ended up almost precisely where ... More>>

Harvey Wasserman: 14,000 Hiroshimas Still Swing In The Fukushima Air...

Japan’s pro-nuclear Prime Minister has finally asked for global help at Fukushima. It probably hasn’t hurt that more than 100,000 people have signed petitionscalling for a global takeover; more than 8,000 have viewed a new YouTube on it. More>>

Get More From Scoop

 
 
TEDxAuckland
 
 
 
 
 
Monitor
Search Scoop  
 
 
Powered by Vodafone
NZ independent news