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| An artillery gun hidden in vegetation, Sentosa, June 2023 |
Arguably the most famous Singapore World War 2 site, Fort Siloso is located on the western end of Sentosa, an island south of mainland Singapore. Recently, I managed to visit it with my family as part of a children's programme.
Built in 1878, it was designed to defend against potential invaders and keep Singapore safe as a important British port. During the 1930s, it was upgraded to included torpedo boats and large searchlights in response to increasing militarism from Imperial Japan.
Despite this, the fort played a minor role in the Battle of Singapore. The guns were turned towards the mainland Singapore to deter the Japanese from advancing further inland.
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| An artillery shell mascot, Sentosa, June 2023 |
After the Fall of Singapore, Fort Siloso served as a prisoner of war camp. Allied forces would only liberate the camp after the Japanese defeat in the war.
On 15 February 2022 (80 years after the fall of Singapore), Fort Siloso designated to be a National Monument by the government of Singapore.
Today, Fort Siloso is a museum containing a summary of the Second World War, recreations of the British surrender in 1942 and Japanese surrender in 1945, and of course replicas of artillery guns. To give a better view of the fort, there is also an elevated walkway that towers over the building.
Those interested in the World War should definitely visit the site.
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