History Lesson Part I

Can it be Thursday already??? There's so much that we've packed in during the last week and yet, sadly, almost nothing to show for it. On Sunday, I decided to tag along with David when he went to his yoga class, and I wandered around for a couple of hours in the Civic area of Singapore, which was right across the street from the mall where David takes his classes.

First Stop: Civilian War Memorial

"The Japanese invaded Singapore in 1942 (in order to"liberate" Singapore from colonial rule) and occupied Singapore until the end of the World War II in 1945. The Japanese occupation is generally regarded as the darkest period of Singapore history, as they were far harsher rulers than the British ever were. This memorial is to commemorate the civilians who lost their lives during that time.

"Four vertical pillars soar to over 70 meters symbolizing the shared war experiences of the Chinese, Indian, Malay, and other races.

"The remains of unknown victims are interred beneath the monument.

"Among the civilians who lost their lives were numerous Chinese targetted by the Japanese under the Sook Ching (literally "to purge" or "to eliminate") operations. On 18 February 1942, large numbers of Chinese were forcibly assembled at designated mass screening centres. Many were unjustly accused of involvement in anti-Japanese activities, or arbitrarily condemned. No one will ever know how many were taken away and massacred. Unofficial figures put the number of dead at about 50,000."

This place was pretty cool, I love history when there is something tangible to connect it to. Tell me all the facts above without actually being there and I'd think "Oh, um, okay" and wonder what's for lunch. But when you're there, knowing that there are people buried there, and that there was this place that I didn't know was even involved in WWII (I pretty much think Germany and oh yeah, didn't we drop The Bomb on someone?), it brings a clearer light.

Don't get bored already, more to come!