 |
| Civilian War Memorial |
 |
| "Chopsticks'"Can you see the Resemblance? |
As a kid, whenever I passed through Raffles Boulevard, my parents would always point out the Civilian War Memorial and share stories of how my grandparents lived through the Japanese Occupation. My parents would always refer to it as "chopsticks" and that name stuck with me till today. Actually, the structure of the Civilian War Memorial comprises of four identical pillars that soars to more than 68 metres, symbolising the shared "war experiences" of the Chinese, Indians, Malays, and other races.
On 15 February 1962, mass war graves were found in Siglap. The Straits Times reported the discovery of five separate war graves located in a "Valley of Tears" in the Siglap area. It was believed that they were the remains of the victims of the Sook Ching Massacre. The massacre by the Japanese took place during their occupation from 1942 to 1945 where Chinese men were rounded up, machine-gunned and buried in the beaches of Singapore. The remains were uncovered during sandwashing operations in an area off the 7.5-mile Siglap Road. The Civilian War Memorial is built over a burial chamber that contains these exhumed remains from the mass graves.The Monument was unveiled by then Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew on 15 February 1967, the 25th anniversary of the fall of Singapore. Since its completion and unveiling, every year on 15 February, ex-servicemen, families and others gather at the memorial to commemorate that fateful day.
Trivia
 |
| Remembering the Dead |
 |
| Partnership with the Government |
The $750,000 construction cost for the War Memorial was jointly funded by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the Singapore Government. The funds were taken from the $25 million paid by the Japanese Government to the Singapore Government as atonement for the atrocities committed during Japan's occupation of Singapore.
 |
| Group Photo :) |
Suggested Activity
Find out what are the events that are carried out annually at the Civilian War Memorial,
