The Battle for Singapore 2023 : Event List Schedule

 

It has been 81 years since Singapore Fell in WWII.

A series of events by the National Heritage Board and members of the Museum Roundtable aptly titled 'The Battle of Singapore' will take centerstage. Be intrigued by special guided tours, talks, exhibitions and film screenings that will bring familiar and lesser-known tales of Singapore's WWII history to the forefront.

These activities will be held from 10 Feb to 5 March. The activities consist of a mix of paid and free events. Here is what you can expect

Outdoor Tours

Fort Connaught Rediscovery Tour
Date: 11 Feb; 12 Feb; 18 Feb; 19 Feb; 25 Feb; 26 Feb 2023
Time: 9am - 11.30am; 1pm - 3.30pm

• Tickets at $20 per participant.
• This programme is recommended for ages 13 and up. Minors under the age of 16 have to be accompanied by an adult/guardian.
• Transport will be provided from Harbourfront MRT station to the site and back. Further details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.

Botanic Gardens to Bukit Brown
Date: 11 Feb 2023  
Time: 8am – 11.30am

• Tickets at $5 per participant. Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
• The tour will start at Botanic Gardens MRT Station and end at Bukit Brown. Further details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.  

Wartime Stories of Jalan Besar
Date: 12 Feb; 19 Feb 2023 [English-language tours]
Date: 26 Feb; 5 Mar 2023 [Mandarin-language tours; 中文团]
Time: 4pm – 6pm  

• Tickets at $5 per participant. Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
• This tour will start at Lavender MRT Station and end at the Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital Heritage Gallery. Further details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.

Battle of Bukit Brown and Mount Pleasant
Date: 12 Feb 2023
Time: 8am – 11.30am

• Tickets at $5 per participant. Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
• The tour will start beside the golf course at Sime Road and end at Mount Pleasant Road. More details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.

Special Twinned tour of Changi  and Changi Chapel and Museum
Date: 12 Feb 2023 
Time: 9.30am - 12nn, 2pm - 4.30pm

• Tickets at $20 per participant. Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
• This tour will start at the Changi Chapel and Museum and ends at the same venue. Further details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.

Director's Tour: Defence and Fall of Singapore - From the 14th Century to 1945: A Fort Canning Hill and Battlebox Walking Tour
Date: 18 Feb, 25 Feb 2023
Time: 9.30am – 12.30pm

• Tickets at $35 per participant (Includes admission into the Battlebox, worth $20). There is a minimum age limit of 12 years old.

Lest We Forget
Date: 18 Feb, 25 Feb, 4 Mar 2023  
Time: 4.30pm - 6pm

• Tickets at $5 per participant. Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
• The tour will start at Civilian War Memorial (Beach Road) and end at Lim Bo Seng Memorial (Esplanade Park). Further details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.

Bukit Brown (Hills 3 and 2)
Date: 19 Feb 2023
Time: 9am – 11.30am

• Tickets at $5 per participant. Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
• The tour will be held at Bukit Brown. More details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.

Bukit Brown (Hills 3 and 4)
Date: 26 Feb 2023
Time: 9am – 11.30am

• Tickets at $5 per participant. Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
• The tour will be held at Bukit Brown. More details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.

Special Twinned Tour: Kent Ridge Nature Walk and Reflections at Bukit Chandu
Date: 26 Feb 2023
Time: 9am – 12pm; 9.30am – 12.30pm; 10am – 1pm

• Tickets at $30 per participant (includes a light snack and bottled water). This programme is recommended for ages 13 and up.
• This tour will start at Reflections at Bukit Chandu and ends at the same venue. Further details on the gathering point will be sent to participants upon registration.

Museum Programmes

Source: Mint Museum of Toys

Second World War Vintage Toy Collection Guided Tour with Special Feature on General MacArthur
Date: 10 Feb – 5 Mar 2023, every Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Time: Fridays: 2pm – 2.45pm; Sat, Sun: 10.30am – 11.15am; 2pm - 2.45pm
Venue: MINT Museum of Toys

Tickets are chargeable at the following rates & include admission to the Museum (usually $25)

• Infant (Age 0-7): Free
• Adult (Age 13-59): $27
• Child (Age 7-12) & Seniors (Age 60+): $17

Defence Through the Ages Guided Tour
Date: 10 – 25 Feb 2023
Time: Mon – Fri: 2pm, 4pm; Sat, Sun, PH: 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm
Venue: Singapore Discovery Centre

Admission is free.

SAFTI Bus Tour
Date: 10 Feb – 25 Feb 2023
Time: Mon – Fri: 3pm; Sat, Sun, PH: 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm
Venue: Singapore Discovery Centre

Admission is free.

Free shuttle service to National Museum of Singapore, Changi Chapel & Museum, and Reflections at Bukit Chandu
Date: Available every Saturday and Sunday in Feb 2023
Time: Various timings

Larger-Than-Life: Poppies Art Installation by Local Artist Pei-Per Flower
Date: 4 - 26 Feb, daily (except Mondays)
Time: 10am – 5pm
Venue: Various locations within Changi Chapel and Museum

• DIY Felt Poppies
• Date: 4 - 26 Feb, daily (except Mondays)
• Venue: Permanent Gallery, Changi Chapel and Museum 
• This is a drop-in activity. No pre-registration is required.
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Special Twinned tour of Eurasian Heritage Gallery and Changi Chapel and Museum
Date: 11 Feb 2023
Time: 11am – 1pm; 2pm – 4pm
Venue: Eurasian Heritage Gallery and Changi Chapel and Museum

• Tickets at $20 per participant. Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
• This tour will start at the Eurasian Heritage Gallery and ends at the Changi Chapel and Museum.

[Talk] Defence and Fall of Singapore, 1941 - 42. Part I: Failure in Strategy: The Singapore Naval Base
Date: 17 Feb 2023
Time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Venue: Haw Par Villa, Singapore

• Tickets at $5 per participant. 
• There is a minimum age limit of 12 years old

Former Ford Factory Tour & Documentary Screening
Date: 18 Feb 2023
Time: 11am – 12.30pm; 2pm – 3.30pm
Venue: Former Ford Factory

• Any child participant of/under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian

Light Amidst Adversity: Rare Gallery Tour 
Date: 18 Feb, 25 Feb 2023 (with additional runs on 11 Mar, 25 Mar 2023)
Time: 11am – 12pm; 1pm – 2pm
Venue: National Library, Singapore

• Admission is free.

Timmy and Tammy Talk to Grandma About the War
Date: 18 Feb 2023
Time: 2pm – 2.45pm; 3.30pm – 4.15pm
Venue: National Museum of Singapore

• Each $10 ticket admits one child and one adult (parent or grandparent) only. Please purchase additional tickets if you have more family members coming along.
• Suitable for families with children aged 5 to 9.
• Venue is at Gallery Theatre, Basement Level, National Museum of Singapore

Collecting Military Memorabilia – Sharing Session with Alvin’s Bunker [NMS Edition] 
Date: 19 Feb 2023
Time: 2pm – 3pm
Venue: National Museum of Singapore

• Tickets at $5 per participant.
• Venue is at Seminar Room, Level 2, National Museum of Singapore

3 Films on the Pacific War
Date: 19 Feb, 26 Feb, 5 Mar 2023
Time: 5pm – various
Venue: Oldham Theatre, National Archives of Singapore

• [19 Feb] Tora! Tora! Tora!

• [26 Feb] A Town Like Alice (1956)

• [5 Mar] The Bridge on the River Kwai

• Tickets at $10 per participant.

[Talk] Defence and Fall of Singapore, 1941 - 42. Part II: The Battle for Singapore and consequences on POWs and Civilian Internees
Date: 24 Feb 2023
Time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Venue: Haw Paw Villa, Singapore

• Tickets at $5 per participant.
• There is a minimum age limit of 12 years old.

Loyal and True: A Dramatised Tour at Reflections at Bukit Chandu
Date: 25 Feb 2023
Time: 3pm – 3.30pm; 4.30pm – 5pm
Venue: Reflections at Bukit Chandu

• Tickets at $15 per participant.
• The meeting point for this programme is at the entrance of Reflections at Bukit Chandu.

Wartime Accounts of Medical Doctors
Date: 28 Feb 2023
Time: 10am – 10.45am; 2.30pm – 3.15pm

• Admission is free.
• The SGH Museum is sited within the grounds of the Singapore General Hospital, at the Bowyer Block. Participants are reminded to wear a face mask on site, in line with prevailing Safe Management Measures. 

VIRTUAL TOURS & WEBINARS

Source: Museum of New Zealand 

Archives Invites: Shaun McGuire - The Royal New Zealand Air Force Leaves Singapore: Records Hindmost!
Date: 14 Feb 2023
Time: 6pm – 7pm

• Admission is free. 

Sembawang, Gibraltar of the East
Date: 16 Feb 2023
Time: 6pm – 7.30pm

• Admission is free

Archives Invites: Simon Froude - Australia and the Defence of Singapore: Records Held by the National Archives of Australia
Date: 21 February 2023
Time: 6pm – 7pm

• Admission is free.

WWII Japanese Administration in Singapore Virtual Tour
Date: 22 Feb 2023
Time: 6pm – 7pm

• Admission is free.

A Librarian’s World: Light Amidst Adversity: Singapore during World War II
Date: 23 Feb 2023
Time: 6pm – 7pm

• Admission is free. 

Archives Invites: Dr Will Butler
Researching the Fall of Singapore, 1942 – Records at The National Archives, UK
Date: 28 February 2023
Time: 6pm – 7pm

• Admission is free.

Archives Unlocked: In Their Own Voices - Preparing for War in Singapore
Date: 2 Mar 2023
Time: 6pm – 7pm

• Admission is free. 

Source: National Heritage Board

For Full Listing details and bookings, head to NHB for more