Changi Prison was first constructed by Singapore’s British Administration in 1936. It was a civilian prison and after the fall of Singapore to the Japanese in World War II February 1942, the Japanese continued to use it housing some 3,000 civilians in the facility built for 600.
Despite its reputation, prisoners of war would rarely held that instead the Japanese used the British armies nearby Selarang barracks as a prisoner of war camp. Around 50,000 allied soldiers, mostly, British and Australians were held captured in the Selarang but he Changi is the name that came to be remembered.
Over the three and a half year period until the Japanese surrendered in September 1945, 850 prisoners of war died in the camp, abused, deprivation and suffering of life itself. But so were displays of remarkable resilience.
One of the notorious instances was the Barracks Square incident, which followed the recapture and execution of the four allied, POW’s. Furious of their actions, the Japanese commanded tried to force the entire camp to sign a “No Escape” pledge, which outrage the British and Australians. They believed it’s actually their duty to try to escape if they could. All but three of them refused to sign the pledge. So the Japanese forced the rest around 17,000 men into the open square without water or sanitation for five days.
As decently spread like wild fire, the prisoners eventually agree to sign but only on due rest and many of them use false names. Ned Kelly was a particularly popular choice. Even in the decimal conditions, the prisoners found some hope. A group many Australian prisoners managed to build a chapel there in 1944, using found materials and British service men fashioned a Christian cross in the middle of the square.
Prominent prisoners included left to General Arthur Percival, a mathematician Sir Alexander Oppenheim, also James Clavell and the British cartoonist, Ronald Searle. To even add humanitarians that earned was also transferred to Changli briefly before leaving the first group Australians to work on the Thai section of the Burma railway. It was there and other Japanese force laborer Alexander camp that sort of far rate the numbers of casualties from the brutal condition. The Burma railway is also known as the Death Railway and for good reason.
The current Changi Museum was opened in 2001 on the 50 night anniversary for Singapore. One of its main stated aim is to allow closure for the many emotional scars inflicted by the warriors.
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