Fort Pasir Panjang
Fort Pasir Panjang or Labrador Battery, located at the southern tip of Singapore island, served as a key British coastal fort during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Fort defended the western passageway into Keppel Harbour against pirates and rival naval powers. During the 1942 Battle of Pasir Panjang, the British used the fort to support the Malay Regiments against the Japanese at Bukit Chandu. In 1995, the Singapore National Heritage Board recognized the site as one of the eleven notable World War II sites in Singapore.[1]
Great Britain, which had carved out colonies throughout the world, understood the importance of coaling stations and coastal forts in strategic places. Singapore fit that need in excellent fashion. Britain widened the straights in 1848 in preparation for building defenses. In 1878, Britain build two forts to protect the main entrance into Singapore harbor, one of them Fort Pasir Panjang. In that year, Japan experienced the Meiji Restoration, a political earthquake that set Japan on the path of becoming a power equal to the European and American powers. Inevitably, Japan and Great Britain, along with the USA and Russia, would clash for control of Asia. The fall of Fort Pasir Panjang to Japan, and subsequently the fall of Singapore, set a shock wave throughout the Allied Forces. Great Britain suffered possibly its single greatest defeat in its military history. The war in the Pacific continued from another three and a half years. When the guns silenced, Japan had lost its empire, including Singapore. Great Britain, although on the side of the victors, relinquished control of many of it's colonies soon after World World II ended. Singapore secured its own independence in 1963.
History
Fort Pasir Panjang had been originally called Labrador Battery, named after Labrador Bay. Two craggy granite outcrops, Long Ya Men (龙牙门), or Dragon's Teeth Gate, formerly stood on each side of the entrance to the Keppel Harbour, at that time called New Harbour. Dragon's Teeth Gate served as a navigation landmark to mariners since ancient times.[2] The Straits Settlement Surveyor, John Thomson, subsequently blew up the two rock outcrops in August 1848 to widen the entrance to the harbor.[3] The British recognized Labrador's strategic value as early as 1843 when making plans to set up defenses to protect Singapore, an important trading post founded by Sir Stamford Raffles of the British East India Company in 1819.
Piracy
The New Harbour had been renamed as Keppel Harbour in 1900 after Admiral Sir Henry Keppel of HMS Meander, who carried out an on-site survey to build an anchorage in the harbor in the 1880s. In 1842, he had won renown for his successful campaigns against pirates harassing merchant ships close to the harbor entrance. His work rendered piracy less dangerous in the waters off Singapore from the 1850s.[4]
A white obelisk standing near the former site of Long Ya Men marks the original Western Harbour boundary. That obelisk still stands at Tanjong Berlayer Point ("Tanjong" means "land's end" in Malay) marking the southernmost tip of the Asian Continent.[5]
Defenses
In 1878, British engineers place forts on either side of the entrance to New Harbour in an attempt to strengthen coastal defenses in Singapore for protection against naval attack by European powers. They constructed Fort Pasir Panjang on Labrador and Fort Siloso on Pulau Blakang Mati (now Sentosa). The steep cliffs and thick mangrove swamps surrounding the two forts acted as excellent natural barriers against attackers.
Underwater Mines
In 1881, British engineers laid mines in the waters between the two forts and at the eastern entrance of the harbor to further strengthen the defenses. They tethered the mines to the seabed, adjusted to float just under the surface of the water. The British created a 'friendly safe channel' through the minefields. The mine field work led to speculation that a tunnel had been created under the channel linking the two forts. [6]
Gun Emplacements
The 7th Coast Artillery Regiment made up the Faber Fire Command under Brigadier A.D. Curtiss. .[7] The British first installed the 7-inch Rifled Muzzle-Loading (R.M.L.) at Fort Pasir Panjang in 1878, providing a temporary defense, soon after mounting 9.2-inch Rifled Breech-Loading (R.B.L.) guns as the main firepower.[8] Engineers eventually modified the emplacement to contain 2 × 6 in (152 mm) Q.F. guns. That gun, the leading technology of its time, definitely performed better in terms of its accuracy and rapidity to counter the speedy motor torpedo boats that appeared in the 1880s. Each shell used by those 6-inch Q.F. weighed 45 kilograms.[9]
- 7-inch rifled muzzle-loading gun
- Weight: 6.5 tons.
- Muzzle velocity: 1,500 feet per second (460 m/s).
- Rounds per minute: 2-3
- Type of ammunition used: Common shells, shrapnel shells and case shots.
- 6-inch quick-firing gun
- Weight: 7 tons.
- Muzzle velocity 2,150 feet per second (655 m/s).
- Rounds per minute: 25-30.
- Maximum range: 15,700 yards (14,400 m) on a central pivot.
The Casemate
The Casemate, built in 1886, served as an ammunition store for the guns and a shelter for gunners and infantry groups stationed at the Fort. Situated at the highest point of the hill, the Casemate served the 9.2-inch R.M.L. guns nearby. The Casemate has four rooms, one of the rooms held the entrance to a tunnel that led to underground store rooms beneath the first emplacement.[10] Lim Bo Seng, a war hero of Singapore, had been a major brick supplier in the late 1930s, with his main client, the colonial government. Bricks supplied by Lim lay in certain sections of the Casemates at the Fort. His other projects included the construction of Alexandra Hospital, the army barracks in Changi and many defense works in the 1930s.[11]
Tunnels
The tunnels, constructed in 1886, lead to underground storerooms constructed to serve gun emplacements located directly above it. The tunnels serving Gun Emplacement III constitute the most extensive tunnel discovered at Labrador Park.[12] Immediately upon entering the tunnel stands an enlarged chamber allowing for two-way traffic of soldiers, a counter distinction from the walkways in the tunnel which allowed single person passage. The tunnel then splits into two. One leads to the cartridge storeroom and hoist area while the other leads to the shell storeroom and hoist area. The hoist uses a mechanical pulley system to lift the shells and cartridges from the underground room to the emplacement above it. The allocation of separation hoists for the shells and the cartridges allows for convenience and a more systematic operation of the gun above it.
Uses of the underground rooms
The underground storerooms played important roles in the Fort. For one, they protected ammunition from being ignited by enemy fire. Secondly, the use of hoists facilitated easy movement and retrieval of ammunition. Thirdly, the tunnel provided protection for the gunners not involved in the actual manning of the gun. Lastly, they help to protect the gun and gunners above from any accidental explosions in the underground room itself. The underground tunnels lead to the following areas:[12]
- Lighting room—Given the inflammable nature of the store, no naked flames were allowed in any rooms with the exception of this room.
- Cartridge room—For the storage of cartridges.
- Cartridge lift area—Where the hoist raising the cartridges to the emplacement aboveground was found.
- Filled shell store—For the storage of shells filled with gunpowder.
- Shell lift area—Where the hoist raising the Filled Shells to the emplacement aboveground was found.
Japanese invasion
Before the onset of World War II (WWII), the British upgraded Fort Pasir Panjang to Labrador Battery, placing tank obstacles, land mines and beach defenses around the Fort. They hurriedly sited air bases and garrisons in Malaya to counter the Japanese invasion threat. In anticipation of a coastal attack, eleven forts and gun batteries protected the coastal south of Singapore:
- Fort Pasir Panjang
- Fort Siloso
- Mount Imbiah Battery
- Fort Serapong
- Fort Connaught
- Fort Canning
- Fullerton
- Palmer
- Faber Fire Command
- Fort Silingsing
- Fort Teregah
By the eve of the Japanese invasion, Singapore had become one of the most fortified countries in the world.[13]
Battle for Pasir Panjang
By 13 February 1942, the Japanese had already reached Pasir Panjang Ridge (present Kent Ridge Park) after destroying the Allied artillery force on Chwee Chian Hill (where Poh Ern Shih Temple stands today). That location stood near the Alexandra area where the main ammunition stores and a military hospital situated. The men of the 1st Battalion, Charlie Company, Malay Regiment, led by Lieutenent Adnan Bin Saidi fought bravely to the last. They killed or wounded many Japanese soldiers. The guns from Labrador assisted the Malay Regiment in their 48-hour struggle against the Japanese by firing high explosive shells at enemy troops.[7] With Japanese reinforcements, the Japanese finally surrounded and massacred Malay Regiment. Three lucky ones, together with Lieutenant Abbas Abdul-Manan, managed to escape and later rejoined thirty surviving soldiers of a British battalion in the nearby area.
After their conquest of Pasir Panjang Ridge, the Japanese proceeded to march towards the city of Singapore for their final decisive thrust against remaining Allied forces there. Perched on a hill (near present Keppel Country Club) along Pasir Panjang Road, the escaped Malay and British soldiers had gathered together and waited patiently to ambush the Japanese convoy heading towards the city. Using mounted Bofors guns, they let loose deluge of gunshots causing the Japanese to scramble for cover. The Japanese tanks attempted to move forward to engage the enemy but they could not advance forward due to the sea of dead and wounded blocking its way. About 100 Japanese soldiers died during the ambush before the Anglo-Malay force retreated to the city to join their fellow men for their final stand against the Japanese.[14]
Alexandra Hospital massacre
On 14 February 1942, seeking reprisal for their great loss and also retaliation against retreating soldiers from the 44th Indian Brigade who had fired from Alexandra Hospital, three groups of Japanese soldiers went on a blind rampage. Entering the hospital from the rear, they bayoneted everyone they found, soldiers, patients and medical staff.[15] They killed a British officer, Lieutenant W.E.J. Weston, who carried a white flag to meet them. Even a young patient, Corporal Holden, lying on an operating table died at the point of a bayonet. The Japanese massacred about 200 defenseless souls.[16] Some managed to escape death by falling to the floor and pretending death.
The following day, Lieutenant-General Renya Mutaguchi, Commander of the Japanese 18th Division toured the hospital and distributed tinned fruits, all the while apologizing profusely for the brutality of his soldiers and assured the staff of their safety. He also ordered the execution of the Japanese soldiers responsible for the massacre, within the hospital grounds.[17]
Ineffective guns
The guns of Labrador as well as those in other forts, in anticipation of a coastal attack, aimed seawards and had concrete barriers behind them. As such, the gunners had difficulty in traversing those guns to point northward on the advancing Japanese troops. In addition, officers had distributed more armour-piercing cartridges rather than high explosive (H.E.) rounds which prove more effective against the infantry. As a result, those guns served to no effect and saw little action during the Battle of Singapore.
Aftermath
Before the British surrendered to the Japanese on 15 February 1942, they destroyed all remaining coastal artillery in an operation aptly named Scorched Earth. They burned and destroyed everything that might be of use to the invading Japanese. [18] After WWII, the British disbanded forts worldwide as advances in air defense systems rendered them obsolete. Today, the ruins of coastal fortifications still stand visible at Labrador Battery, Mount Faber, Fort Siloso and Fort Canning that serve as a lasting reminder of their wartime legacy in Fortress Singapore.
See also
Notes
- ↑ Singapore, National heritage tours (Singapore: The Division, 1997)
- ↑ R. Ian Lloyd and Irene Hoe. 1985. Singapore from the air (Singapore: Times Eds), p. 44.
- ↑ "Dragon's tooth replica to mark anniversary of Chinese explorer", The Straits Times, 23 March 2005.
- ↑ Henry Keppel and James Brooke, The expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido for the suppression of piracy: with extracts from the journal of James Brooke, esq. of Sarāwak (London: Chapman and Hall, 1846)
- ↑ "Harbour Limit Marker" - Labrador Park/Fort Pasir Panjang. Vernon Cornelius-Takahama, National Library Board. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
- ↑ Lim, Labrador Park, p. 26.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Bose, in "Labrador Park," p. 66.
- ↑ A. G. Harfield. 1984. British & Indian armies in the East Indies, 1685-1935 (Chippenham [Wiltshire]: Picton Pub.), p. 232.
- ↑ Lim, Labrador Park, pp. 44-48.
- ↑ Lim, Labrador Park, pp. 72—3.
- ↑ Lim, Labrador Park, p. 130.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedNparks - ↑ Lim, Labrador Park, pp. 80—1.
- ↑ Lim, Labrador Park, pp. 88—9.
- ↑ Patridge, "Alexandra Hospital Massacre," p. 60.
- ↑ Lim, "The Massacre at Alexandra Hospital," p. 90.
- ↑ Bose, "Alexandra Hospital Massacre," pp. 68—9.
- ↑ Lim, Labrador Park, p. 115.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Bose, Roman (1995). Fortress Singapore—The Battlefield Guide. Singapore: Times Book International. ISBN 981-204-365-9.
- Keppel, Henry, and James Brooke. (1846). The expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido for the suppression of piracy: with extracts from the journal of James Brooke, esq. of Sarāwak. London: Chapman and Hall. OCLC 5186218.
- Lim, David (2005). Labrador Park—The Adventure Begins. Singapore: SNP Panpac. ISBN 981-252-855-5.
- Lloyd, R. Ian, and Irene Hoe. 1985. Singapore from the air. Singapore: Times Eds. ISBN 9789971400125.
- Patridge, Jeff (1998). Alexandra Hospital: From British Military to Civilian Institution 1938—1998. Singapore: Alexandra Hospital & Singapore Polytechnic Publication. ISBN 981-04-0430-1.
- Singapore. 1997. National heritage tours. Singapore: The Division. ISBN 9789812237613.
External links
- Labrador Park/Fort Pasir Panjang. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
- Pasir Panjang Park. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
- Strait Times. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
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