World War II Sites & Memorials

Singapore fell to the Japanese in February 1942, during World War II. On 15 February, Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival signed the truce agreement in the boardroom of the Ford Factory at Bukit Timah, thus surrendering Singapore to the Japanese forces.
Thousands of civilians and Allied troops were killed or wounded during the war and the 31/2 years of Japanese Occupation. These harrowing years remained deeply etched in the minds and hearts of the civilians, Allied troops and their families who were taken as prisoners-of-war. Yet their collective spirit strengthened their determination to live and survive.

The Japanese surrender in Singapore took place on 12 September 1945 in City Hall, where thousands of Singaporeans and Allied soldiers crowded The Padang to witness the event. This marked the end of the Japanese Occupation and closed the chapter of World War II in Singapore.

The heroics and poignant memories of the people who served the Allied forces and resisted the Japanese domination have not been forgotten. These historic World War II sites and memorials serve to remind later generations of the battles fought and the hardships that the people suffered during the war years.