The Civilian War Memorial (Chinese: 日本占领时期死难人民纪念碑) is a memorial located within the War Memorial Park at Beach Road, within the Central Area in Singapore's central business district.
Built in memory of the civilians massacred by the Japanese during World War II, the Civilian War Memorial sits on serene parkland in the midst of busy city traffic near Singapore's Padang and City Hall. The memorial is affectionately described as resembling four giant chopsticks, each 67 metres high. The four elements are joined at the base, representing unity amongst the four major ethnic groups in Singapore: the Chinese, Indian, Malay and other minority groups.
History
During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore (1942-1945), the Sook Ching Operation was carried out. In an effort to remove anti-Japanese elements in Singapore, Chinese men between the ages of 18–50 years of age were to report to the Kempeitai (Japanese Military Police). As a result of the operation, it is believed that between 5,000–50,000 Chinese were massacred by the Japanese.
In February 1962, remains belonging to civilian victims of the Japanese Occupation were unearthed in areas like Siglap, Changi and Bukit Timah. There was a need to gather these remains and find a place to bury them as a token of remembrance. The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce (SCCC) undertook this responsibility.
On 13 March 1963, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, set aside a plot of land at Beach Road for the building of a memorial dedicated to the civilians killed in World War II. The SCCC set up a fund committee, which was later enlarged to include all ethnic groups due to good response from the community. With the support of the Government and contributions from the public, construction of the memorial was able to materialise.
The architectural firm for the Civilian War Memorial was Swan and Maclaren which won the open design competition. Based on the design, the recovered remains were buried by the side of the memorial.
On 23 April 1966, construction of the memorial began, and the memorial was completed in January 1967. The total construction cost was an estimated S$500,000.
Reference
- National Heritage Board (2002), Singapore's 100 Historic Places, Archipelago Press, ISBN 981-4068-23-3