The Electric New Paper's My mother often talks about these times. She was very poor. Almost everyone was.	1930s: We were then a peaceful, British colony. Singapore was part of the Straits Settlements, which included Penang and Malacca. British rule in Singapore was generally laissez-faire (or, in Singlish, anything also can). The different ethnic communities were left alone to manage their own affairs. Pre-war Singapore: A little slow but no COEs needed The colonial government spent public money for only a few English- and Malay-medium schools. It didn't care about Chinese education. The Chinese were, of course, not happy.
Victims of the slump (ST, Dec 1, 1930) Jobless in Singapore Tanglin Bathing Beauties (ST, Dec 1, 1930) 1930s lifestyle	So, the Chinese community began building schools on its own or with help from China. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, communists tried to get a toe into Chinese schools and trade unions but, on the whole, they were not very successful as police arrested key commie bosses. Singapore was hit hard by the Great Depression of 1929 to 1933 as international trade, including trade in Malayan tin and rubber, crashed. Times were tough -- many had no jobs and money was hard to come by.
Hostilities break out in North China (ST, Jul 8, 1937) Sino-Jap war Nazi-Soviet tension reported growing (ST, June 21, 1941) War fund advances by nearly $1,000 today (ST, Jan 1, 1942)	July 1937: War broke out in Asia when Japan attacked China. Meanwhile, in Europe, war broke out in Sept 1939 when fascist Germany invaded Poland. In 1940, the Germany-Italy-Japan Axis was formed. And in June 1941, Hitler invaded the Soviet Union. Blood was flowing elsewhere, but Singapore remained very much out of the war scene. Although the local newspapers, such as The Straits Times, often carried front-page reports of the war in Europe and Asia, and even set up a war fund, war generally seemed very far away. Even though the feelings of the Singapore Chinese were aroused in the Sino-Japanese war, most of the support for China was indirect and from afar, such as, by boycotting Japanese goods. Source: Malaya Tribune Here is how the Japanese were seen: "short-sighted, buck-toothed, little men" who did not appreciate the military strength of the Allied powers. The cartoon accompanied an article which stated that "the Japanese are caught in a trap of their own making...neither by land nor sea nor in the air do they have even a glimmer of a chance of victory..." The article appeared in a leading Singapore newspaper, The Malaya Tribune, on Dec 3, 1941. It reflected a general belief that there was no threat of war in South east Asia, because of the thick jungles of the Malay Peninsula and the military might of the British. Singapore, especially, was regarded as an "impregnable fortress.’’ Yes, people actually believed Singapore would never, could never fall.
Singapore was so small and fragile. How could people think it was an 'impregnable fortress'?
	But just five days later, Japan dropped its first bombs on Singapore. The bombs, which were dropped at 4 am on Dec 8, 1941, killed 60 people and injured more than 700. Another turning point was when the British battleship, Prince of Wales, and battle cruiser, Repulse, were sunk by Japanese torpedo bombers on Dec 10, 1941. It was a big blow to British morale. The Prince of Wales
Japs now 20 miles from Singapore (ST, Jan 31, 1942) The Japs are coming	Japanese troops conquered Malaya on bicycles About 1½ months later, on January 31, 1942, the Japanese entered Johor Baru. Bicycles were an important factor behind the quick advance of the Japanese forces through Malaya. The three divisions of the Japanese Army engaged in the campaign were equipped with about 18,000 bicycles. Singapore was next on the agenda of the "bicycle brigade".   Death from the sky Still, the local people were confident that the Japanese had no hope of taking Singapore. The source of their faith: The optimistic wartime propaganda in the local newspapers. The Japanese launched intense air attacks on Singapore in late January and early February 1942, killing 150 - 200 people each day. But the main local newspaper, The Straits Times, still carried this message from Governor Sir Shenton Thomas, underneath its masthead every day: "Singapore Must Stand; It SHALL Stand" - H.E. the Governor of Singapore. After the news of the sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse, they still did not believe Singapore was in danger. When Johor was overrun, they thought it was a tactical retreat by the British. They believed the British forces would regroup and counterattack.
City’s new defence line (ST, Feb 14, 1942) News just before the fall of Singapore Strong Jap pressure (Sun Times, Feb 15, 1942) Report that appeared on the day Singapore fell to the Japs So this is the Tiger of Malaya	Sunday, Feb 15, 1942, the first day of the Lunar New Year: Singapore fell to the Japanese. The Tiger of Malaya Here is the man behind the Japanese campaign -- Lieutenant-General Tomoyuki Yamashita, dubbed the Tiger of Malaya. After invading Johor, General Yamashita realised that he had to invade Singapore quickly before the British recovered their strength. He did not have enough supplies to last through a long-drawn siege of Singapore, but the British did not know that. Working in the dead of night, the Japanese set up a beach-head in the Lim Chu Kang area on Feb 8. By Feb 9, Tengah airfield was in their hands. The morale of the British forces reached rock-bottom. Many Britons and local people lost their lives trying to defend strategic positions. The water mains were destroyed during the air raids, and Singapore was almost totally without water. As the air was filled with the stench of filth and death, Lieutenant- General Arthur Percival, who was in command of all Allied forces in Singapore felt that the situation was hopeless. To avoid more destruction and loss of lives, he asked permission from the Far East Supreme Commander to surrender. The permission was granted on Feb 14.
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