The Fall of Singapore,

The Fall of Singapore 1942.
- Japanese Soldier

The Fall of Singapore

This limited edition soldier depicts a Japanesse Soldiers at the fall of Singapore c.1942.

The fall of Singapore to the Japanese Army on February 15th 1942 is considered one of the greatest defeats in the history of the British Army. Singapore was considered a vital part of the British Empire, a strategically vital military base that protected Britain’s other Commonwealth possessions in the Far East and and supposedly impregnable as a fortress.

This was the first time British forces had come up against a full-scale attack by the Japanesese and the Japanese onslaught through the Malay Peninsula took the British by surprise. Speed was of the essence and the Japanese never allowed the British forces time to re-group.

Sir Winston Churchill proclaimed:

"There must be no thought of sparing the troops or population; commanders and senior officers should die with their troops. The honour of the British Empire and the British Army is at stake."

Nevertheless the Japanese took 100,000 men prisoner in Sngapore. Many had just arrived and had not fired a bullet in anger. Indeed, 9,000 of these men died building the Burma-Thailand railway as depicted in the Bridge over the River Kwai.The people of Singapore fared worse. Many were of Chinese origin and were slaughtered by the Japanese.

British Raj Colonial Soldier Collection

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