Hello there visitor! Welcome to Changi Beach Park. Located in the eastern side of Singapore, this park is one of the oldest coastal parks established and open to the public in May of 1985. Its history dates back to the 17th century when the area known as Changi today, was known as “Tanjong Rusa” which translates to “deer cape”. This district was later renamed “Tanjong Changi” in the 19th century with the latter term being derived from the Chengai tree, or the Balanocarpus which used to grow in the area and served as a valuable source of timber. However, the majority of this Southeast Asian tree species was cleared out in 1926 for the British Royal Air Force Base during WWII. It has since gone extinct after the 20th of November, 2002 when the last Chengai tree was cut down illegally by DTZ Debenham Tie Leung Property Management Services.
History of the Japanese Occupation during WWII
During the World War II period, Changi beach was an execution site of the Sook Ching Massacre during the Japanese Occupation which lasted from the 15th of February 1942 to the 12th of September in 1945 after the British surrendered. The military operation Sook Ching took place two days after Singapore was ceded to the Japanese and lasted for two weeks. It was targeted at eliminating all anti-Japanese elements in Singapore and this led to the arrest and interrogation of Chinese men between the ages of 18-50 who were suspected of being against the Japanese. Those who were deemed guilty by Japanese officials were then brought to various execution grounds and were shot to death with machine guns.
This very stretch which we are looking at right now is in fact- as some of you may already know- one of the execution sites where 66 Chinese men were gunned down on the 22nd of February, 1942. Let's take a walk along the beach:
In modern Singapore, Changi Beach has also gained a reputation for being “haunted” with visitors reporting sightings of headless ghosts of Chinese victims roaming the beach while their detached heads flew around. Others testify to being chased by the spirits of Japanese soldiers at night and hearing cries as well as screams of anguish- thought to belong to vengeful or sorrowful spirits in the area. Such forms of paranormal activity hark back to the reign of terror under the Japanese Occupation and bear much resemblance to the ways in which victims of violence- innocent or guilty- perished on the shores of Changi Beach.
“When I was about 11 or 12, my best friend and I were wandering about a dim area next to the bridge that was connecting the beach to Changi Village. She slipped and fell down the rock slope that led into the water (this was the side of the bridge that had no barriers) and I reached over to grab her but she was getting heavier and heavier and I couldn't pull her up. At first, her chest and head were still above water, but slowly she started sinking and eventually her whole head was submerged, and half my body was submerged too, with me gripping onto her hand with one hand and gripping onto the ledge with another. I screamed for help and a nice fisherman uncle pulled both of us out really easily from the water (and then laughed at us lol). When we were in the car, she said she felt like something was trying to pull her down by the legs.” - 22 year-old Singaporean.
When the Japanese gunned down Chinese men deemed guilty of anti-Japanese sentiment, many of their bodies were thrown into the water. At other time, Australian and British Prisoners of War held captive by the Japanese were tasked with burying bodies in mass graves.
History of Prisoners of War (POWs) in Changi - the Selarang Barrack Incident
However, did you know that Chinese men were not the only ones who lost their lives on this beach? During the Japanese Occupation, four Prisoners of War (POWs) were executed on Changi beach as well as punishment for attempting to escape from an internment camp. After the fall of Singapore in 1942, Australian and British soldiers who helped defend Singapore from the Japanese were taken captive and taken to various internment camps- one of which was the Selarang Barracks camp, located in Changi. Prisoners held at this camp later served as laborers in building the Burma-Thailand railway- a safer transport route linking the two Southeast Asian countries which the Japanese intended to use for moving war supplies and troops. This was where many POWs were forced to do dangerous work necessary for constructing the railway and died from malnutrition as well as disease. Many POWs were either held at Changi before departing to the railway, or returned from working on the railway.
Despite shortages of food and the spread of disease as well, the Changi POW camp was viewed as “heaven on earth” by POWs compared to other internment camps and had a lower death rate compared to at the Burma-Thailand railway. Additionally, POWs had a significant measure of freedom at Changi as it was run by their own military commanders and not the Japanese so they were able to conduct activities such as concerts, open a library and some even gave educational classes ranging from mechanics to ancient history in the first few months of the Japanese Occupation. Nevertheless, this did not mean that the POWs accepted life in captivity. In August 1942, four POWs, Corporal Breavington (AIF), Private Gale (AIF), Private Waters (East Surrey Regiment) and Private Fletcher (Royal Army) were caught attempting to escape. The Japanese then demanded that all POWs signed a ‘non-escape declaration’ form which detailed that any individual who signs it declared that they would not escape. However, the POWs decided not to sign the forms which incited a warning from the Japanese who threatened to punish those who chose not to sign them- namely, being moved to Selarang Barracks Square which was extremely cramped. The POWs maintained their stance and received orders to be relocated in September- alongside a notice that the four men caught trying to escape would be executed. Despite the Commander of the British and Australian troops of the Changi camp, Lieutenant-Colonel E. B. Holmes writing in to appeal to the Japanese, the execution still took place and the four men were killed (not without defiance) on the beach by soldiers from the Indian National Army while other POWs watched.
When the team behind this digital tour walked around Changi Beach Park, we were unable to find signboards which indicated where the four POWs who attempted escape were executed. If anyone knows about this do feel free to write on our forum or send in comments!
Looking at the beach, besides the board indicating the site of the Sook Ching Massacre, there are no other signposts which indicate or acknolwegde where the four POWs were executed. Nevertheless, this incident highlights the fact that Changi beach was not merely a place significant to Singapore's national history, but involved other racial groups from beyond local shores.
"Pilgrimages" and the postwar significance of Changi to POWs
After the war, Changi continued to hold historical and nationalistic significance- especially for Australian POWs and their families. This was evident in a culture of embarking on pilgrimages to Changi after the late 1950s which was undertaken by both Australian POW’s families and ex-POWs. In particular, for POWs, such visits contributed to the processes of healing by confronting and reconnecting with a place which was symbolic of their war experiences in confinement. Furthermore, pilgrimages also allowed POW’s families and ex-POWs to remember and emotionally connect with those who passed on.
Changi Beach in the postwar period: Back to a site of leisure
From the 1950s onwards, Changi Beach became a site for leisure and recreation once again, and visitors could spend their weekends staying in holiday bungalows in the area- a development which resembled the functions this coastal area had before the war. As mentioned earlier, the beach was converted into a park in 1985 and in the present day, it is evident that the theme of leisure has continued, seen through an abundance of park benches scattered along the coast, complete with barbeque pits, bicycle rentals and even eateries! As a result, park goes- be it Singaporeans or tourists are able to enjoy the park for leisure purposes- but simultaneously interact with sites of history whether they are aware of it or not. And that brings us to the end of the tour of Changi beach!
References
Barker, Henry. Barker, Henry Prisoners-of-War (POWs), Accession Number 002612. Interview by Moey Kok Keong. National Archives of Singapore, February 17, 2002. https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/oral_history_interviews/record-details/9e208053-115e-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad?keywords=changi%20beach%20&keywords-type=all.
Beaumont, Joan. “Contested Trans-National Heritage: The Demolition of Changi Prison, Singapore.” International journal of heritage studies : IJHS 15, no. 4 (2009): 298–316.
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“Changi Beach along Nicoll Drive.” Roots. Accessed on April 12, 2023. https://www.roots.gov.sg/Collection-Landing/listing/1106387.
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“Defining moments: Burma-Thailand Railway.” National Museum Australia. Accessed on April 12, 2023. https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/burma-thailand-railway.
Havers, R. P. W. Reassessing the Japanese Prisoner of War Experience: The Changi Prisoner of War Camp in Singapore, 1942-45. Abingdon, Oxon: Taylor and Francis, 2003.
Probert, Henry. The History of Changi. Singapore: Changi University Press, 2006.
Singapore Editorials. "Haunted Changi Beach." Street Directory. Accessed on April 12, 2023. https://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/singapore/local_guide/1312/haunted_changi_beach_.php.
Yeoh, Brenda, and Lily Kong. “THE NOTION OF PLACE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HISTORY, NOSTALGIA AND HERITAGE IN SINGAPORE.” Singapore journal of tropical geography 17, no. 1 (1996): 52–65.