On the 24th of March, I visited a museum, The Battlebox, in Singapore. It was a museum about the World War II in Singapore.A description about the museum:
In the 1300s, Malay kings set up their palaces on top of the hills as it was easier to defend and attack. Others were not allowed to use this hill. Thus, the Fort Canning Park Hill (where The Battlebox is) was called the Forbidden Hill.
In 1819, the British arrived and set up a port. In 1861, the British built a fort and this is why the hill is called Fort Canning Hill.
In 1936, the British decided to build an underground bunker which was eventually called The Battlebox.
On 8 December 1941, Japan led by Yamashita, invaded Malaya. He pushed the teamed British, Australians and Indians back to Singapore.
Japan had air and water control and so the only way to fight was on land. Japan had a lot of tanks but the British didn't have a single one. As Japan, headed towards Singapore, Percival (the British general) shot the only bridge leading to Singapore with a cannon. They were away from the world.
The Japanese still could arrive at Singapore and destroyed a lot of troops. In this case, Percival and his 120,000 men surrendered to Yamashita.
In 1945, the British decide to seal the Battlebox. It was not found for decades.
Later on in 1988, A Straits Times journalist found the Battlebox and opened it as a tourist attraction. It closes again in 2012.In February 2016, finally the attraction opens to the public.
MY VISIT-
At The Battlebox, I wasn't allowed to take pictures or even to write notes! It was a wonderful experience though.
During the tour, every bit of information was thoroughly explained. Based on my opinion, it deserves to be the #1 MUSEUM IN SINGAPORE.
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