150 artefacts from private collectors tell stories of war years

The British and Japanese may have been on opposing sides during World War II, but the relationship between the nations was not always adversarial.

In fact, soldiers from Britain and Japan fought alongside one another just four decades prior to their battle in the 1940s, as members of an eight-nation coalition that invaded the north of China in August 1900 to relieve foreign legations during the Boxer Rebellion.

A Japanese sake cup serves as evidence of the two nations' friendship in the 1900s and will be on display to the public for the first time, as part of a new exhibition commemorating the 80th anniversary of Singapore's fall to the Japanese on Feb 15, 1942.

Comprising about 150 never-before-seen artefacts from three Singapore private collectors - Mr Dave Kan, Ms Cheng Lai Yee and Mr Sng Siak Keng - the event is titled New Light On An Old Tale.

Housed in the National Archives of Singapore (NAS), next to Fort Canning Park, it captures many stories of individuals who fought in the war, as well as lesser-known aspects of life during the war years.

Among the items on display is an inconspicuous metallic tube. It held a standard Japanese Imperial Army-issue ointment for sexually transmitted diseases, a reflection of the availability of girls and women in comfort centres to Japanese soldiers.

Mr Gabriel Seow, an exhibition tour guide, said some artefacts offer a different perspective of certain events during the war. Others reinforce known narratives.

For instance, two porcelain medals shed light on why the battle of Bukit Timah between Feb 10 and 12, 1942, was especially hard fought by the Japanese.

Pointing out that Feb 11 is Japan's National Foundation Day, Mr Seow said it is believed that General Tomoyuki Yamashita, who led Japanese forces in the fight for Malaya, had intended to capture Singapore by that day as a gift to his nation.

The two porcelain medals on display serve as evidence of this. Both dated Feb 11, 1942, they were gifted to Gen Yamashita by German dictator Adolf Hitler to commemorate the capture.

Mr Ng Cher Pong, chief executive of the National Library Board, which manages NAS, thanked the three collectors whose loans made the exhibition possible, adding that he hopes more partners will step forward to help tell Singapore's stories.

Mr Seow said curators had a few weeks to put the exhibition together after NAS approached the collectors to explore potential areas for collaborations and they agreed to loan their artefacts for display.

The artefacts' stories told at the exhibition are based mostly on research by the three private collectors, while NAS complemented them with oral history interviews and images from its collection.

Ms Cheng said: "For a long time, private collectors like myself have been accessing NAS resources to corroborate historical facts and details on the artefacts we collect.

"This exhibition is an excellent showcase of the synergistic relationship between a public institution and local history buffs sharing a common mission - to reclaim Singapore's heritage."

In conjunction with the exhibition, NAS has organised programmes including a talk next month by one of the collectors, Mr Sng, on some of the artefacts and the stories behind them.

There will also be screenings by the Asian Film Archive that trace and present the historical development of World War II.

New Light On An Old Tale is on till June 30 and admission is free.