Explore the sites and stories of Singapore’s war-time past as part of Battle for Singapore 2025 with special programmes will take place between 15 February to 2 March 2025. These tell compelling stories of resilience to iconic wartime sites with this year’s line-up inviting participants to delve deeper into pivotal moments and experiences that have shaped the nation during its darkest days.
The Battle for Singapore 2025 activities are being held in commemoration of the 83rd anniversary of the Fall of Singapore. Amongst the sites featured include Tengah Air Base, the first airfield to be captured when Japanese forces invaded Singapore, and Clifford Pier, the site which served as a key point of evacuation during World War II.
Battle for Singapore 2025 Event Highlights
This year, Battle for Singapore 2025 presents over 20 programmes with a wide range of tours, talks, workshops, and exhibitions by participating Museum Roundtable members, government agencies, and heritage organisations and researchers.
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New Signature Programme – Fort Siloso Twilight Tour
A new signature programme for Battle for Singapore 2025 is the Fort Siloso Twilight Tour, led by historian Dr John Kwok and Deputy Manager, Recreational Nodes Unit, Environmental Management Division, Sentosa, Muhammad Saifullah Kamaludin.
The programme is a collaboration between NHB and Sentosa Development Corporation and provides an exclusive after-hours tour of Fort Siloso will immerse participants in actual events leading up to the Fall of Singapore.
Participants will be brought through historic fortifications, tunnels and strategic sites, where they can uncover more about the harrowing hours of those who defended Singapore to the very last.
Read more about the experience from our preview of the Fort Siloso Twilight Tour.
When: 15 February 2025, 16 February 2025, 22 February 2025, 23 February 2025, 1 March 2025, 2 March 2025
Time: 6 pm to 7.30 pm
Price: $25 per person
Meeting Point: Fort Siloso, Sentosa
A Soldier’s Kit — Field Rations during World War Two Date
Explore a soldier’s kit featuring actual items from World War II as well as replicas from the collection of Alvin’s Bunker. Learn more about what soldiers in the 1940s ate and how they groomed themselves, as well as the design and evolution of ration and hygiene kits from past to present, with examples from the armed forces of different countries. The programme will be led by Alvin Lee of Alvin’s Bunker. Each participant will also receive their own mini World War II ration pack.
When: 15 February 2025
10 am to 11am (for families with children aged seven and above)
11.30 am to 12.30 pm (for participants aged 16 and above)
Price: $21.80 per adult-child pair, $10.90 per adult pax
Where: Reflections at Bukit Chandu
Singapore Air Force Museum Feature Tour: War over Singapore
The programme provides an exclusive access into Tengah Air Base, the site which came under the control of the Japanese and become Yamashita’s first command centre during World War II. This bus tour will be led by volunteer guide Dr John Kwok and will cover Tengah Air Base and Singapore Air Force Museum.
When:
15 February 2025 (10 am, 11 am, 1 pm)
22 February 2025 (9 am, 11 am, 1 pm)
16 February 2025, 23 February 2025, 1 March 2025, 2 March 2025 (9 am, 10 am, 11 am, 1 pm)
Price: $5 per pax
Meeting Point: Yew Tee MRT pick-up
Cashin House: Witness to Invasion
Join heritage veteran Jerome Lim on a trip to the sensitively reconstructed Cashin House, located at Lim Chu Kang Nature Park. The site witnessed some of the first landings of the invading Japanese forces during World War II. Learn about the perspectives of men on opposing sides as they engaged in battle, and explore the area’s historical landscape.
Read more about our experience visiting Cashin House.
When: 15 February 2025, 22 February 2025
Time: 9 am to 10.30 am and 11 am to 12.30 pm
Price: Free of Charge
Meeting Point: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Heritage Chat on Sport in Syonan: The Role of State Shinto and Sport in Integrating Singapore into the Japanese Empire (1942–45)
During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, military and civilian officials governing Singapore used a combination of State Shinto and sport to assist in culturally assimilating Singapore into Japan’s Empire. A planned massive sports complex was to be located at Singapore’s own State Shinto shrine, the Syonan Jinja, partly modelled on Japan’s Meiji Shrine which regularly held on its own grounds sports events and games that mixed the rituals of State Shinto with athleticism. Participation in sport was used to assimilate local populations into an imperial identity united under the Japanese Emperor. Join Professor Kevin Blackburn from NIE, NTU and Dr Nick Aplin, DD Sport Heritage, Sport Singapore, as they share their expert insights.
When: 28 February 2025, 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm
Price: Free of charge
Where: Yan Kit Pool Heritage Gallery
Day Zero
Relive the fear and chaos upon first contact with Japanese invasion forces. Find out how poor leadership and miscommunication quickly brought about the capitulation of the whole of western Singapore. This bus tour will be led by volunteer guide Dr John Kwok and will cover Singapore Discovery Centre, the Sarimbun Beach Landing and Sungei Buloh Visitor Centre.
When: 15 February 2025, 16 February 2025, 1 March 2025
Time: 10 am to 12.20pm
Price: $5 per pax
Meeting Point: Singapore Discovery Centre
This bus tour explores spaces featured in Singapore’s early defences such as the significance of names like Fullerton and Battery Road, the development of the harbour and its importance to Singapore, the development of the volunteer forces in general, shipping (and the Straits Steamship Co — which provided many of the evacuation ships) and also the site of the SSNVR and stories of the evacuation. The tour will be led by heritage enthusiast Jerome Lim and will cover Clifford Pier, Ocean Financial Centre, Cavenagh Bridge and Singapore Navy Museum.
When: 16 February 2025, 9 am to 11.30 am, 2 pm to 4.30 pm
Price: $5 per pax
Meeting Point: Telok Ayer Basin / Lau Pa Sat pick-up
Under Occupation by Catherine
Stories from the graves — a recounting of the events leading up to the Japanese invasion of Singapore, from surrender to post-war reckoning. This tour will offer insights into the history and significance of Bukit Brown, with a focus on the people who lived through these turbulent times. This programme is presented by Catherine Lim, a founding member of all things Bukit Brown, with a deep interest in WWII, revolution, women in Bukit Brown, and the rites and rituals of honoring the dead.
When: 15 February 2025, 9 am to 11.30 am
Price: Free of Charge
Meeting Point: Bus stop 41161 on Lornie Highway towards Macritchie Reservoir
Adam Park: From Home to Battlefield by Simone Lee
Civilians, soldiers, and prisoners of war—hear their stories through a house-by-house account of life before, during, and after the fall of Singapore. This programme is led by Simone Lee, a volunteer guide for All Things Bukit Brown. Simone is passionate about social history and education, and her signature walks include “Ladies of the Straits Settlements” and “Back to School(s).”
When: 2 March 2025, 9 am to 11.30 am
Price: Free of Charge
Meeting Point: No 7 Adam Park
WWII Guided Tour Through Second World War Toys
The ‘WWII Guided Tour Through Second World War Toys’ programme examines how toys were used to normalise war, encourage war efforts, and celebrate war achievements across both Allied Forces (Britain, France, USSR & USA) and the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy & Japan). The museum’s Second World War collection features figurines of iconic war heroes, collectibles of Sikh soldiers who fought during the Battle of Singapore in 1942, propaganda toys, and a focus on fighter planes and battleship toy models that have left a lasting legacy. The tour includes an engaging trivia session that uncovers little-known facts and strategies used by both the Allies and Axis. Specially curated for this programme, limited pieces of a ‘M-40’ Gun Motor Carriage Collectable Toy, modeled after the iconic American self-propelled artillery vehicle, will be available for purchase as a memorabilia piece.
When: 15 February to 2 March 2025
Time:
Weekdays – 2.30 pm, 4.30 pm
Weekends: 11.30 am, 2.30 pm
Location: MINT Museum of Toys
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Resilience in Adversity – A Docent-Guided Tour and Hand-bound Notebook Workshop
Amid hardship and deprivation, the internees of Changi Prison during World War Two found inventive ways to improve their lot. Faced with major shortages of shelter, food, and daily products, they worked together to scavenge materials and produce a variety of items, from soap and vitamin supplements to prosthetics and toothbrushes. Learn more about their extraordinary creativity and resilience through a docent-guided tour featuring actual items belonging to former internees, including a hand-stitched notepad made by Sergeant John Ritchie Johnston out of old prison records. Be inspired by their ingenuity and create your own hand-bound notebook using upcycled materials in a guided craft session after the tour.
When: 23 February 2025
Timings: 10 am to 11.30 am, 11 am to 12.30 pm
Price: $15 per participant
Where: Changi Chapel and Museum
Registration for Battle for Singapore 2025 Programmes and Tours
Visit www.museums.com.sg for the full set of Battle for Singapore 2025 programmes and tours and to sign up them.
Registration for Battle for Singapore 2025 tours and programmes commences 11 February 2025 (Tuesday) at 12 pm, on a first-come first-served basis.
