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Archives and Heritage in Singapore: The Development of ‘Reflections at Bukit Chandu’, a World War II Interpretive Centre

2006; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 12; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/13527250600821613

1470-3610

Donna Brunero,

Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation

Abstract On 15 February 2002 a new World War II interpretive centre was opened in Singapore. A colonial bungalow was redeveloped by the National Archives of Singapore to commemorate the Malay Regiment and particularly the officers and soldiers who made a heroic stand against Japanese forces in one of the last battles before the fall of Singapore. This centre, Reflections at Bukit Chandu, has significance in terms of local heritage development, public memory of war, national education initiatives, and also in relation to the changing role of archives in Singapore. This paper serves as an exploration of this heritage site and uses this as a starting point for considering public history in Singapore and importantly a new direction for the National Archives of Singapore, as it played the key role in developing this site. Keywords: SingaporeArchivesHeritageWarMalay Regiment Notes [1] Drawn from National Archives of Singapore, working file Projects—Pasir Panjang District, 00/128. The project was given a S$5 million budget and a commitment of financial support for the first five years. [2] National Archives of Singapore, Available from http://www.nhb.gov.sg/NAS/AboutNAS/AboutNAS.html (accessed 27 February 2006). [3] Derrida, Archive Fever, 2–3. [4] For a recent discussion of archives and postmodernity see Nesmith, ‘Seeing Archives’, 24–41. Nesmith provides an overview of Derrida's Archive Fever and its implications for understanding archives. Steve Lubar and Verne Harris have also made significant contributions to this area. [5] Foote, ‘To Remember and Forget’, 391–92. [6] Comment by Dr Lily Tan, ‘Who Writes History? A World of Complexity, a Diversity of Views’, The Sunday Times, 13 July 1997. [7] Brazier, ‘The Archivist’, 11. [8] Ibid., 9–13. [9] Dearstyne, The Archival Enterprise, 194. [10] Ibid., 23. [11] Ibid., 22. [12] The author posted a query to the aus‐archivists listserv and it appears that there is no direct comparison in the Australian context. [13] This stems from a 1992 speech announcing the intention of a five‐museum precinct and in addition the creation of the National Heritage Board as a statutory body to oversee the museum precinct and to work with community museums and the Singapore Heritage Society. Speech by BG (RES) George Yeo, Minister for Information and the Arts at the opening of the ‘Gems of Chinese Art’ exhibition on 30 January 1992, NAS document: yybg19920130s [14] Henderson, ‘Exhibiting Cultures’, 184–85. [15] See Kreps, Liberating Culture, for discussions on new museology in a post‐colonial and globalised environment. [16] ‘New Road Signs to Point the Way to History’, The Straits Times, 19 November 1998. [17] Ibid. [18] Ibid. [19] ‘Weighty Plaques to Commemorate Singapore War Sites’, The Straits Times, 19 June 1995. [20] Muzaini and Yeoh, ‘War Landscapes as “Battlefields” of Collective Memories’, 348. [21] Yohanna Abdullah, ‘Make Bungalow at WWII Battleground a Museum’, The Straits Times, 1 March 1992. [22] Abdul Rahman B Mohd Said, ‘Lessons of Patriotism We Must Never Forget’, The Straits Times, 22 February 1992; and Derek Da Cunha, ‘Honour WWII Defenders of Pasir Panjang Ridge’, 25 February 1992. [23] Second Last Word, ‘Remembering the Fallen Heroes on Opium Hill’, The Straits Times, 28 June 1995. [24] Kreps, Liberating Culture, 9–10. [25] National Archives of Singapore, working files—Pasir Panjang Historic District, 01/271. [26] The idea of localising history is discussed by Lim, ‘War and Ambivalence: Monuments and Memorials in Johor’, in Lim and Wong, War and Memory in Malaysia and Singapore, 155. [27] The landscaping and horticultural considerations in developing Reflections at Bukit Chandu will be the subject of a documentary. [28] Drawn from National Archives of Singapore, working files. [29] The Straits Times Annual 1939, 27. [30] Farrell, The Defence and Fall of Singapore 1940–1942, 372. [31] ‘Man Sees Spot where his War Hero Brother was Killed’, The Straits Times, 11 September 1995. [32] Moriarty, ‘Review Article’, 657. [33] Excerpt from the bronze plaque attached to a commissioned sculpture of artillery of the Malay Regiment in action, in the grounds of the centre. This extract is taken from a speech by George Yeo, Minister for Information and the Arts at the launch of the book The Price of Peace on 21 June 1997. [34] ‘In Search of National Heroes’, The Straits Times, 5 June 1999. [35] Hong and Huang, ‘The Scripting of Singapore's National Heroes’, 226. [36] Muzaini and Yeoh, ‘War Landscapes as “Battlefields” of Collective Memories’, 350. [37] Hoffenberg, ‘Landscape, Memory and the Australian War Experience, 1915–1918’, 112. [38] Foote, ‘To Remember and Forget’, 385. [39] Muzaini and Yeoh, ‘War Landscapes as “Battlefields” of Collective Memories’, 350. [40] Excerpts taken from the Reflections at Bukit Chandu brochure. [41] Farrell, The Defence and Fall of Singapore 1940–1942, 8. [42] This dialogue is fictitious but existing accounts were drawn on to help create an ‘authentic’ feel. [43] Work by the late Professor Henry Frei has done much to examine the accounts of Japanese soldiers during the Malayan Campaign. See Frei, ‘The Island Battle: Japanese Soldiers Remember the Conquest of Singapore’, in Farrel and Hunter, Sixty Years On, 218–39. [44] National Archives of Singapore, working files. For the centre, plans were delayed as a result of the 11 September attacks in the USA, as it was extremely difficult to have the weapons (disabled and carrying certification that they could no longer have use as weapons) shipped in the wake of the attacks. [45] ‘Reflections at Bukit Chandu: A World War II Interpretative Centre’, Audio Tour transcript (English) kindly provided by Reflections at Bukit Chandu staff member. [46] Tunbridge and Ashworth, Dissonant Heritage, 116–17. [47] ‘Hall of Memories’ transcript. [48] Tunbridge and Ashworth, Dissonant Heritage, 120–21. [49] Foote, ‘To Remember and Forget’, 387. [50] Speech by DPM Tony Tan Keng Yam at the opening of Reflections at Bukit Chandu, 15 February 2002. [51] Muzaini and Yeoh, ‘War Landscapes as “Battlefields” of Collective Memories’, 347. [52] Foote, ‘To Remember and Forget’, 378–92. [53] Lim and Wong, op. cit., 1–8. Additional informationNotes on contributorsDonna Brunero Donna Brunero, University of Bristol.