Kranji War Cemetery
Encyclopedia
The Kranji War Cemetery is located in Kranji
, Singapore
, and is the final resting place for Allied
soldiers who perished during the Battle of Singapore
and the subsequent Japanese occupation of the island
from 1942-1945 and in other parts of Southeast Asia
during World War II
.
There are 4,461 World War II casualties buried or commemorated at this cemetery, of which more than 850 of these are unidentified. There are 64 World War I
headstones, of which three commemorate casualties known to have been buried elsewhere but whose graves could not be found on concentration.
, the area was in use as an ammunition magazine. After the fall of Singapore, the Japanese established a prisoner-of-war camp
at Kranji and a hospital nearby at Woodlands
. After the war, In 1946, it was decided that Kranji would be designated as Singapore's War Cemetery so the small cemetery at Kranji was developed into a permanent war cemetery and subsequently war graves from Buona Vista, Changi, and other cemeteries were removed and re-interred at Kranji. .
The site was expanded by the concentration of graves from surrounding areas and from Saigon
in then-French Indochina
(now Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam
)..
Colin St Clair Oakes designed the Singapore Memorial and the War Cemetery, and the memorial was unveiled on 2nd March 1957 by Sir Robert Black, who was a former a prisoner of war of the Japanese and at the time of the unveiling was then the Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Singapore.
, stands over the war cemetery with the names of 24,346 Allied soldiers inscribed on its walls.
whose graves, whilst known, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
were unable to maintain and whose bodies could not be moved due to religious conviction.
.
for 69 Chinese
servicemen serving with the Commonwealth
forces who were killed at the start of the occupation.
and take these buses:
Kranji
Kranji is a suburb in northwestern Singapore, located about from the city centre.-Etymology:Kranji is named after a local tree, the kranji or keranji . Its abundance has rapidly dwindled since the first half of the nineteenth century.-History:The first Singapore-Kranji railway from Tank Road to...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and is the final resting place for Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
soldiers who perished during the Battle of Singapore
Battle of Singapore
The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in Southeast Asia and nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East"...
and the subsequent Japanese occupation of the island
Japanese Occupation of Singapore
The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
from 1942-1945 and in other parts of Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
There are 4,461 World War II casualties buried or commemorated at this cemetery, of which more than 850 of these are unidentified. There are 64 World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
headstones, of which three commemorate casualties known to have been buried elsewhere but whose graves could not be found on concentration.
History
The Kranji area was previously a military camp. At the time of the Japanese invasion of MalayaBritish Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
, the area was in use as an ammunition magazine. After the fall of Singapore, the Japanese established a prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
at Kranji and a hospital nearby at Woodlands
Woodlands, Singapore
Woodlands, or the Woodlands New Town , is a suburban town in northern Singapore, part of the North West Community Development Council district...
. After the war, In 1946, it was decided that Kranji would be designated as Singapore's War Cemetery so the small cemetery at Kranji was developed into a permanent war cemetery and subsequently war graves from Buona Vista, Changi, and other cemeteries were removed and re-interred at Kranji. .
The site was expanded by the concentration of graves from surrounding areas and from Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
in then-French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
(now Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
)..
Colin St Clair Oakes designed the Singapore Memorial and the War Cemetery, and the memorial was unveiled on 2nd March 1957 by Sir Robert Black, who was a former a prisoner of war of the Japanese and at the time of the unveiling was then the Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Singapore.
Special memorials
Special memorials exist to commemorate specific deaths or graves that could not be found. These memorials are mainly clustered around the main Singapore Memorial.Singapore Memorial
The Singapore Memorial, known locally as the Kranji War MemorialKranji War Memorial
The Kranji War Memorial is located at 9 Woodlands Road, in Kranji in northern Singapore. Dedicated to the men and women from United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Sri Lanka, India, Malaya, the Netherlands and New Zealand who died defending Singapore and Malaya against the invading Japanese forces...
, stands over the war cemetery with the names of 24,346 Allied soldiers inscribed on its walls.
Singapore (Unmaintainable Graves) Memorial
This memorial commemorates over 250 troops killed in action in British MalayaBritish Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
whose graves, whilst known, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
were unable to maintain and whose bodies could not be moved due to religious conviction.
Singapore Cremation Memorial
This memorial is to almost 800 casualties, mostly from Undivided India, who were cremated as part of their religious beliefs.Singapore Civil Hospital Grave Memorial
At the end of the occupation of the island, wounded civilians and servicemen were brought to the hospital in large numbers. Many of these died and a mass grave was established for more than 400 of the bodies. After the war, rather than disturb the grave in a largely futile attempt to identify any single casualties, a cross was built over the grave and the site was consecrated by the Bishop of SingaporeBishop of Singapore
The Bishop of Singapore is the diocesan bishop for the Anglican Diocese of Singapore, founded in 1909.-List of bishops:*1881 Rt Revd George Frederick Hose, Bishop of Singapore, Labuan & Sarawak 1881*1909 Rt Revd Charles James Ferguson-Davie...
.
Chinese Memorial
This memorial, located further from the Singapore Memorial, is a mass graveMass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
for 69 Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
servicemen serving with the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces who were killed at the start of the occupation.
External links
- The War Graves Photographic Project (photo archive of all graves in Kranji War Cemetery)
- Petrowiliamus guide
- Pictures at My Far East
- Digger History: an unofficial history of the Australian & New Zealand Armed Forces
- Peter Chou's PBase Gallery Kranji War Memorial
- Roll of Honour - Details of the men buried in Kranji in several databases
Bus services
Alight from Kranji MRT StationKranji MRT Station
Kranji MRT Station ' is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit train station on the North South Line in Singapore. This station also serves workers of nearby industrial estates which is Sungei Kadut. There were initial plans for a KTM railway station to be located near the station, to serve...
and take these buses:
| Service | Between | And | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBS Transit Trunk Services | |||
| 160 | Jurong East Bus Interchange Jurong East Bus Interchange Jurong East Bus Interchange is a bus interchange located in Jurong East, Singapore... |
Kota Raya II Bus Terminal (JB) | |
| 170 | Queen Street Bus Terminal Queen Street Bus Terminal Queen Street Bus Terminal , also known as the Ban San Bus Terminal, is a bus terminal or terminus in Singapore. It is an aging terminal located in a relatively inconvenient location due to changes in transport patterns around it... |
Larkin Bus Terminal (JB) | Red Plate |
| SMRT Buses Trunk Services | |||
| 178 | Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange was completed and opened along with the Woodlands extension of the North South MRT Line in 1996. It is the first underground bus interchange, and one of the biggest in Singapore... |
Boon Lay Bus Interchange Boon Lay Bus Interchange The Boon Lay Bus Interchange is an air-conditioned bus interchange located in Pioneer, in the western part of Singapore. It is situated within the Jurong Point Shopping Mall and is integrated with the nearby Boon Lay MRT Station... |
|
| 960 | Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange was completed and opened along with the Woodlands extension of the North South MRT Line in 1996. It is the first underground bus interchange, and one of the biggest in Singapore... |
Marina Centre Bus Terminal Marina Centre Bus Terminal Marina Centre Bus Terminal is a bus station located along Raffles Boulevard in Marina Centre, Singapore. It is very near to Promenade MRT Station. The bus terminal does not allow boarding or alighting, and passengers have to alight before the bus terminates at the terminal... |
|
| 961 | Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange was completed and opened along with the Woodlands extension of the North South MRT Line in 1996. It is the first underground bus interchange, and one of the biggest in Singapore... |
Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal Geylang Lorong 1 Bus Terminal is a bus terminal located within the Kallang planning area, at the eastern border with Geylang... |
|
| 961C | Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange was completed and opened along with the Woodlands extension of the North South MRT Line in 1996. It is the first underground bus interchange, and one of the biggest in Singapore... |
Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal Geylang Lorong 1 Bus Terminal is a bus terminal located within the Kallang planning area, at the eastern border with Geylang... |
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