British Defence Plans
The "Main Fleet to Singapore" StrategyFrom the 1920s, Japan had begun to emerge as a serious threat to British outposts in the Far East. With drastic cuts in her defence budget after World War I, the British could no longer maintain a strong permanent naval presence in the area. Britain therefore decided to implement the "Main fleet to Singapore" strategy, to defend not only Singapore, but the rest of her empire in the Far East, and Australasia.Singapore's strategic location as the western gateway to the Far East prompted Britain's 'Overseas Defence Committee' to choose her, in 1921, as the site for a naval base. The Main Fleet would be based in Europe. It would sail to Singapore to protect Britain's Far East interests and possessions should they be threatened.The success of this strategy hinged on the swift dispatch of the Main Fleet, and on keeping Singapore secure until it arrived.To the British Overseas Defence Committee, it seemed clear that an attack could come from the sea and, or from Johore. They therefore devised a strategy that took these alternatives into account.By 1939, the main defences of Singapore consisted of a series of Guns Batteries. Contrary to popular belief, the guns were made to fire both landward and seaward.Certain that the Japanese would first attack from the sea, the British defence planners were confident that the Main Fleet and reinforcements would arrive in Singapore well before any landward attack. Japanese StrategyMany years prior to their attack on Malaya in December 1941, the Japanese had studied the Malayan terrain and worked out their strategy, the troops and equipment needed to mount the campaign. Their immediate objective - the Capture of Singapore.Lieutenant-General Tomoyuki Yamashita, Commander-in-Chief of the 25th Japanese Army, had studied the science and technology of modern warfare. Before taking command, he had spent 6 months in Germany exchanging ideas with Adolf Hitler's military experts.The highly trained and battle hardened 25th Army led by the Imperial Guard Division, and elite troops of the 5th Division, were assigned to carry out the lightning offensive down the Malay Peninsula and capture Singapore, before the British could dispatch its reinforcements.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Japanese Assault Plans
Japanese StrategyMany years prior to their attack on Malaya in December 1941, the Japanese had studied the Malayan terrain and worked out their strategy, the troops and equipment needed to mount the campaign. Their immediate objective - the Capture of Singapore.Lieutenant-General Tomoyuki Yamashita, Commander-in-Chief of the 25th Japanese Army, had studied the science and technology of modern warfare. Before taking command, he had spent 6 months in Germany exchanging ideas with Adolf Hitler's military experts.The highly trained and battle hardened 25th Army led by the Imperial Guard Division, and elite troops of the 5th Division, were assigned to carry out the lightning offensive down the Malay Peninsula and capture Singapore, before the British could dispatch its reinforcements. British Defence Plans CrushedThe “Main Fleet to Singapore” strategy collapsed on 10th December 1941, a mere two days after Japanese invaded Malaya, when the Prince of Wales and the Repulse, the only two battleships, were sunk 60 miles off Kuantan. Soon after landing on southern Thailand and northern Malaya, the Japanese invading forces established air superiority as Britain had only old and obsolete aircraft.
Moreover Britain had no tanks to stop the Japanese onslaught over land.Japanese troops landed at Kota Bharu on 8th December 1941 at 12.25am - 90 minutes before the bombing of Pearl Harbour.The attacks were relentless, augmented by troop reserves in South Thailand and Indo-China. Outflanked and outclassed, the British were forced to retreat.It took the Japanese army only 55 days to over run Peninsular Malaya and reached Johore. They crossed the Johore Strait on 7th February 1942 to capture Fortress Singapore.The British lost because they underestimated their enemy - the cardinal mistake in warfare!January the 31st, 1942 : Only 55 days after the landing at Kota Bahru, the Japanese had already won the battle for Malaya. And now…. the battle for Singapore was to begin. Seventy miles of Singapore's coastline lay vulnerable. Whilst the British were hastening their defence preparations, Yamashita was getting ready for the Japanese assault on Singapore.Under Lt-General Percival, Singapore's coastline was divided into three combat zones - the north, west and southern areas - with a reserve area in the centre of the island. About 100,000 military personnel from Australia, Great Britain and India, as well as soldiers raised in Malaya and Singapore, prepared to defend Singapore. The British also allowed the Malayan Communist Party to help set up a Singapore Overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army. Led by a British officer, J.D. Dalley, these recruits, a few hundred of them, were given some old weapons, and only ten days of actual training in combat skills. This was the Dalforce.
But the Japanese strategy was a wily one - at midnight on the 7th February 1942, Japanese troops landed unopposed on Pulau Ubin. Opening fire on Singapore's north-east coast, they gave the impression of an impending attack from that direction.
On February the 8th, however, the Japanese directed a strategic air and artillery attack on the north-west coast instead. By 9.30 that night, the first Japanese amphibious assault on Singapore was launched. Undeterred by heavy casualties suffered from Australian machine-gunners, wave upon wave of Japanese troops landed on Singapore's north-west coast. And by midnight of that day the Australian defence was broken.
On February the 9th, Tengah Airfield fell to the Japanese and both the villages at Choa Chu Kang and Ama Keng were captured.
Preparations were meanwhile made for a Japanese landing on the beaches between the Kranji River and the Causeway. By the 10th of February the Japanese had successfully taken the Singapore side of the Causeway.
With his troops well established on the northern shores, Yamashita's next objective was Bukit Timah, for this area commanded the north-western approach to Singapore town. Advancing eastwards along the Choa Chu Kang and Jurong Roads, the Japanese army approached Bukit Timah.
By the 11th of February, Bukit Timah village was taken. With the taking of Bukit Timah, Yamashita called upon Percival to surrender. But Percival had strict orders … and they were "to fight till the end." Pushing on eastward, Japanese troops captured the Race Course area and as well as the MacRitchie Reservoir.
On the eastern front more Japanese troops from Pulau Ubin landed at Punggol and Loyang. Meeting no resistance, Upper Serangoon, Paya Lebar and then Geylang were taken.
Their next target - the Pasir Panjang Ridge. There, the Japanese 18th Division fought a bitter battle with the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Malay Regiment. Supported by men from the Australian forces, the Malay Regiment fought stubbornly and kept the Japanese onslaught at bay until the midnight of 12th February. As the odds grew obviously too great, the "C" Company of the Malay Regiment retreated to Bukit Chandu the following day.
Up on Bukit Chandu, soldiers of the Malay Regiment had run out of ammunition. True to the spirit of "Ta'at dan Setia", they resorted to hand-to-hand combat against the Japanese invaders. Point 226 or Bukit Chandu, was captured by afternoon, the 14th of February.
Enraged by the stubborn stand put up by the Malay Regiment soldiers, the Japanese exacted revenge by storming into the nearby Alexandra Hospital on the same day, bayoneting and killing patients and staff on sight. More than 200 died in the senseless Alexandra Hospital massacre.
By this time the Japanese advance had forced British troops to fall back to a perimeter around the Municipality. This was their last defence. Around this the Japanese converged. The end was imminent.
Not only were water supplies falling to a critical level but supplies including food, fuel and ammunition were also running low. These reasons along with mounting civilian casualties, led Percival made the momentous decision to surrender.
At the Ford Motor Factory in Bukit Timah on the 15th of February at 10 past 6 that evening, the official surrender was signed. It was a magnificent victory for Japan, for the capture of Singapore signalled the end of British power in the Far East. On the part of the British, Percival's cable to the Supreme Commander of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command read : ALL RANKS HAVE DONE THEIR BEST.
Japanese StrategyMany years prior to their attack on Malaya in December 1941, the Japanese had studied the Malayan terrain and worked out their strategy, the troops and equipment needed to mount the campaign. Their immediate objective - the Capture of Singapore.Lieutenant-General Tomoyuki Yamashita, Commander-in-Chief of the 25th Japanese Army, had studied the science and technology of modern warfare. Before taking command, he had spent 6 months in Germany exchanging ideas with Adolf Hitler's military experts.The highly trained and battle hardened 25th Army led by the Imperial Guard Division, and elite troops of the 5th Division, were assigned to carry out the lightning offensive down the Malay Peninsula and capture Singapore, before the British could dispatch its reinforcements. British Defence Plans CrushedThe “Main Fleet to Singapore” strategy collapsed on 10th December 1941, a mere two days after Japanese invaded Malaya, when the Prince of Wales and the Repulse, the only two battleships, were sunk 60 miles off Kuantan. Soon after landing on southern Thailand and northern Malaya, the Japanese invading forces established air superiority as Britain had only old and obsolete aircraft.
Moreover Britain had no tanks to stop the Japanese onslaught over land.Japanese troops landed at Kota Bharu on 8th December 1941 at 12.25am - 90 minutes before the bombing of Pearl Harbour.The attacks were relentless, augmented by troop reserves in South Thailand and Indo-China. Outflanked and outclassed, the British were forced to retreat.It took the Japanese army only 55 days to over run Peninsular Malaya and reached Johore. They crossed the Johore Strait on 7th February 1942 to capture Fortress Singapore.The British lost because they underestimated their enemy - the cardinal mistake in warfare!January the 31st, 1942 : Only 55 days after the landing at Kota Bahru, the Japanese had already won the battle for Malaya. And now…. the battle for Singapore was to begin. Seventy miles of Singapore's coastline lay vulnerable. Whilst the British were hastening their defence preparations, Yamashita was getting ready for the Japanese assault on Singapore.Under Lt-General Percival, Singapore's coastline was divided into three combat zones - the north, west and southern areas - with a reserve area in the centre of the island. About 100,000 military personnel from Australia, Great Britain and India, as well as soldiers raised in Malaya and Singapore, prepared to defend Singapore. The British also allowed the Malayan Communist Party to help set up a Singapore Overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army. Led by a British officer, J.D. Dalley, these recruits, a few hundred of them, were given some old weapons, and only ten days of actual training in combat skills. This was the Dalforce.
But the Japanese strategy was a wily one - at midnight on the 7th February 1942, Japanese troops landed unopposed on Pulau Ubin. Opening fire on Singapore's north-east coast, they gave the impression of an impending attack from that direction.
On February the 8th, however, the Japanese directed a strategic air and artillery attack on the north-west coast instead. By 9.30 that night, the first Japanese amphibious assault on Singapore was launched. Undeterred by heavy casualties suffered from Australian machine-gunners, wave upon wave of Japanese troops landed on Singapore's north-west coast. And by midnight of that day the Australian defence was broken.
On February the 9th, Tengah Airfield fell to the Japanese and both the villages at Choa Chu Kang and Ama Keng were captured.
Preparations were meanwhile made for a Japanese landing on the beaches between the Kranji River and the Causeway. By the 10th of February the Japanese had successfully taken the Singapore side of the Causeway.
With his troops well established on the northern shores, Yamashita's next objective was Bukit Timah, for this area commanded the north-western approach to Singapore town. Advancing eastwards along the Choa Chu Kang and Jurong Roads, the Japanese army approached Bukit Timah.
By the 11th of February, Bukit Timah village was taken. With the taking of Bukit Timah, Yamashita called upon Percival to surrender. But Percival had strict orders … and they were "to fight till the end." Pushing on eastward, Japanese troops captured the Race Course area and as well as the MacRitchie Reservoir.
On the eastern front more Japanese troops from Pulau Ubin landed at Punggol and Loyang. Meeting no resistance, Upper Serangoon, Paya Lebar and then Geylang were taken.
Their next target - the Pasir Panjang Ridge. There, the Japanese 18th Division fought a bitter battle with the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Malay Regiment. Supported by men from the Australian forces, the Malay Regiment fought stubbornly and kept the Japanese onslaught at bay until the midnight of 12th February. As the odds grew obviously too great, the "C" Company of the Malay Regiment retreated to Bukit Chandu the following day.
Up on Bukit Chandu, soldiers of the Malay Regiment had run out of ammunition. True to the spirit of "Ta'at dan Setia", they resorted to hand-to-hand combat against the Japanese invaders. Point 226 or Bukit Chandu, was captured by afternoon, the 14th of February.
Enraged by the stubborn stand put up by the Malay Regiment soldiers, the Japanese exacted revenge by storming into the nearby Alexandra Hospital on the same day, bayoneting and killing patients and staff on sight. More than 200 died in the senseless Alexandra Hospital massacre.
By this time the Japanese advance had forced British troops to fall back to a perimeter around the Municipality. This was their last defence. Around this the Japanese converged. The end was imminent.
Not only were water supplies falling to a critical level but supplies including food, fuel and ammunition were also running low. These reasons along with mounting civilian casualties, led Percival made the momentous decision to surrender.
At the Ford Motor Factory in Bukit Timah on the 15th of February at 10 past 6 that evening, the official surrender was signed. It was a magnificent victory for Japan, for the capture of Singapore signalled the end of British power in the Far East. On the part of the British, Percival's cable to the Supreme Commander of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command read : ALL RANKS HAVE DONE THEIR BEST.
The surrender(Examined)
Japanese Surrender
On the 6th and 9th of August, 1945, US B-29 bombers dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It had been about 3 years and 8 months since the Japanese first bombed United States naval, Pearl Harbour.
The United States had remained a neutral party during World War II until the bombing of Pearl Harbour.
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a decisive move in ending the Japanese Occupation of Southeast Asia.
By this time, the Japanese forces had lost their will to continue the war and allowed Allied forces to send in reinforcements and food supplies.
Prisoners-of-war were checked by the medical officers and arrangements were made to send them home.
On August 15, 1945, Japan announced their surrender.
The formal signing of the surrender instrument was held at the City Hall, then known as the "Municipal Hall", on September 12, 1945.
This was followed by a celebration at the Padang, which included a victory parade.
On the 6th and 9th of August, 1945, US B-29 bombers dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It had been about 3 years and 8 months since the Japanese first bombed United States naval, Pearl Harbour.
The United States had remained a neutral party during World War II until the bombing of Pearl Harbour.
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a decisive move in ending the Japanese Occupation of Southeast Asia.
By this time, the Japanese forces had lost their will to continue the war and allowed Allied forces to send in reinforcements and food supplies.
Prisoners-of-war were checked by the medical officers and arrangements were made to send them home.
On August 15, 1945, Japan announced their surrender.
The formal signing of the surrender instrument was held at the City Hall, then known as the "Municipal Hall", on September 12, 1945.
This was followed by a celebration at the Padang, which included a victory parade.
British Surrender
On the morning of February 15, 1942, British commanders consolidated all situation reports and realised that all was very bad.
There was a shortage of food and ammunition, and the Japanese had cut off water supply from Johore.
At the end of the meeting held at the Battle Box at Fort Canning, the British commanders concluded that there was no other choice but to surrender.
The British sent a delegation to discuss terms of the surrender with the Japanese, who by then had established their headquarters at the Ford Factory at Bukit Timah.
The first delegation was turned back by Lieutenant-Colonel Ichii Sugita, this was because Lieutenant-General Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya, was not among the delegates.
A second delegation, led by Lieutenant-General Percival, comprising of Brigadier Newbigging, Brigadier Torrance, and Major Wild, made their way to the Ford Factory at 5.00pm that day.
Lieutenant-General Sugita, who spoke reasonably good English, assisted Lieutenant-General Tomoyuki Yamashita.
The meeting was the first time top-ranking officers from both armies met. Both had their own agendas. One demanded an unconditional surrender, the other wanted to negotiate.
It was this day that the fate of Singapore took a turn for the worse, with serious implications on the lives of Singaporeans for the next three years and eight months.
On the morning of February 15, 1942, British commanders consolidated all situation reports and realised that all was very bad.
There was a shortage of food and ammunition, and the Japanese had cut off water supply from Johore.
At the end of the meeting held at the Battle Box at Fort Canning, the British commanders concluded that there was no other choice but to surrender.
The British sent a delegation to discuss terms of the surrender with the Japanese, who by then had established their headquarters at the Ford Factory at Bukit Timah.
The first delegation was turned back by Lieutenant-Colonel Ichii Sugita, this was because Lieutenant-General Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya, was not among the delegates.
A second delegation, led by Lieutenant-General Percival, comprising of Brigadier Newbigging, Brigadier Torrance, and Major Wild, made their way to the Ford Factory at 5.00pm that day.
Lieutenant-General Sugita, who spoke reasonably good English, assisted Lieutenant-General Tomoyuki Yamashita.
The meeting was the first time top-ranking officers from both armies met. Both had their own agendas. One demanded an unconditional surrender, the other wanted to negotiate.
It was this day that the fate of Singapore took a turn for the worse, with serious implications on the lives of Singaporeans for the next three years and eight months.
The questioning
Massacre of Chinese Populace
Having gained control over Singapore on February 15, 1942, General Tomoyuki Yamashita instructed the Japanese garrison commander to round up the anti-Japanese elements.
The plan, issued by the Imperial Headquarters, was to gather all Chinese males between the ages of 18 and 50 at various locations, screen them, and execute those identified as anti-Japanese.
Screening centres were set up all over Singapore. Most of them were situated in areas of large Chinese populous. Among them were Java Road, Arab Street, Telok Kurau English School, St. Joseph's Institution, and Chinatown.
At the Chinatown screening centre, lorries were parked nearby ready to take anti-Japanese suspects to remote locations such as Changi, Punggol and Bedok, where they were all massacred.
The lucky ones were stamped with an "examined" word on their faces, arms, clothing or just pieces of paper. They were free to return home to their families afterwards.
We do not know how many men were executed during the Sook Ching exercise.
When the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Appeal Committee for Singapore Chinese Victims Massacred by Japanese, attempted to investigate by urging people to report deaths of family members and relatives, only 8600 were reported.
Research have shown that there were many more.
Whatever the number is, Sook Ching will, remain a horrific and traumatic experience in the memory of the survivors
Having gained control over Singapore on February 15, 1942, General Tomoyuki Yamashita instructed the Japanese garrison commander to round up the anti-Japanese elements.
The plan, issued by the Imperial Headquarters, was to gather all Chinese males between the ages of 18 and 50 at various locations, screen them, and execute those identified as anti-Japanese.
Screening centres were set up all over Singapore. Most of them were situated in areas of large Chinese populous. Among them were Java Road, Arab Street, Telok Kurau English School, St. Joseph's Institution, and Chinatown.
At the Chinatown screening centre, lorries were parked nearby ready to take anti-Japanese suspects to remote locations such as Changi, Punggol and Bedok, where they were all massacred.
The lucky ones were stamped with an "examined" word on their faces, arms, clothing or just pieces of paper. They were free to return home to their families afterwards.
We do not know how many men were executed during the Sook Ching exercise.
When the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Appeal Committee for Singapore Chinese Victims Massacred by Japanese, attempted to investigate by urging people to report deaths of family members and relatives, only 8600 were reported.
Research have shown that there were many more.
Whatever the number is, Sook Ching will, remain a horrific and traumatic experience in the memory of the survivors
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Hungary Years....Food Rationing
One of the most serious problems during the Occupation was food shortage.
The people of Singapore were encouraged to grow their own vegetables.
In addition, the Japanese also issued ration cards to control supplies of rice and other essential items.
You could not get any provisions from shops if you did not have this ration card.
Each adult was given a ration of 4.8kg of rice per month and each child 2.4kg. This amount was subsequently reduced to 3.6kg per month for adults.
Even then, these ran out before long
It is probably hard to appreciate how Singaporeans felt when they woke up on Feb 16, 1942.
The British had just surrendered to the Japanese the day before, heralding a 3½ year period of deprivation, making-do and malnutrition.
That day fell on the second day of the Lunar New Year of the Horse. Not that anyone was in the mood to celebrate although, if he were so inclined, there were the hoarded emergency food supplies to dig into.
Even these ran out before long and, apart from the wealthy or those with Japanese connections, substitutes for rice, bread, milk and other foods became regular items on the dining table.
Talk of Japanese Occupation fare and everyone who has lived through it mentions sweet potatoes and tapioca. It was "tapioca for breakfast, tapioca for lunch and tapioca for dinner".
The ubiquitous ubi kayu, which most people think of as a dessert, provided wonderful ballast for empty stomachs. Boiled with coconut milk and sweetened with palm sugar, it made a good snack.
Steamed and cut into strips, the tapioca could be turned into fries. Mashed into flour, it could be made into kropok. The flour could also be used to make sago flour beads, even bread and noodles although neither was a success. Sweet potatoes were a great substitute for scarce rice. A few added to a pot of porridge or rice fed more hungry mouths. The tubers made the rice more nutritious too since they are rich in vitamins and high in fibre.
G.Y.O (grow your own)VEGGIES
There were features in the Occupation diet which would delight today's advocates of more healthy eating. The meals were certainly low in fat, meat and sugar but high in fibre. After all, the most common, most easily available food was vegetables. Many vegetables were home-grown -- hunger turned anyone with a bit of a yard into a gardener. Even before the Occupation, the authorities were already harping on the need to increase supplies of home-grown food.
In 1941, the Department of Information issued a free pamphlet, Grow Your Own Vegetables: Practical Hints for War-time Gardeners.
During the Occupation, the Japanese also promoted home-grown food. Seeds were given away, agricultural exhibitions were held and some Singaporeans were resettled in rural Endau and Bahau in Malaysia to grow food crops.
In Singapore, flowers and trees gave way to similar pursuits. Students had to spend part of their time in school tending vegetable plots. Some home gardeners with green thumbs grew enough to barter what they could not eat for things they wanted.
Hawkers still came round to many doorsteps and excess long beans or kangkong could be exchanged for another vegetable or a piece of fish, if any.
City folks reared poultry and even pigs, if space allowed. However, not everyone had to sweat it out for his next meal.
Some had gone into the Occupation with plenty of assets, like silverware, tablecloths, towels or clothing -- or hidden stocks of Straits dollars. These could be sold or bartered for food in the black market.
Bread was hard or rubbery.
Those who patronised the latter did not have to queue for rations. Even then, no one was assured of getting anything unless they were near the head of the line.
Hence, there was an incentive to get up in the wee hours of the morning to be in front of everyone else.
Rumours of new supplies in the shops usually brought out the queues very quickly. Even if you had no use for whatever was available, you bought it anyway so you could barter it for something else later.
Sometimes though, the quality of the food people had waited so long to buy did not come up to expectations. Bread and noodles were hard or rubbery. Rice had weevils or stones. Sugar was damp or adulterated.
Meanwhile, the flavour of so many dishes was so bad that some people preferred to do without or learnt to make what they needed. Home-grown, home-made items were common. There were far fewer ingredients to play around with, and recipes were simple and uncomplicated. In the absence of imported ingredients, local food and flavourings were highlighted.
The common coconut made many dishes far more palatable. No one had heard of saturated fat in the oil, and even if they did, all that mattered was making the kangkong or ubi kayu taste better.
Soya sauces, taucheo, dried shrimps, belacan and chillies were basic to many dishes. The "ang moh" prisoners of war in the camps came to appreciate the fiery chilli too for the boost it gave to an otherwise dull diet.
On the rare occasion, extra rations would be released to celebrate a special festival, like the birthday of the Japanese Emperor.
Usually, festivals were low-key affairs, especially without a groaning table. Still, there were people who made the effort and guests usually brought their own food to share.
If that contribution was something long hoarded like a tin of corned beef or ham, then every morsel was savoured. Nothing whets the appetite like scarcity which may be why the rich foods of today have to be increasingly exotic to stimulate jaded taste buds.
But during the war years, many would have been happy just to sit down to a simple bowl of porridge without worrying what fresh disasters the day would bring.
First published in The Straits Times on Feb 16, 1992.
One of the most serious problems during the Occupation was food shortage.The people of Singapore were encouraged to grow their own vegetables.
In addition, the Japanese also issued ration cards to control supplies of rice and other essential items.
You could not get any provisions from shops if you did not have this ration card.
Each adult was given a ration of 4.8kg of rice per month and each child 2.4kg. This amount was subsequently reduced to 3.6kg per month for adults.
Even then, these ran out before long
It is probably hard to appreciate how Singaporeans felt when they woke up on Feb 16, 1942.
The British had just surrendered to the Japanese the day before, heralding a 3½ year period of deprivation, making-do and malnutrition.
That day fell on the second day of the Lunar New Year of the Horse. Not that anyone was in the mood to celebrate although, if he were so inclined, there were the hoarded emergency food supplies to dig into.
Even these ran out before long and, apart from the wealthy or those with Japanese connections, substitutes for rice, bread, milk and other foods became regular items on the dining table.
Talk of Japanese Occupation fare and everyone who has lived through it mentions sweet potatoes and tapioca. It was "tapioca for breakfast, tapioca for lunch and tapioca for dinner".
The ubiquitous ubi kayu, which most people think of as a dessert, provided wonderful ballast for empty stomachs. Boiled with coconut milk and sweetened with palm sugar, it made a good snack.
Steamed and cut into strips, the tapioca could be turned into fries. Mashed into flour, it could be made into kropok. The flour could also be used to make sago flour beads, even bread and noodles although neither was a success. Sweet potatoes were a great substitute for scarce rice. A few added to a pot of porridge or rice fed more hungry mouths. The tubers made the rice more nutritious too since they are rich in vitamins and high in fibre.
G.Y.O (grow your own)VEGGIES
There were features in the Occupation diet which would delight today's advocates of more healthy eating. The meals were certainly low in fat, meat and sugar but high in fibre. After all, the most common, most easily available food was vegetables. Many vegetables were home-grown -- hunger turned anyone with a bit of a yard into a gardener. Even before the Occupation, the authorities were already harping on the need to increase supplies of home-grown food.
In 1941, the Department of Information issued a free pamphlet, Grow Your Own Vegetables: Practical Hints for War-time Gardeners.
During the Occupation, the Japanese also promoted home-grown food. Seeds were given away, agricultural exhibitions were held and some Singaporeans were resettled in rural Endau and Bahau in Malaysia to grow food crops.
In Singapore, flowers and trees gave way to similar pursuits. Students had to spend part of their time in school tending vegetable plots. Some home gardeners with green thumbs grew enough to barter what they could not eat for things they wanted.
Hawkers still came round to many doorsteps and excess long beans or kangkong could be exchanged for another vegetable or a piece of fish, if any.
City folks reared poultry and even pigs, if space allowed. However, not everyone had to sweat it out for his next meal.
Some had gone into the Occupation with plenty of assets, like silverware, tablecloths, towels or clothing -- or hidden stocks of Straits dollars. These could be sold or bartered for food in the black market.
Bread was hard or rubbery.
Those who patronised the latter did not have to queue for rations. Even then, no one was assured of getting anything unless they were near the head of the line.
Hence, there was an incentive to get up in the wee hours of the morning to be in front of everyone else.
Rumours of new supplies in the shops usually brought out the queues very quickly. Even if you had no use for whatever was available, you bought it anyway so you could barter it for something else later.
Sometimes though, the quality of the food people had waited so long to buy did not come up to expectations. Bread and noodles were hard or rubbery. Rice had weevils or stones. Sugar was damp or adulterated.
Meanwhile, the flavour of so many dishes was so bad that some people preferred to do without or learnt to make what they needed. Home-grown, home-made items were common. There were far fewer ingredients to play around with, and recipes were simple and uncomplicated. In the absence of imported ingredients, local food and flavourings were highlighted.
The common coconut made many dishes far more palatable. No one had heard of saturated fat in the oil, and even if they did, all that mattered was making the kangkong or ubi kayu taste better.
Soya sauces, taucheo, dried shrimps, belacan and chillies were basic to many dishes. The "ang moh" prisoners of war in the camps came to appreciate the fiery chilli too for the boost it gave to an otherwise dull diet.
On the rare occasion, extra rations would be released to celebrate a special festival, like the birthday of the Japanese Emperor.
Usually, festivals were low-key affairs, especially without a groaning table. Still, there were people who made the effort and guests usually brought their own food to share.
If that contribution was something long hoarded like a tin of corned beef or ham, then every morsel was savoured. Nothing whets the appetite like scarcity which may be why the rich foods of today have to be increasingly exotic to stimulate jaded taste buds.
But during the war years, many would have been happy just to sit down to a simple bowl of porridge without worrying what fresh disasters the day would bring.
First published in The Straits Times on Feb 16, 1992.
Banana Money
This money was used during the Japanese Occupation. By the time the war ended, the "banana money" had no value and became useless.
The Japanese wanted to curb anti-Japanese activities, as well as to punish the Chinese who had provided aid to the Chinese activists in the Sino-Japanese conflict.
On March 22, Chinese leaders from Malaya and Singapore were penalised and asked to pay a sum of 50 million Straits dollars as "tributary money."
As most had already had their property and assets destroyed during the war, it was a monumental task to raise the money. They finally took a loan of $21.5 million from Yokohama Specie Bank at 6% interest.
The incident curtailed the circulation and caused a shortage in Straits currency.
A large quantity of Japanese currency, also known as "banana money", was issued.
The exact amount is unknown even to the Japanese, as these currency did not bear any serial number; only block letters.
The Japanese wanted to curb anti-Japanese activities, as well as to punish the Chinese who had provided aid to the Chinese activists in the Sino-Japanese conflict.
On March 22, Chinese leaders from Malaya and Singapore were penalised and asked to pay a sum of 50 million Straits dollars as "tributary money."
As most had already had their property and assets destroyed during the war, it was a monumental task to raise the money. They finally took a loan of $21.5 million from Yokohama Specie Bank at 6% interest.
The incident curtailed the circulation and caused a shortage in Straits currency.
A large quantity of Japanese currency, also known as "banana money", was issued.
The exact amount is unknown even to the Japanese, as these currency did not bear any serial number; only block letters.
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